The General Services Administration (GSA) has resumed operations of the Polaris governmentwide acquisition services solicitation and extended the due date for bid proposals to August 10.
GSA delayed Polaris earlier this year after contracting firm BD Squared filed a pre-award challenge with the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
The argument cited concerns that small businesses stand to lose out on the opportunity because the procurement terms allow companies involved in mentor-protégé arrangements to rely solely on the experience of larger mentor companies.
During the pause, GSA reviewed the Polaris contract to determine whether it required further changes. Specifically, it looked at how it will evaluate submissions from joint ventures since the request for proposals on March 18. In late April, GAO dismissed the challenge after GSA agreed to update the language used in the solicitation.
Polaris is one of the most hotly anticipated governmentwide IT acquisition vehicles among Federal technology contractors. The contract succeeds the 8(a) STARS III and VETS 2 governmentwide acquisition contracts, which intends to further the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to use the Federal government’s purchasing power to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
