Amendments executing very little to make clear CIO-SP4 confusion — Washington Technology
Amendments undertaking minimal to clarify CIO-SP4 confusion
A lot of grumblings are all all around the sector about prerequisites in the solicitation for the $50 billion CIO-SP4 IT solutions deal and even a several protests.
Most of all those concerns revolve all over contractor teaming agreements and whose and how a great deal past effectiveness will count in a proposal.
A sequence of amendments by the Nationwide Institutes of Health’s IT procurement store have done little to make clear or ease the issues voiced by lots of in market.
The greatest trade association, the Professional Expert services Council, has added its voice in letters to the NIH Information and facts Technology Acquisition and Evaluation Center that urge for a pause to reassess the demands and overall approach of CIO-SP4. PSC also asks that when an amended solicitation is launched, bidders get 30 days to react.
PSC doesn’t mince words and phrases in expressing its and industry’s problems with the solicitation and the subsequent amendments that appear to be to have sown much more confusion.
“The seven amendments revealed because late May have served to further more compound field fears and have forced likely offerors to contemplate choice methods or choose not to bid on the CIO-SP4 opportunity,” wrote Stephanie Kostro, PSC government vice president for plan in a July 22 letter to NIH.
Many of the considerations echo ones lifted by PSC in a June 28 letter that complained about surprises in the Might 25 ask for for proposals and subsequent amendments.
“In reality, components of those amendments have produced much more anxiety and problem amongst the contractor local community,” Kostro wrote in June when there have been only four amendments.
One day soon after getting the latest PSC letter, NITAAC issued one more amendment to defend its approach to teaming agreements. Individuals agreements are distinct for small small business, other than compact, and emerging huge corporations.
NITAAC cites the Modest Business Administration regulation that involves agencies to appear at the abilities, previous functionality and expertise of 1st-tier subcontractors when a small organization key does not have the needed abilities and previous functionality.
NITAAC also stated in Amendment 8 that bidders ought to not be concerned about their point totals to shift past Stage 1. The federal government will decide the firms with the optimum details up to a particular selection of organizations.
For example, NITAAC expects to decide in between 75 and 125 awards for other than tiny, and 100-to-125 awards for modest business enterprise. Lady-owned, veteran-owned, service-disabled, veteran-owned, HUBzone, 8(a) and rising significant organizations need to hope concerning 20 and 40 awards in every single group. Indian economic company and Indian modest business economic business will get amongst five and 10 awards each individual.
I’m not a huge procurement pro, but I’m not guaranteed Amendment 8 addresses considerations from marketplace or clarifies anything at all.
The thanks day for proposals remains Aug. 3 and that is a actual sticking issue for marketplace as PSC tends to make obvious in its letter that asks for the pause so a remaining “clean amendment” can be issued. Then bidders ought to have 30 days to respond.
NITAAC has completed minimal to simplicity the considerations raised in PSC’s July 22 letter so hold an eye out for extra amendments. Regardless of whether they address industry fears or not, or even just lengthen the deadline, is a further subject.
Posted by Nick Wakeman on Jul 23, 2021 at 11:15 AM