FAS’ Services Marketplace Initiative and next steps for the OASIS follow-on procurement

This column was originally published on Roger Waldron’s blog at The Coalition for Government Procurement and was republished here with permission from the author.

This week, GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) posted a blog highlighting the completion of the OASIS on-ramps and announcing a new federal marketplace initiative, the Services Marketplace.

The blog outlines three goals of the Services Marketplace initiative, while setting forth a series of efforts to achieve the goals. Chief among the three goals is “rationalizing, aligning, and expanding GSA’s Government-wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC), Multiple Award Contract, and [multiple award schedule] service contract offerings.”

The FAS blog makes clear that FAS will be seeking input from the procurement community, including its industry partners, regarding its acquisition strategies and systems investments. Coalition members welcome this dialogue and look forward to sharing feedback on the key market drivers and contract features that enhance customer agency mission support.

The blog discusses the development of the “government’s next generation services “BIC MAC” as the follow-on to OASIS. It states, in pertinent part:

“Customer agencies’ needs will serve as the foundation for BIC MAC’s acquisition strategy, scope, and fair opportunity construct; while industry will be invited to provide us with feedback and input on their needs through focus groups, listening sessions, industry days, and input from industry associations.”

The FAS blog closes by providing a link to FAS’ Professional Services Category Interact site where details on the forthcoming dialogue will available. This dialogue will be critical to fashioning a follow-on professional services contract vehicle that efficiently and effectively meets customer agency missions. The stakes are high, as OASIS’ performance in meeting customer agency mission requirements has been one of the most successful, if the not the most successful, government-wide contract vehicle over the last six years.

OASIS – A strategic asset in supporting customer agency mission

OASIS’ performance over the last six years has made it a strategic procurement tool in meeting customer agency mission needs. The program’s success can be attributed to features like effective contract administration, streamlined task order processes, and high-quality contracts/capabilities. These features provide customer agencies with timely, efficient, and effective access to critical, high-quality professional services capabilities. Defense and civilian organizations across government rely on OASIS in meeting their respective missions.

The increasing reliance on OASIS reflects customer satisfaction, as highlighted in the following chart, which documents the remarkable growth of the program in meeting customer agency mission requirements.

Impressively, over its six-year life, the OASIS program has provided customer agencies with over $28 billion in services support for agency mission requirements. Since 2017, OASIS mission support has increased by more than 167%, to over $8.7 billion in 2020.

The program is essential to departments and agencies, like the Air Force, which acquired more than $3.1 billion in mission support through OASIS in 2020. In fact, almost 20% of the Air Force’s professional services support (based on dollar value) is provided through OASIS. GSA’s contracting programs rely on OASIS extensively, as well. The two largest single users of OASIS were FEDSIM and GSA’s Assisted Acquisition Services in Region 4, which obligated more than $3.5 billion in services mission support through OASIS in 2020. It is noteworthy that, in 2020, over 50% of FEDSIM’s contract spending for customer agency mission support went through OASIS.

The data makes clear that OASIS is a strategic asset supporting and supported by customer agencies.  Its ease of use, high quality contracts, and effective management have delivered for customer agencies time and time again. Looking forward, in a new era of near peer competition and its attendant challenges, contracting programs, like OASIS, will be more important than ever in meeting the challenges facing our government and nation. As such, the dialogue around the OASIS follow-on, the BIC MAC, will, by necessity, include identification, discussion, and implementation of a contract vehicle. That vehicle should maintain the key contract features that have made OASIS a strategic asset for so many customer agencies. It should not disrupt or change what, unquestionably, has been working. The Coalition appreciates GSA for opening the dialogue, and we look forward to future discussions among all stakeholders.

In the new year, in addition to continuing to focus on the OASIS follow-on, the FAR & Beyond blog also will address the IT GWACs and the MAS program as part of the Services Marketplace. In the meantime, the Coalition wishes you and yours a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season!

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