Analyzing the Scope of the DHS OASIS Deal
The Department of Homeland Security has announced plans to utilize the One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services contracts created by the General Services Administration, stating that OASIS will improve its future professional services demands.
“By adopting OASIS as part of our strategic sourcing program, DHS will take advantage of the work GSA has done to improve the proposal evaluation and negotiation processes, ordering lead times, and promote transparency,” wrote DHS Chief Procurement Officer Soraya Correa in a DHS blog post.
Correa noted that OASIS was selected to succeed the Technical, Acquisition and Business Support Services contracts, which the agency had been using. Although the TABSS contracts satisfy DHS needs, they will expire in two years, making the long-term efficiency of OASIS contracts appealing.
OASIS offers quick solutions to tasks, which makes the contracts attractive to users because they allow for greater flexibility when acquiring professional services. In an interview with Federal News Radio, Todd Richards, OASIS program manager for the General Services Administration, highlighted this agility before a panel chat at last month’s National Contract Management Association World Congress.
“We provide a very flexible vehicle that gives their contracting officers a lot of control, flexibility to take care of their professional services requirements,” Richards said. “We are talking about organizations that spend a lot of money on professional services.”
According to FCW, DHS will spend $250 million a year on the OASIS contract. What’s more, Richards told Federal News Radio that the agency has already spent 30 percent of last year’s $1.9 billion procurement budget with the GSA, so the OASIS contract will save money in the long run. “The more you use the contract, the cheaper it becomes, and you save the government money by using OASIS instead of establishing your own contracts,” he explained.
The biggest takeaway from the agency’s adoption of OASIS contracting is that it signals a commitment to better performance. Operating at a higher level is a continuous initiative for the government. Increasing efficiency and cutting costs is a step toward that.
