OASIS & OASIS SB Open for Business

In June we talked about the release of the OASIS and OASIS SB contract for use by the government.  

While this was true, there was a cloud of doubt over the program as it was being protested.  Recently the protests were denied by both the Court of Federal Claims (COFC) and the Government Accountability Office, paving the way for their wide use.  To quote the GSA office:

• OASIS and OASIS SB were developed in response to the government’s substantial need for a hybrid, government-wide acquisition vehicle, and are designed to reduce duplication of contracting efforts across the government and provide federal agencies with comprehensive, integrated professional services contract options.
• GSA expects these solutions to provide customers with best value for complex professional service requirements.

There are approximately 200 companies that have won OASIS type contracts under both programs.  This means these companies are in line to win task orders on these IDIQ contracts.  The Air Force is a big proposed user of this contracting vehicle.  So what does this mean if you are not one of the “lucky” 200?  It means you must look for subcontracting opportunities and partnering arrangements with these IDIQ contract holders.  You say you don’t know who the “lucky 200” are?  Use this link to see the contract winners.  You will have to do some due diligence to identify the correct person within these organizations to talk about subcontract opportunities, but this type of business development must be honed to participate in the OASIS program. 

One of the first companies to be awarded an OASIS contract, announced last week, was Science Applications International Corp (SAIC).  SAIC will provide complex professional services for all agencies & departments of the federal government under this contract.  The SAIC press release indicates that SAIC not only feels it will result in a cost benefit to the government but also increase efficiencies in the supply to the federal government. 

Having the legal and protest issues behind them now, the contract vehicle will start to be used widely.  The Air Force is already using the vehicle and expects to use it a lot more.  As the government realizes more budget pressures, I’m sure the contract vehicle will become more and more popular in more agencies and departments.  This is a new trend in government contracting that people should get used to.