“This week’s blog highlights three notable, positive developments in the Federal market. First, with the protest period passing, GSA’s ASTRO procurement moves forward, with the GSA team on point to support Department of Defense customers through this ground-breaking, best value procurement vehicle. Second, Schedules Consolidation continues apace, with GSA and its industry partners well into the Phase III consolidation of applicable existing schedule contracts. Finally, GSA and the Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA) are working to update the GSA-VA Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) delegating program authority to the VA for the VA Federal Supply Schedules (FSS). Here are the highlights…”
“The ASTRO evaluation methodology is ground-breaking. Award was based on the Highest Technically Rated Qualifying Offerors without consideration of price or cost. Proposals were point-scored based on relevant experience and technical capabilities. ASTRO is the first GSA contract vehicle to successfully utilize the Section 876 authority that authorizes evaluation and award at the contract level without consideration of price or cost. Price and cost evaluation are required at the task order level, when requirements are definitized and thus meaningful for the purposes of evaluation.
The ASTRO solicitation was released on August 24, 2020. Offers were due on October 30, 2020. Approximately 600 offers were received. The list of 377 awards was published on July 28, 2021, with 48 awards to small businesses. Significantly, as of the date of this blog, the period to file a protest has expired, and thus, ASTRO will begin supporting customer agency requirements this Fall…”
“In January 2020, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued GAO-20-132, “VA Acquisition Management – Steps Need to Ensure Healthcare Federal Supply Schedules Remain Useful.” GAO examined the VA’s management and use of the Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program, including the management challenges it faces, the timeliness of contract awards, and the extent of overlap with the VA’s Medical Surgical Prime Vendor (MSPV) program.
GAO made 11 recommendations in the report. Nine were directed to the VA, and two were directed to GSA. The recommendations to GSA focused on improving the working relationship and coordination between GSA and the VA. Specifically, GAO recommended that GSA and VA work to develop a Memorandum of Understanding, ‘outlining the roles and responsibilities of GSA and the VA’s National Acquisition Center… [,] including the processes through which the two organizations will coordinate and share useful tools and practices.’ GAO also recommended that GSA take steps to ‘document its delegation of authority for the healthcare-related Federal Supply Schedules to the VA.’…” Read the full blog posting here.
Source: Federal Market Makers: GSA’s ASTRO, Schedules Consolidation, and the GSA-VA Partnership! – August 27, 2021. The Coalition for Government Procurement.
