A GEOINT Partnership
There has been growing collaboration between the General Services Administration (GSA) and the geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) industry. Just this past May, GSA and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) announced a partnership to help NGA purchase geospatial intelligence data, products, and services through GSA contracts like the GSA Information Technology (IT) Schedule 70 Contract.
CIBORG
The Commercial Initiative to Buy Operationally Responsive GEOINT (CIBORG) Program is a an initiative created by the NGA/GSA partnership to engage industry and provide government with an efficient method of procuring commercially available geospatial intelligence solutions. Part of CIBORG involves utilizing the GSA Multiple Award Schedule Program, and the GSA IT Schedule 70 Contract in particular, to provide flexible and dynamic procurement solutions to demands for GEOINT.
GEOINT on GSA IT Schedule 70
GSA plans to a create space for GEOINT products and services within the GSA IT Schedule 70 Contract, which serves simplified procurement vehicle for federal, state, and local government buyers. Companies that hold a GSA Schedule Contract have been pre-vetted by GSA and their GSA Schedule Contracts contain pre-negotiated pricing, terms, and conditions.
GSA plans to revise SIN 132-55, Commercial Satellite Communications (COMSATCOM) Subscription Services, to include the following GEOINT sub-categories:
- Pre-existing, pre-engineered commercial satellite service solutions;
- Satellite-based communications, sensor data, imagery and geospatial collected or derived services and/or products; and
- Earth Observation (EO) Services
The final SIN revision is expected to be published within the first quarter of 2017 and will provide the GEOINT community with easier access to federal customers. Companies who decide to pursue a GSA Schedule Contract or add GEOINT to their existing GSA IT Schedule 70 Contract will benefit from shorter buying cycles and visibility on GSA Advantage! and eLibrary. In fiscal year 2015, companies took in over $14 billion in sales through the GSA IT Schedule 70 Contract.
The addition of GEOINT to the GSA IT Schedule 70 Contract comes during a time of several other changes to the contract, including the creation of the Startup Springboard. The Springboard allows for qualified companies to forgo the 2-year experience requirement. This gives emerging GEOINT companies the opportunity to offer the latest technologies to the government through the schedules program.
Companies that are interested in providing geospatial intelligence solutions to NGA, but do not yet hold a GSA IT Schedule 70 Contract can start the process now. While the SIN revision has not yet taken place, companies can submit a proposal to obtain a GSA IT Schedule 70 Contract, and then modify their contract once the revised SIN is released.
