Virtual Data Center Support (VDCS)

Added: Jun 12, 2012 10:21 am FBO Special Notice:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has determined that it will not seek to award its own multiple-award Virtual Data Center Support (VDCS) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts.

Based upon anticipating future Data Center requirements, CMS determined in early 2011 that two (2) solicitations would be posted to the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) in FY 2012. One would be the Virtual Data Center Prime (VDCP) full and open competition for major data center requirements and the other would be the VDCS small-business set-aside for all data center support work. In September, 2011, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), through the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP), clearly set forth a process whereby agencies had to present a "business case", before releasing a solicitation, to support creating an agency-specific acquisition in lieu of utilizing available GWACS or multi-agency contracts. The requirement included all solicitations posted after December 31, 2011. The intent of the policy is to promote an agency to, "...leverage its buying power to the maximum extent as well as achieve administrative efficiencies and cost savings". Unfortunately, OMB found that, "...agencies establish new overlapping and duplicative contracts for supplies or services, because the agencies have not adequately considered the suitability of existing interagency contract vehicles..." Furthermore, note that a VDCS business case would have to be approved by an authority no lower than the agency's Senior Procurement Executive (SPE), following coordination with the agency's Director of the OSDBU and, since the VDCS is IT in nature, it requires CMS' CIO clearance.

Through market research, CMS has determined that suitable Government Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACS) do exist that could incorporate anticipated VDCS efforts. As with all CMS contracting requirements, CMS will conduct market research on each specific requirement to consider small business concerns.

Based on the subject directive and the fact that suitable contractual vehicles appear to exist that conform to the letter and intent of the OFPP directive, CMS has made this decision.