Light To Guide Our Feet Victory Bulletin - U.S. General Services Administration Creates New Opportunities for Nearly 600 Small Businesses in 38 States

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May 2012

U.S. General Services Administration Creates New Opportunities for Nearly 600 Small Businesses in 38 States

Third generation 8(a) STARS IT contract furthers agency's commitment to support small business.

WASHINGTON - - (August 3, 2011) - - The U.S. General Services Administration announced that 599 small disadvantaged information technology businesses, spread across 38 states, have been awarded the opportunity to do business with the federal government through the 8(a) STARS II Governmentwide Acquisition Contract (GWAC). Now in its third generation, the GSA 8(a) STARS program promotes federal agency use of 8(a) classified businesses to purchase IT services or IT services-based solutions. This new contract has the potential for up to $10 billion in sales for small, disadvantaged businesses in communities across 38 states.

“This new contract furthers GSA’s already strong commitment to support small businesses," said GSA Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Steven J. Kempf. "With 8(a) STARS II contracts going to businesses across the country, federal agencies can tap a new source of IT innovation and fresh ideas while truly supporting America’s small businesses. These companies now have an opportunity to compete in the federal marketplace and win business that allows them to grow, innovate, hire employees, and drive economic growth across America.”

The 8(a) STARS II GWAC, which stands for Streamlined Technology Acquisition Resources for Services, enables federal agencies to receive 8(a) and other socioeconomic credit for meeting procurement preference goals. Additionally, the pricing of the services available through this contract are prenegotiated to be at least 10 percent less than the initial prices offered to the government. The streamlined 8(a) STARS II contract offers a wide range of IT service solutions such as IT helpdesk support, information assurance, cybersecurity, custom computer programming, and computer operations maintenance. This contract builds on its predecessors, the successful 8(a) FAST and 8(a) STARS GWACs, which together drove more than $5 billion to small businesses over the past decade.

8(a) STARS II is managed by GSA’s Small Business GWAC Center in Kansas City, Mo., which also provides federal agencies with access to its Scope Compatibility Review Service. This additional service gives federal procurement professionals the opportunity to have a statement of work reviewed by GSA for compliance with the 8(a) STARS II scope, making it easier for agencies to efficiently use the contract to meet their missions.

Training for federal acquisition professionals on how to use the 8 (a) STARS II contract is available online. GSA anticipates issuing a “notice to proceed” in the near future, which will officially open the contract for federal agency use. For more information, visit www.gsa.gov/8astars2.

Courtesy U.S. General Services Administration (Article's title edited)

Light to Guide Our Feet Victory Bulletin [LTGOFVB] August 2011