The Polaris Government-wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) provides the opportunity for access to highly qualified small business information technology (IT) service providers. The purpose of GSA’s Polaris GWAC continues to be to achieve partner base expansions, provide access to IT, make proposal submission requirements simplistic, and provide exceptional customer encounters. Pre-Solicitation Notices for release of the Polaris Governmentwide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) Small Business Pool and Women-owned Small Business Set-Aside in accordance with FAR 5.204 were announced on January 27, 2022.
The notices that have been introduced include the following:
- Executive agencies and other federal government entities as listed in GSA Order OGP 4800.2I will be able to access customized Information Technology Services.
- The Polaris GWAC Pool will be a Multiple Award, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract.
- Subpart 16.2 Fixed-price Contracts; FAR Subpart 16.3 Cost-Reimbursement Contracts; FAR 16.601 Time-and-Materials Contracts; and FAR 16.602 Labor-Hour Contracts will be permitted.
- The NAICS code for this RFP is 541512 – Computer Systems Design Services and the associated small business size standard is $30 Million.
- The contract ordering period will consist of a five-year base period with one, five-year option that may extend the cumulative contract ordering period to 10 years. All proposals must be submitted through the Polaris Submission Portal. Proposals will be due approximately 30 days after the solicitation is posted.
- Amendments to the RFP are not being added, only an amendment issued on a SF30, signed by a GSA Contracting Officer, and publicly posted in connection with solicitation 47QTCB22R0001 on SAM.gov is official.
Women-Owned Small Business Set_Aside Special Notices
- The RFP is set-aside for WOSB concerns as the prime contractors per FAR 52.219-30 Notice of Set-Aside for, or Sole-Source Award to, Women-Owned Small Business Concerns Eligible Under the Women-Owned Small Business Program.
- Solicitation 47QTCB22R0003 being simultaneously issued for the Polaris GWAC Women-Owned Small Business Pool.
Other additional pools that Polaris will be available to are Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) and Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). Updates to the solicitation can be found on SAM,gov. The release of the solicitation is targeted for the fall of 2022. The GSA Interact website provides additional information, forums, and access to a community of interests. The year has surfaced some exciting news on the Polaris GWAC program that is beneficial to small, women owned, HUBZone, and SDVOSB businesses.
Coley GCS has the ability to provide assistance with successfully initiating and maintaining your contract through Polaris and other GSA opportunities. Reach out to Coley directly by phone at 210-402-6766, email at hello@coleygsa.com or schedule a call.
Vice President for Coley GCS, LLC, a Government Contracts Consulting, Coaching and Training company. Daniel is a Certified Federal Contracts Manager (CFCM) and leads the day-to-day operations of Coley’s consulting practice. He has two decades of experience with the acquisition, management, and marketing of Federal, State, and Local government contracts. Daniel specializes in all aspects of GSA Schedules management and marketing and has helped hundreds of Coley clients remain compliant with the terms of their GSA contract while helping them expand their business.