Opportunity Alert: OASIS On-Ramps Begin with Pool 1 Small Business

On August 21, the General Services Administration (GSA) issued a pre-solicitation notice to on-ramp contractors to the existing One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services Small Business (OASIS SB) Pool 1. The OASIS on-ramps will follow a phased approach beginning with Pool 1, the most used pool with the smallest size standard ($15 million). Due to the size standard, GSA anticipates that most vendors will not be eligible to compete on task orders by April 2019; therefore, on-ramping is needed. The final solicitation will be released on or about September 9, 2018.

OASIS SB is a Multiple Award (MA), Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract classified as a Tier 3, Best-in-Class (BIC) contract providing solutions for complex professional services requirements. OASIS also helps agencies meet their government-wide spend under management (SUM) goals. SUM is the percentage of an organization’s spend that is actively managed according to category management principles.

Future SB On-Ramps
GSA also announced plans to on-ramp contractors to OASIS SB Pools 3 and 4 to expand to a total of 500 contractors across Pools 1, 3 and 4, with Pool 4 alone expanded to 100 contractors. Currently, Pool 1 has 44 contractors, Pool 3 has 43, and Pool 4 has 40, so this is a significant expansion.

All of these contracts are classified by NAICS Subsector 541 for Professional, Scientific and Technical Services

• OASIS SB Pool 1 includes professional services such as consulting, logistics, engineering, scientific, management consulting, project management, and other professional services. The size standard for Pool 1 is $15 million.
• The OASIS SB Pool 3 is considered a subset of Pool 1 for NAICS code 541330 Engineering Services exceptions such as Engineering for Military and Aerospace Equipment & Military Weapons, Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture and Engineering awarded under the National Energy Policy Act of 1992.  The size standard for Pool 3 is $38.5 million.
• OASIS SB Pool 4 is for various research NAICS codes 541713, 541714, and 541715 such as nanotechnology, biotechnology and research & development in physical, engineering and life sciences. The size standard for Pool 4 is 1,000 employees.

OASIS Unrestricted On-Ramps
Future on-ramps for OASIS Unrestricted Pools 1 and 3 will expand awards to a total of 200 contractors in those Pools. Currently Pool 1 has 45 contractors, and Pool 3 has 42, so these on-ramps will more than double the number of awards.

For Open Season On-ramping OASIS U/OASIS SB Section H.15.3, GSA announced the number of contracts to be awarded. The highest technically rated Offerors will receive those awards regardless of how their score compared to the original awardees.

How to Prepare
All on-ramp solicitations will be almost identical to the original solicitations in terms of the Pools, the point system, relevant experience projects, pool qualification projects, and the like. Review the original and new RFPs carefully. Your OASIS proposal must focus on obtaining the highest possible score through prime contractor projects and certifications. Teaming will not increase your score as you cannot use subcontractor qualifications.

For open season, the minimum scores are unknown. For on-ramps that involve replacing OASIS contractors, you must have a proposal score equal to or higher than the lowest scoring Contractor within that Pool. These scores are likely to be lower for open season but still give a good guide for preparation.

OASIS (Small Business)
POOL 1:      5925
POOL 2:      N/A
POOL 3:      5875
POOL 4:      6575
POOL 5A:   6625
POOL 5B:   6975
POOL 6:      5450

OASIS (Unrestricted)
POOL 1:      7825
POOL 2:      N/A
POOL 3:      7575
POOL 4:      7550
POOL 5A:   7950
POOL 5B:   8325
POOL 6:      N/A

Note: N/A means the Pool was not filled and therefore the lowest scoring is yet to be established.

To avoid elimination, you must focus on following all of the very detailed instructions. Compliance is critical to obtaining an on-ramp spot.

How Lohfeld Consulting Group Can Help
We can assess whether your potential score is high enough to secure a spot and make recommendations on how to strengthen your score. Our experienced reviewers can conduct the careful, detailed proposal reviews necessary to avoid compliance issues.

By Lisa Pafe, Vice President, Lohfeld Consulting Group, CPP APMP Fellow and PMP

Lohfeld Consulting Group has proven results specializing in helping companies create winning captures and proposals.
As the premier capture and proposal services consulting firm focused exclusively on government markets, we provide expert assistance to government contractors in Go-to-Market Strategy, Capture Planning and Strategy, Proposal Management and Writing, Capture and Proposal Process and Infrastructure, and Training. In the last 3 years, we’ve supported over 550 proposals winning more than $135B for our clients—including the Top 10 government contractors. Lohfeld Consulting Group is your “go-to” capture and proposal source! Start winning by contacting us at www.lohfeldconsulting.com and join us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.