National Institutes of Health launches $50B governmentwide IT contract vehicle

The National Institutes of Health has issued a request for proposals for its long-awaited governmentwide acquisition vehicle that will give up to $50 billion to federal contractors over a 10-year period.

The CIO-SP4 vehicle has 10 task areas including IT services, CIO support, cybersecurity, digital government and cloud services and software development.

It will be managed by the NIH’s Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC) and is designed to meet agencies’ general information technology, biomedical and health IT needs across the federal government.

CIO-SP4’s $50 billion ceiling represents an increase from the previously-launched CIO-SP3 vehicle, which allotted $20 billion to IT contracts over a 10-year period. CIO-SP3 was launched in June 2012 and runs until May 30, 2022.

The new contract has a five-year base ordering period and a five-year extension option.

Contract vehicles permit flexibility at the task order level and acquisition agreements where a quick turnaround time is required. NIH will award spots on the larger vehicle to prime contractors that can then compete for task orders under the scope of CIO-SP4.

Commenting on the launch of the contract, NITAAC acting Director Brian Goodger said: “CIO-SP4 builds upon the success of CIO-SP3 and takes into account several lessons learned that we believe will enhance the experience of our federal agency customers and contract holders alike.

“We are excited about the possibility CIO-SP4 holds for revolutionizing the way agencies acquire IT.”

Goodger did want to remind agencies that CIO-SP3 is still a good option for their IT needs. “However, we want to remind agencies that while they anticipate CIO-SP4, CIO-SP3 still remains a vital option for their procurement needs. CIO-SP3 expires in May 2022, has ample ceiling room and awards issued before the expiration of CIO-SP3 can be extended up to five years,” he added.

NITAAC is a federal executive agent and is authorized by the Office of Management and Budget to administer three governmentwide IT acquisition contracts: CIO-SP3, CIO-SP3 Small Business, and CIO-CS. These contracts, along with NASA’s SEWP and the General Services Administration’s various IT vehicles, comprise the federal government’s governmentwide acquisition vehicles, or GWACs as they’re called.