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Tag: General Services Services GSA

Cloud services bought “by the drink”

In May, Jeff Koses, GSA’s senior procurement executive, released a second draft policy allowing agencies to buy cloud services “by the drink”, via schedule contract. Koses includes in the draft, how the policy will work, the Price Reduction Clause, and how the funding works.

Koses said, “GSA anticipates purchasing cloud computing on a consumption basis will increase competition, as the move towards commercial practices will encourage new entrants to the FSS program. With a contract structure more closely tied to real-time demand, this approach also provides greater flexibility to take advantage of technology improvements and better support cybersecurity. Tying cloud computing procurements to commercial market prices will also provide cost transparency without burdening contractors with additional transactional price reporting requirements. Plus, this approach promotes cost efficiency as it reduces the need to lock into long term contracts in markets where falling prices are reasonably anticipated.”

Nick West, GSA’s deputy director of the Office of Policy, Integrity and Workforce said, “We hope the policy lays out a clear way to execute the pay by the drink execution strategy using the schedules. We hope to have some sort of language in the schedule contracts by the fall or maybe earlier, hopefully. We really are looking to build something that the IOs will use and [industry] will offer solutions for them to use.”

Keith Nakasone, who recently served as deputy assistant commissioner for acquisition in GSA’s Office of IT Category, feels the pay-by-the-drink model to the schedules allows the Federal Acquisition Service to develop special item number 518210C (previously 132-40).

The second and first draft memos differ slightly. The second draft memo directs agencies to buy off cloud service provider pricelists receiving discounts as prices change. This allows agencies to incrementally fund task orders for cloud services as opposed to putting all of the money on a specific contract at once. Although this doesn’t allow for heavy discounts upfront, it does mirror how private industry acquires cloud services.

The new policy will allow GSA to make it easier for agencies to buy cloud services. A long-time goal of the agency.  Have cloud services you want to get on schedule?  Give us a call.