Veteran Enterprise Contracting for Transformation and Operational Readiness (VECTOR) solicitation is anticipated to be issued soon with a tentative due date scheduled for early 2017. VECTOR which is planned to be a set-aside contract for Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned small business SDVOSB in professional services, has been ranked among the TOP 6 USG contracting opportunities for 2017 based on Bloomberg Government list published on September 26, 2016.

With an Estimated Value of $25 billion, it ranks only after OASIS and OASIS SB with Estimated Value of $60 billion and Seaport Next Generation with Estimated Value of $50 billion. (Same list)

On November 29, 2016, the Department of Veterans Affairs posted a notice on FBO providing slides with some details about the solicitation and a draft task descriptions for each Service Group.

Among different details that were provided about VECTOR in the notice, some information about the evaluation approach are of particular importance. For all competent firms that are preparing to bid on VECTOR, it is important to have the Tiered Evaluation Approach, a parameter to consider in all teaming and Joint Venture endeavours, as this will be a mandatory evaluation factor in all subsequent task orders as well:

  • SDVOSBs that team/subcontract with ONLY SDVOSB/VOSB contractors will be evaluated
  • SDVOSBs that team/subcontract with ONLY SDVOSB/VOSB/SB contractors will be evaluated
  • SDVOSBs that team/subcontract with SDVOSB/VOSB/SB/LB will be evaluated

Other key factors in the evaluation criteria are:

VetBiz Verified: SDVOSBs that are not verified in VetBiz at the time of proposal submission will be excluded from consideration immediately (Per VAAR 819.7003 Eligibility).

NAICS in SAM.gov: SDVOSBs that do not have the required NAICS code in SAM (System for Award Management) will be excluded from consideration immediately.

Proposal in All Task Areas: SDVOSBs that do not propose on all task areas within a Service Group will be excluded from consideration immediately.

I suggest vigilant reviewing of the FBO’s latest announcement, especially the slides, while waiting for the actual solicitation to be released. The already provided details can induce major planning adjustments for the potential offerors.