In October 2023, the 6th generation of NASA’s System for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) draft was released for Q&A. This 100+ page draft Request for Proposal (RFP) provided industry with an abundance of information on how to best prepare for the upcoming opportunity. Let's dive into this draft and point out some key takeaways for you to consider.
What is NASA SEWP?
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Information Technology Procurement Office created the first generation of the SEWP program in 1993 with the focus of getting more advanced technology into NASA offices. Three years later, in 1996, NASA was able to expand the SEWP program into a federal Government Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) under the statutory authority of the Information Technology Management Reform Act (ITMRA).
Since it's creation, the NASA SEWP program has remained focused on providing the latest in IT products and services to federal agencies. NASA SEWP is regarded as the federal government's vehicle of choice for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Audio Visual solutions focusing on best practices in customer interactions, supported by a knowledgeable and responsive staff.
NASA SEWP V
To best understand the development of SEWP VI, it's important that contractors understand the precedent of SEWP V. The current NASA SEWP V vehicle was awarded in May of 2015 and will run until April of 2025. With a base of 5 years, and the renewal of the 5-year option in 2020, SEWP V has had $62.8B in spend across 147 contract holders.
Through SEWP V, the government has been able to procure:
- IT and Networking
- Software and Cloud
- Mobility and Communications
- Supporting technology
- AV/Conferencing
- Support services
Of the 147 prime contract holders, over 100 of those contract holders are small businesses. On SEWP V, there is a vast range of small business designations including Service Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses (SDVOSB), Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Businesses (EDWOSB), HUBZone Small Businesses, and Veteran Owned Small Businesses.
SEWP VI Solicitation Highlights
The SEWP VI draft served as a magnifying glass into the eyes of the SEWP Program office. It's important to note that we are approaching 10 years since the release of SEWP V which means the SEWP Program Office will be making drastic changes for SEWP VI to modernize their GWAC and SEWP Scope.
The world of IT has grown significantly in the past 10 years as well as compliancy requirements and complications in federal procurement. The SEWP Program office will need to account for this growth in SEWP VI.
Adding Services
One of the most significant changes, and I would argue this is the singularly most significant change seen in SEWP VI, is the inclusion of services at the Master Contract level. Categories B and C are entirely dedicated to the provision of services.
This is incredibly significant for two main reasons, firstly this will expand the scope and thus the spend through the NASA SEWP GWAC. Historically, if agencies needed enterprise-wide service solutions, they would be forced to use a different contract vehicle, now they will be able to direct that spend through NASA SEWP VI. Secondly, this means that there will be multiple contract types at the order level such as Labor Hour, Time and Material, Fixed Price Award Fee, etc.
Mandated Requirements
With the understanding that the number of contractors under SEWP VI will grow significantly, the Program Office needs to ensure quality and maintain competition. To do so, they have mandated requirements.
The first defining requirement is the inclusion of ISO 9001:2015 certification for Category A and CMMI Certification for Categories B and C.
Another example of requirements is the Relevant Experience Projects (REP) minimums for contractors pursuing Categories B and C. The minimum for Category B for large businesses is 4 REPs (from the 10 Mandatory Areas) and a $30 million (M) minimum. Small business contractors will need 3 REPs (from 10 Mandatory Areas) with a $5M minimum.
For Category C, Small Businesses must have 3 REPs (from the Mandatory Areas) with a $2M minimum. For HUBZone, SDVOSB, and EDWOSB small businesses, they must have 2 REPs with a $2M minimum.
Additionally, based on the draft requirements for Category A, contractors must provide technology for a minimum of 3 technical sub-areas with each sub-area proposal consisting of a minimum of 2,000 Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs).
Industry Response to NASA SEWP VI
The above-mentioned key takeaways as well as other components of the draft have had mixed responses from industry as seen by the over 2,000 questions submitted. While industry understands the value of competition on contract vehicle with such spend, there are concerns that the requirements prevent small businesses from competing.
Also, the draft mirrors comments made by the Program Office that encourage partnering and teaming, however, industry is still waiting on guidance for how those relationships will be managed by the SEWP PMO. Additionally, there has been extensive concern from industry regarding the PMO’s use of North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 541512--Computer System Design Services, as the primary NAICS SEWP V V was 541519--Other Computer Related Services.
What Comes Next for NASA SEWP VI?
The NASA SEWP PMO has made it clear that they will not be releasing a second draft with revisions. The RFP is set to be released before the end of winter (estimated by March 20th) of 2024, with an anticipated award date of May 1, 2025. We know that deadlines for RFPs are not always timely, so it's important to stay on top of the news regarding NASA SEWP. We suggest you regularly visit the NASA SEWP website for upcoming outreach, events, and deadlines.
If you want to stay updated on SEWP and other timely contract vehicles, regulation changes, etc., you can subscribe to our blog and monthly government insight newsletter. In the meantime, you can work on making sure your GSA Schedule is updated and maintained properly, so when the final RFP is released you are well prepared. If you have any questions about your GSA Schedule or preparing for NASA SEWP, one of our experts would be happy to help guide you in the right direction.
