It’s Officially SEWP VI Season: Here’s What You Need To Know

What is NASA SEWP?

NASA’s Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement, otherwise known as “SEWP,” is a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Government Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC). When SEWP was first competed in the early 1990s, there was no such thing as a GWAC at that time, desktop computers cost over a thousand dollars, and Microsoft Windows was still using version numbers such as 3.11.

SEWP was originally awarded in February of 1993 with a total of 9 awardees. As the years went on, SEWP quickly grew to become what it is today, the largest GWAC by spend within the federal government with now over $10B being sold on the current contract (SEWP V) in FY22. What has made SEWP such a successful contract vehicle is that it still has the lowest fees (.34%) for any GWAC, offers both products and services, and is used today by every Government agency.  NASA SEWP was not only the first GWAC in federal contracting, but it remains the leader today in terms of spend, innovation, and usage.

What are the major scope areas of this contract?

Historically, NASA SEWP was considered primarily a contract for IT Value Added Resellers (VAR) and for selling IT products. Those who followed the contract closely over the years came to realize that SEWP was more of a “solutions” contract which offered both products and services to government agencies.

Instead of just re-competing SEWP V, NASA has expanded the scope to include multiple contracts which are labeled as Categories in the Draft RFP:

• Category A – IT Solutions: This is the traditional SEWP contract primarily intended for IT VARs or solutions-based companies who sell both products and services.
• Category B – IT Enterprise-Wide Solutions: This category includes enterprise-wide IT solutions and is more likely geared towards small business and large systems integrators who bring deep experience implementing IT solutions across an enterprise. This is a hybrid between products and services.
• Category C – IT Services: This category covers the more traditional IT Services and is geared towards those companies who bring experience with a variety of IT-related services including Data, Cloud, Cyber, and Application Development.

Can my company bid on this?

There is currently no limit to the number of awardees, which is why SEWP VI is gaining so much interest from industry. However, that doesn’t make it any easier to win an award! In order to bid on SEWP VI, there are minimum requirements for companies including bringing multiple Relevant Experience Projects (REPs) that are at least $30M in revenue. Certifications like ISO are currently mandatory

Delving a little deeper into the requirements, you will find that only prime offerors will be able to provide past performance references that must be relevant within 3 years of the solicitation due date. Any subcontractor past performance will not be evaluated (see page 89 of DRFP).

There will be three phases that will lead to the award of this GWAC; Phase I being pass or fail regarding mandatory relevant experience with the proper certifications. Phase II will look at your company’s past performance with a scoring level of confidence of neutral, moderate, high, or very high. If you make it to Phase III, your company will have to be scored at a minimum of high confidence in for the Mission Suitability, management, and technical approach evaluation subfactors in order to be selected as an awardee.

What should I do next?

Red Team has experience working SEWP dating back to SEWP III. We know the strategies to win, and the pitfalls to avoid on this contract. We will be providing a deeper dive on the contract – including strategies to pursue – in a couple upcoming events. Check our event calendar to get registered to attend!

With more than 1,000+ clients ranging from small businesses to large systems integrators, Red Team Consulting is no stranger in providing support on large GWACs. If you’re interested in learning more about how Red Team might be able to help with your SEWP pursuit, please reach out to our business development team today to schedule an initial call and we’ll explore how we might be able to work together.

Written by Rachel Newman. Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn!