Most readers of this blog already know that CIO-SP4 has been cancelled. The program has been troubled since the start. What does this cancellation mean for government contracting more broadly?
A series of protests has required NIH IT Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC), to extend its predecessor, CIO-SP3, three times. But according NITAAC those protests did not lead to the cancellation.
NITAAC cancelled CIO-SP4 due to Executive Order 14240. Specifically, NITAAC determined that CIO-SP4 was “duplicative and no longer mission critical”, with more requirements addressed by GSA. According to sources, GSA was in discussions to take over CIO-SP4 as part of compliance with the executive order. Those discussions led to the end of CIO-SP4.
Again, according to sources, GSA is in discussions with NASA to take over SEWP post award. If NASA SEWP moves to GSA, I wonder if any agency will keep its own vehicle, at least for IT purchases. It is looking more and more like GSA will be the primary source for all government IT and commercial product purchases. This makes it more important than ever that all government contractors maintain some relationship with GSA, whether through a schedule or other IDIQ vehicle.
One other item that comes out of the CIO-SP4 cancellation is that agencies struggle to limit GWACs to set numbers. This is borne out by the current litigation on the T4NG2 GWAC, which has been going on for years. Otherwise qualified applicants are excluded for seemingly arbitrary or overly complicated reasons, which leads to protests, which leads to delays. We may be transitioning to a future where all qualified offerors are allowed onto GWACs and other IDIQs. This would certainly decrease protests and allow contract vehicles to move towards actually awarding contracts.
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