Five Questions Government Contractors Have About OASIS Plus

OASIS Plus, the much-anticipated replacement for GSA’s hugely successful OASIS contract, is coming closer to fruition. With the final RFP expected to be released in Q2 of FY 2023, OASIS Plus (or OASIS+, originally referred to as “BIC MAC” and “Services MAC”) is expected to have a major impact on federal acquisition for years to come.

Deltek and Baker Tilly partnered to host a webinar last quarter that explained this hugely influential government contract vehicle. Since then the contract vehicle has undergone significant change and development, making it all the more important for government contractors to stay on top of all of the latest updates. To help government contractors navigate this valuable contract vehicle, Deltek and Baker Tilly will host a second session to explain the latest updates, which you can register for at the link below.

On July 15, the GSA released a program update that included a draft qualification matrix (specifying evaluation criteria) for five different domains of the OASIS Plus vehicle:

• Technical & Engineering - Small Business
• Technical & Engineering - Unrestricted
• Management & Advisory - Small Business
• Management & Advisory - Unrestricted
• Enterprise Solutions – Unrestricted

To assist government contractors, we have pulled together common questions that they have in mind as they prepare for OASIS Plus, and have provided guidance and answers below.

OASIS Plus – Common Questions and Answers

1. Question: What are the best things we can do now as we prepare for OASIS Plus?

   Answer: Typically, this will start by surveying the Domains and determining how that aligns with your project portfolio (past and current projects). You will need to understand how those projects meet the various point-scoring criteria listed in the solicitation qualifications matrix. I would recommend continuing to monitor communications from GSA to see how this continues to develop.

2. Question: At the IDIQ level, do you bid for a specific domain, rather than the general IDIQ as a whole?

   Answer: This is correct. Contractors will need to qualify for a Domain, which would secure the award of the IDIQ and the organization’s spot within the Domain.

3. Question: When people say there will be continuous open enrollment for contractors on OASIS Plus, are they referring to the IDIQ level? Might there be more than one bidding process for this IDIQ?

   Answer: GSA’s acquisition strategy for OASIS Plus will be a vetted open enrollment procurement process that will occur at the IDIQ level. Our understanding is that offerors can apply to get on the vehicle at any time – they would just need to meet the qualification credit threshold to get onto targeted Domains. If they can’t get on a Domain, they can come back at a future date and re-apply.

4. Question: GSA Polaris included language that restricted the number of offerors from the same corporate structure, and since GSA has not provided any limitations of this nature for OASIS Plus, we are struggling with how best to stage our position across this vehicle. Do you have any insight on how GSA might limit corporations who have multiple independent subsidiary companies who want to get a seat on OASIS Plus? Will there be only one per domain or one per business category within each domain? What would be the best approach to get GSA to define these limitations early enough so that we can begin to prepare the best offerors?

   Answer: This is an excellent question. In the previous version of the OASIS SB solicitation from the most recent on-ramp, Section L.3.1. (OFFERORS RESPONDING TO MULTIPLE POOLS) speaks directly to your question. GSA only allowed one proposal per pool from a specific offeror. If this language looks less restrictive relative to the Polaris solicitation, I would suggest asking GSA if they plan to adopt this approach or use the approach put forth by the Polaris team. Additionally, GSA’s recent program update, posted on July 15, 2022, includes an updated “Questions and Answers” document with over 200 questions posed by industry with detailed answers from GSA. GSA has also categorized the questions posted by topic area. It may be worthwhile reviewing the answers posted in the “Teaming” category area.

5. Question: When do we expect the OASIS Plus RFP to be formally released?

   Answer: We anticipate the final OASIS Plus RFP to be released in Q2 of FY 2023, with the final draft RFP coming out sometime between October and December of this year. However, GSA has not yet finalized a release date. The team at Baker Tilly will continue to monitor guidance released from GSA. Deltek and Baker Tilly are hosting a follow-up webinar that will help to explain the latest developments.

Next Steps on OASIS Plus for Federal Government Contractors

Whether you're a seasoned government contractor or looking to enter the federal marketplace for the first time, the OASIS Plus contract vehicle is likely to have an impact on your organization. Understanding the latest developments will be crucially important for government contractors looking to remain competitive in the federal marketplace.

Ready to learn more? Register for the webinar co-hosted by Deltek and Baker Tilly, Update on OASIS Plus: Everything Contractors Need to Know, to set your organization up for success.

You can access the complimentary reference guide to OASIS Plus from Baker Tilly and Deltek at the link below.