Braxton Taylor
The Defense Department is moving early to give industry a first glimpse at how it will conduct the recompete of one of its main contract vehicles for broad technology research-and-development services.
A total of 44 companies hold prime positions on the potential $48 billion vehicle called IAC-MAC, which opened for business in 2018 to help DOD components and other federal agencies acquire customized technical and analytical support.
DOD’s Wednesday release of a sources sought notice marks the department’s first step in forming the appropriate acquisition strategy for the follow-on contract.
The department is asking for feedback on whether it should structure the recompete as having awards for two separate pools or a single pool, as opposed to the current setup of three pools.
For the two-pool scenario, DOD would set aside one for small businesses and the second would be unrestricted.
One of DOD’s ideas for the single pool setup would have awardees meet the same qualifications and requirements below a certain dollar threshold would be set aside for small businesses. The other potential single-pool approach would have small businesses meet different qualifications to get selected, then be eligible for all requirements with some below a certain dollar threshold being set aside for SBs.
A second major item DOD wants feedback on pertains to Pool 3 of the contract, under which three nonprofit firms compete for task orders to conduct laboratory work in the field of defenses against weapons of mass destruction.
DOD is asking for ideas on how to make Pool 3 more competitive, both in terms of minimum required certifications and whether the scope should be broader in the next contract.
Responses to the request for information are due no later than April 24.
GovTribe data puts the overall IAC-MAC obligation figure at $11.9 billion to-date with HII, Booz Allen Hamilton, KBR, ManTech and CACI International as the top five recipients.
Battelle, Georgia Tech Applied Research Corp., Science Applications International Corp., Amentum and Leidos round out the top 10.
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