Buying cloud services through the General Services Administration got a bit easier Thursday with the latest refresh of IT Schedule 70, which included, among other things, a new special item number (SIN) specifically for cloud products.
The new cloud SIN — 132-40 — is divided into three categories: software-as-a-service, platform-as-a-service and infrastructure-as-a-service. (Administrators originally considered adding a fourth XaaS category to act as a catch-all but later determined it was unnecessary.)
More: Cloud to get original SIN on IT Schedule 70
"We received more than 60 industry responses to our RFI and the feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive," said Mary Davie, assistant commissioner at the Federal Acquisition Service Office of Integrated Technology Services. "As a result, we've worked closely with both our industry and government partners to quickly develop and deploy this SIN that will allow for easier and faster access to high-demand cloud solutions."
Having a SIN provides a central catalog for cloud services, making it easier for agency customers to find what they need.
Contractors currently offering cloud services through Schedule 70 or blanket purchase agreements (BPAs) will have to request a modification in order to add the SIN to their offerings, though they are not required to do so.
Related: New cloud contract in development at GSA
The Schedule 70 refresh also includes a number of other important changes:
- Contractors are now required to submit Universal Product Codes (Type A) for all awarded products, with the goal of making it easier for agencies to search and compare offerings;
- A mandate for contractors to ensure that all employees working on a government project are making at least the federal minimum wage of $10.10;
- In accordance with an interim rule in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the refresh expands requirements for registering with the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) to include more electronics;
- Strengthens and clarifies compliance with the Trade Agreements Act (TAA); and
- Contractors offering professional services must submit a professional compensation plan providing a general outline of salaries and benefits for the positions (not individual employees) that will work under the contract.
Aaron Boyd is an awarding-winning journalist currently serving as editor of Federal Times — a Washington, D.C. institution covering federal workforce and contracting for more than 50 years — and Fifth Domain — a news and information hub focused on cybersecurity and cyberwar from a civilian, military and international perspective.
