“In support of the President’s priorities of economic recovery, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, GSA is excited to share that Polaris will include an SDVOSB set-aside pool.
With the addition of the SDVOSB pool, Polaris will be structured to include four separate diverse small business pools – Small Business (SB), Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone), SDVOSB, and Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) — and will support Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. This strategy enables GSA to provide the federal marketplace with acquisition solutions from key industry segments for which there is procurement set-aside authority, provide equitable business opportunities for historically underserved and marginalized small businesses, and support customer agency small business program goals.
Customers seeking customized IT services or an IT services-based solution from a SB, HUBZone, SDVOSB, or WOSB will have access to highly-qualified small businesses from these sectors who can both meet their IT mission objectives and deliver small business program results, advancing a more equitable society in fulfillment of public policy objectives. In combination with increased exposure on this new generation of GSA’s highly successful small business GWACs, which have been mainstays in the federal marketplace since the late 1990s, GSA expects that dedicated small business program pools will increase task order awards to these types of small businesses.
The diverse community of SB, HUBZone, SDVOSB and WOSB is critical to innovation and job growth in the United States, and they bring key services to the federal government. GSA is proud to support this important community with decades of programs that connect these small business firms to federal agencies and will continue to do so with Polaris…” Read the full blog posting here.
Source: GSA Adds Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Pool on the Polaris Government-wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) – September 22, 2021. Small Business GWAC Community of Interest. GSA.
