GSA is updating its Cloud SIN to include professional services

Recognizing cloud computing’s growing importance to federal technology, the General Services Administration is planning to update the special item number (SIN) contract it uses to sell cloud services to agencies.

In a request for information released Monday, GSA officials is proposing changes to Cloud SIN 132-40 to include IT professional services for cloud migration and adoption, as well as re-designating the SIN’s name to reflect “Cloud and Cloud-Related IT Professional Services.” SINs are specialized subcategories under GSA acquisition schedules that make it easier for buyers and sellers to navigate the often broad contracts.

“The government’s desire to move legacy data centers to cloud environments, along with the rapidly evolving cloud delivery models, provided by vendors, requires GSA to update the definitional requirements of cloud computing under Special Item Number (SIN) 132-40,” the RFI says. “This proposed update to the Cloud SIN seeks to enhance the ability of vendors and the government to more efficiently provide and acquire Cloud applications and supporting services as a solution.”

The IT professional services that GSA is looking to add will revolve around activities like assessing cloud services for agencies, refactoring workloads for the cloud, migrating legacy and other systems to a cloud network, providing governance for cloud solutions, and other activities.

Vendors offering professional services on the SIN must provide fixed-price solutions that are cloud-specific. Other IT labor categories not related to the cloud will remain on SIN 132-51.

The proposal also calls for cloud products sold on GSA’s IT Schedule 70 to provide clarifying metering language that offers “discrete ‘pay as you go’ measurements of appropriate compute resources” that meet the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s cloud essential characteristics.

The move comes the same day as the Trump administration released its new cloud computing strategy, dubbed “Cloud Smart,” which calls for more agency adoption of the solution.

GSA officials have long advocated for reforming the number of acquisition schedules and SINs it offers as a way to smooth the procurement process for agencies.

Interested stakeholders have until Oct. 9 to respond.