GSA: “Substantive Changes” Coming to OASIS; SB Pool 1 On-Ramp Bidders Must Resubmit

By Global Services on Friday, April 26, 2019

Last week, GSA announced that it would be making “substantive changes” to the OASIS Small Business (SB) on-ramps. As a result, contractors who submitted to last year’s Pool 1 on-ramp will be required to re-submit updated proposals.

As Washington Technology reports, the changes to OASIS come as a result of a successful protest of last year’s OASIS SB Pool 1 on-ramp. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) sustained the protest, deciding that GSA failed to justify why projects from large business Mentors in Mentor-Protégé agreements could not be used to demonstrate successful past performance. The full text of the decision is available online (PDF).

What we know so far about the changes to OASIS

  • GSA is “continuing to finalize the next steps for the OASIS Small Business on-ramps”; the Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for Pools 1, 3, and 4, as well as for the 8(a) sub-pool, are expected to drop by the end of this month (April 2019).
  • Contractors who submitted to last year’s OASIS SB Pool 1 on-ramp “will be required to resubmit based on substantive RFP changes.”
  • Proposals will now be submitted using a new portal, called Symphony. The portal “will be used both to submit questions…and to receive proposals.” GSA has indicated that Symphony “requires the first user account corresponding to an Offeror to be one of the company POCs listed in SAM.gov.” As a result, affected contractors should update their SAM.gov points of contact as soon as possible to ensure timely access to Symphony.

Questions remaining on OASIS

  • It is not yet clear what “substantive changes” will mean for offerors. While these may require only minor proposal changes, it’s also possible that they will require extensive rework for those firms that already submitted to the OASIS SB Pool 1 on-ramp.
  • It is also unclear to what extent, if any, the changes to the OASIS SB on-ramps will affect the forthcoming OASIS Unrestricted on-ramps.

Global Services is committed to helping our customers navigate these changes to OASIS. Contact us today to learn how we can assist you!