The General Services Administration (GSA) announced on Wednesday a OneGov agreement with artificial intelligence (AI) company Perplexity that will provide federal agencies with AI research and drafting capabilities at discounted pricing.
Under the first-of-its-kind direct agreement for frontier AI platforms, federal agencies can access Perplexity Enterprise Pro for Government for $0.25 per agency over an 18-month term through a direct contract on GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule (MAS IT), GSA said.
“Access to cutting-edge AI models is essential for integrating AI into federal government operations and modernizing inefficient processes, aligning with the White House’s AI Action Plan,” GSA Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum said in a statement.
“This OneGov agreement, directly with Perplexity, offers the federal government an additional pathway to leverage the transformative advantages of AI,” Gruenbaum said.
GSA said the direct approach helps to support transparent pricing, streamline acquisition, and ensure strong cybersecurity protections.
Perplexity’s participation and direct availability were streamlined by the FedRAMP 20x pilot, according to GSA. FedRAMP 20x is a revamp of the approval process for secure cloud services in the federal government; it has a heavy focus on automation. In August, GSA announced it would begin prioritizing the authorization of AI-based cloud services.
GSA said Perplexity’s enterprise platform has been designated for AI prioritization, “becoming one of only two AI services to achieve this milestone to date.”
Perplexity’s platform delivers real-time, cited answers by blending internet-scale information with optional access to agency tools such as SharePoint, OneDrive, and Outlook. It supports leading AI models – including Perplexity, OpenAI, and Anthropic – and grounds its responses in verifiable sources.
The Enterprise Pro for Government offering builds on Perplexity’s secure-by-default public platform, which already provides federal employees access to frontier AI without contracts or subscriptions.
“This Administration has made clear that agencies should have the best of American AI not in 2028, 2027, or 2026 – but right now, in 2025,” said Jerry Ma, vice president of global affairs and deputy chief technology officer at Perplexity.
“We are proud to meet their ambition by making Perplexity available for 25 cents per agency in partnership with GSA, providing the first multi-model AI platform tailored to the needs of those who serve America,” Ma added.
Notably, Ma previously served as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s director of emerging technology and first chief AI officer. He stepped down from the role in May to join Perplexity.
In April, GSA unveiled its OneGov initiative, which aims to modernize and streamline federal IT acquisitions. So far, the initiative has secured discounted technology services deals with Oracle, Elastic, Google, Adobe, Salesforce, Docusign, OpenAI, Box, Anthropic, Microsoft, ServiceNow, Meta, and xAI.