Government Contracting Vehicles

8(a) STARS II

GSAThe 8(a) STARS II GWAC is a competitive multiple award, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) set-aside contract vehicle for small businesses that participate in the Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) program. The 8(a) STARS II program is reserved exclusively for qualifying certified 8(a) small businesses, and has a five-year base with one five-year option. In addition, it has a $10 billion program ceiling and facilitates directed task orders up to $4 million.

Contract Details

        • OnWire’s 8(a) STARS II Contract Number: GS00Q17GWD2173
        • Contract Effective Date: June 13, 2017
        • Contract Expiration Date: August 30, 2021
        • Ordering Information: Please email operations@onwireco.com for more details

GSA Schedule 70

GSAAs the largest and most widely used acquisition vehicle in the federal government, General Services Administration (GSA) Information Technology (IT) Schedule 70 contract features fast, streamlined ordering procedures and the convenience of dealing directly with OnWire. The five-year contract allows for government entities to efficiently purchase OnWire’s services using pre-negotiated terms and pricing.

Contract Details

        • OnWire’s GSA Contract Number: GS-35F-140CA
        • Contract Effective Date: January 14, 2015
        • Contract Expiration Date: January 14, 2020
        • Ordering Information: Visit the GSA Advantage site for details

8(a) Sole Source

8(a)

The 8(a) Business Development Program is a business assistance program for small disadvantaged businesses. The 8(a) Program offers a broad scope of assistance to firms that are owned and controlled at least 51% by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals and is an essential instrument for helping socially and economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs gain access to the economic mainstream of American society. Participation in the program is divided into two phases over nine years: a 4-year developmental stage and a 5-year transition stage.

How to Sole Source OnWire 8(a) - Steps:

        1. Identify Requirements / Statement of Work – Establish technical requirements, time frame and pricing estimate
        2. Contact Contracting Officer (CO) or Agency Small Business Specialist for assistance  and provide a package that includes the requirements description, estimated period of performance, applicable NAICS code, anticipated dollar volume, etc
        3. Request 8(a) Sole Source Contract – Contracting Officer to send an Offering Letter to the SBA requesting permission to conduct sole source negotiations with OnWire
        4. Government issues RFP to OnWire
        5. OnWire responds to RFP with proposed resources and costs
        6. Following the completion of any negotiations, CO will prepare a contract award document and send to OnWire for signature
        7. Once the signed contract from OnWire has been received by Government, CO can execute and forward a copy to SBA
        8. All steps have been completed and contract performance can now begin

Benefits of the Program

        • Participants can receive sole-source contracts, up to a ceiling of $4 million for goods and services and $6.5 million for manufacturing
        • 8(a) firms are also able to form joint ventures and teams to bid on contracts. This enhances the ability of 8(a) firms to perform larger prime contracts and overcome the effects of contract bundling, the combining of two or more contracts together into one large contract

Requirements of the Program

The overall program goal is to graduate 8(a) firms that will go on to thrive in a competitive business environment. There are some requirements in place to help achieve this goal. Program goals require 8(a) firms to:

        • Maintain a balance between their commercial and government business
        • Limit on the total dollar value of sole-source contracts that an individual participant can receive while in the program: $100 million or five times the value of its primary NAICS code

Compliance

To ensure 8(a) firms are on track to accomplish their goals and are following requirements, the SBA district offices monitor and measure the progress of participants through:

          • Annual reviews
          • Business planning
          • Systematic evaluations