GSA Schedule | Government Business Development | Government | Technology | Resources and Insight | Contracts | 1 Min Read
The pilot program for RFP-EZ has shown to have many advantages for the federal government. Not only did RFP-EZ make it faster and easier for federal agencies to acquire technology, but it also has the potential to create substantial savings for taxpayers. The Small Business Administration (SBA) analysis of four common IT projects showed that bids received on RFP-EZ came in 30% lower than similar bids received on the FedBizOpps procurement portal.
Federal Chief Technology Officer, Todd Park, said, “It’s clear the new system (RFP-EZ) will save money and open up the government marketplace to a wider range of companies.” The RFP-EZ pilot program enticed more than 270 new businesses into the market. Even though projects listed on RFP-EZ are limited to the simplified acquisition threshold of $150,000, the federal government is expected to spend approximately $1.4 billion. Federal CTO Park also said, “Half of those projects will be under the simplified acquisition threshold,” which will make them eligible for RFP-EZ.
The RFP-EZ pilot program is one that should get the full backing of federal procurement, contracting officers, end users and program managers. The budget has been a mess throughout FY13 and will continue during FY14, which means that federal agencies will be expected to do a lot more with a lot less money. RFP-EZ seems to be the right approach. Since the savings are significant and it also attracts new companies, which will mean different technologies, the federal government will now have access to even more solutions to their problems.
