Update from April 20, 2015: We have updated information on HCaTS that eases the burden on past performance. Per GSA, the following will ease the restrictions on past performance usage.
“After further research and input from industry, the HCaTS team has decided to allow Offerors to submit Relevant Experience Projects earned as a First-Tier Subcontractor under a Prime Contractor’s Federal contract and/or task order, to be counted as Commercial Relevant Experience Projects. If an Offeror is submitting a contract or task order that they performed as a First-Tier Subcontractor as one of their Relevant Experience Projects, the customer would be the Prime Contractor and only the portion of the project that was performed by the Offeror is eligible for points and counts towards the minimum requirements on the Self-Score Worksheet (Attachments J.5.1 and J.5.2). The Offeror will have the Prime Contractor fill out the Past Performance Substitute Form in order to determine the Pool NAICS Code (if applicable) and to rate the past performance.”
This just opened the door for many small businesses to leverage their work while under another prime contractor. Maybe you were out before, but this might make you re-consider a HCaTS pursuit. Good luck! Read more below if you need some more information on HCaTS.
Do you want to get an interactive overview of HCaTS from an expert? Look no further than here.
Many of us (especially FedSavvy Strategies) has been following HCaTS and its developments. March 18, 2015 marked an updated draft RFP from GSA on their HCaTS plans. There are not many surprises in this updated draft RFP as they hinted at such changes in other industry meetings. What is the highlight reel from the new draft RFP?
- As was stated in a March 6 update, KSAs for HRO and HR IT are not going to be a part of HCaTS! This is an interesting twist which makes HCaTS almost the same in scope as OPM TMA. However, they are allowed as ancillary services.
- GSA will use a full & open and small business set-aside structure to award contracts. Each will have two (2) contractor pools based on NAICS codes for past performance with 40 awards in each pool for a total combined 160 maximum awards across all of HCaTS.
- They are NOT going to allow new joint ventures. Existing joint ventures are fair to use.
- Consistent with earlier language, GSA is sticking to their strategy of NOT allowing subcontractor past performance.
- When we consider GSA’s scoring examples, it is clear how more complex, long-term and large (by monetary value) past performance will lead to a better chance to win. Simple and small examples are not going to score very well.
- GSA will evaluate offers based on a series of pass/fail requirements, but the way they plan to score your offer comes down to past performance and “reasonable pricing.” What does this really mean? GSA describes their approach as “Highest Technical Rated with Fair and Reasonable Prices.”
- This is a hybrid of best value (focused on technical ratings) and Lowest Price, Technically Acceptable (LPTA) which has a pricing based determination on a simple pass/fail system. Once GSA has scored proposals on a technical level, they take the top 40 proposals into a pricing reasonableness review. If any of the top 40 proposals fail to be deemed reasonable in terms of pricing, those proposals are removed from consideration. Any “runners-up” are entered into consideration until GSA has decided to award contracts to the top 40 in each pool based on highest technical scores and most reasonable prices.
- Many accreditations remain to help boost your score, but these are really more to boost your score in the event that your past performance scores have you more or less equal with other bidders.
© FedSavvy Strategies and FedSavvy Strategies blog, 2012-2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to FedSavvy Strategies and FedSavvy Strategies blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
