Electronic Commodities Store III (ECS III)

The National Institutes of Health established Electronic Commodities Store III (ECS III), a Master GWAC for commercial desktop, laptop, and handheld computing devices, workstations, software, networking equipment, telecommunications equipment, and warranty and maintenance services. The vehicle is no longer active — ordering closed on May 9, 2020, more than six years ago.

During its 18-year operational window, the vehicle generated 10,000 task orders with a combined potential value of $16.147 billion, though only $1.23 billion has been obligated. Task-order issuance peaked in 2013–2014 (1,150 and 1,519 orders per year respectively) but declined sharply thereafter, with just 13 orders issued in 2016–2017 combined. The most recent task order award was in November 2017.

Competition is highly concentrated among five prime contractors, who collectively hold 64 percent of all awarded orders. CDW Government LLC dominates with 2,726 orders valued at $5.928 billion in combined potential; A & T Systems, Inc. and Sterling Computers Corporation follow with 1,067 and 1,181 orders respectively. By potential value, CDW Government and A & T Systems together account for approximately 84 percent of the vehicle's $16.147 billion combined ceiling. The remaining 33 primes hold a long tail of smaller order volumes.

Customer concentration is similarly steep: the top five HHS entities (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Indian Health Service, National Cancer Institute, NIH headquarters, and NIAID) placed approximately one-third of all orders. A broader pool of 151 distinct federal agencies placed orders, but HHS organizations dominate the ordering pattern.

The vehicle is almost entirely unrestricted; approximately 99 percent of task orders carry no set-aside designation. Fewer than 102 task orders (1 percent) were designated for small business, and no orders were placed as sole-source 8(a) awards.

Task-order economics span a wide range, from individual orders under five hundred dollars for miscellaneous equipment to multi-million-dollar infrastructure procurements. Recent representative orders include a $4.999 million IT facilities and campus LAN infrastructure ceiling (delivery order HHSN26320030566I-DOC46PAPT1750059), a $2.046 million computer refresh for tablets and laptops (delivery order 263030547-HHSP233201500042W), and a $1.4 million Dell PowerEdge server procurement (delivery order 263030547-HHSN27600299). Firm fixed price was the predominant contract type across the portfolio.

Commercial desktop, laptop and handheld computing devices, workstations, software and networking equipment