ENCORE III

Federal News Radio Executive Editor Jason Miller, Washington Technology Editor-in-Chief Nick Wakeman and Lohfeld Consulting Group Founder & CEO Bob Lohfeld join host Mark Amtower on this week’s Amtower Off Center to discuss some of 2017’s top contracting stories and what’s ahead for companies in 2018. January 15, 2017

A month after being rebuked by the Government Accountability Office for the way it planned to pick vendors in a ten year, $17.5 billion IT services contract, the Defense Information Systems Agency issued a revised request for proposals Wednesday, giving vendors a little more than three weeks to submit new bid packages.

GAO explicitly rejected the claim that the agency shouldn’t have used LPTA, saying the decision was justified because ENCORE is “a mature program with a substantial commercial application.”

The Defense Department will revise its final request for bids in a massive information technology services contract known as ENCORE III following months of industry complaints.

The Defense Department will likely have to make significant changes to a much-anticipated IT services contract known as ENCORE III following a legal decision that upheld challenges by two prospective bidders.

Government contractors and GAO are likely to be busy this summer responding to several billion-dollar solicitations for IT services and dealing with the corresponding protests from the losing bidders.

DISA says it’s moving away from acquisition and toward operations, still its SETI contract will be awarded as a best value contract to much fanfare.

Objections to the use of lowest-price technically acceptable for contracts are growing, including Booz Allen Hamilton and CACI protests of DISA’s $17.5 billion ENCORE III solicitation and a new bill from two senators to restrict when the military uses this type of contract.

The Professional Services Council and IT Alliance for Public Sector say lowest price technically acceptable is the wrong process to use when evaluating ENCORE III bidders.