Government purchasers frequently utilize the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program to procure innovative Information Technology (IT) products and services that are available commercially from contractors. State and local governments, educational institutions, and other entities can also be eligible to purchase from GSA Schedule contractors’ IT offerings through the Cooperative Purchasing Program.
To categorize the products and services available for purchase, GSA utilizes Special Item Numbers (SINs). We have previously discussed SINs that contractors can have awarded under the Professional Services Category, such as the Engineering Services SIN and Environmental Consulting SIN. In this blog, we will focus on the Information Technology Category, and more specifically, the Health Information Technology Services SIN.
The Health Information Technology Services SIN is represented by the code 54151HEAL and about 700 contractors have this SIN awarded. The Health IT SIN is categorized under the Information Technology Category and within the IT Services Subcategory. GSA provides the following description of services typically procured under the Health IT SIN:
“54151HEAL Includes a wide range of Health IT services to include connected health, electronic health records, health information exchanges, health analytics, personal health information management, innovative Health IT solutions, health informatics, emerging Health IT research, and other Health IT services.”
While the Health IT SIN falls within the IT Services Subcategory, both products and services can be sold through this Special Item Number.
In addition to the instructions for all offerors outlined in the MAS Solicitation, there are SIN-specific requirements for Health IT SIN offerors, as discussed below.
Typically, service-based SINs require offerors to submit one relevant project experience narrative per SIN to demonstrate they have the necessary experience to support federal buyers’ requirements for that SIN. For the Health IT SIN, offerors must submit two project experience narratives to demonstrate recent experience aligning with any of the services described under this SIN. As with other specialized IT SINs, GSA’s reviewing Subject Matter Experts will assess whether the past performance narrative provided meets the Health IT SIN’s complex requirements.
If a project narrative outlining general IT support for a client is submitted, the past performance will likely not be deemed in scope of the Health IT SIN. The project narratives, as well as the supporting contract documents submitted, must clearly reference project deliverables associated with Health IT software, systems, or related services mentioned in the SIN’s description.
Currently, the Health IT SIN is one of the remaining Special Item Numbers that is not eligible for GSA’s Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) Program. TDR removes the requirement for contractors to disclose their commercial discounting policies and limits the pricing support required to be submitted with a GSA Schedule proposal. Consequently, offerors looking to add the Health IT SIN to their proposal must submit pricing support in the form of Commercial Sales Practices, such as invoices, quote sheets, or contracts, for each labor category proposed.
For any health IT software products being offered, you will need to submit the products’ applicable End User License Agreement (EULA).
While not required, labor categories under the Health IT SIN typically include “Health IT” or “Health” in the position’s title to differentiate between labor categories with the same title (e.g., Consultant) that are awarded under different SINs. Example labor categories awarded under this SIN could include:
Special Item Numbers within the Information Technology Category may require offerors to be compliant with certain standards or laws during task orders. Contractors who have the Health IT SIN awarded or are interested in this SIN should be aware of the following regulations and how they meet the requirements outlined when preparing bids for contract opportunities:
When billing agencies for completed services, Health IT contractors are required to follow the processes as stated in 31 United States Code (U.S.C.) 3324.
The Health IT SIN is not the only SIN within the IT Services Subcategory. This subcategory also includes SIN 54151S (Information Technology Professional Services) and SIN 54151HACS (Highly Adaptive Cybersecurity Services [HACS]). Additionally, there are other subcategories within the Information Technology Category that feature more specialized SINs, including but not limited to the following SINs:
It’s important to evaluate how your services or products align with each SIN within the Information Technology Category to determine the best IT SIN to propose in your GSA Schedule offer. For example, if you are proposing a general Cloud Engineer under the Health IT SIN, the Contract Specialist (CS) or Contracting Officer (CO) reviewing your offer will likely find that role out of scope for the Health IT SIN and will not award you that labor category. Instead, a Cloud Engineer should be proposed under the Cloud SIN (SIN 518210C).
If you believe your services align with the solutions procured under the Health Information Technology Services SIN and are familiar with the SIN’s applicable laws, such as HIPAA, then you should start preparing your GSA Schedule offer. After reading this blog, you may be wondering whether your services meet the Health IT SIN’s requirements. There are other less specialized IT SINs that may better align with your professional services or products. SIN selection is an important step in the GSA Schedule Acquisition process; our consultants can provide insight on aligning the MAS available offerings with your products and/or services.