Army’s ITES-4S: The Army’s Next Big IT Contract

The U.S. Army is planning to launch a new multiple award contract, Information Technology Enterprise Solutions 4 Services (ITES-4S), an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) with a $12.1 billion ceiling. Army’s ITES-4S is the follow-on contract to the highly successful ITES-3S vehicle, which provides the Army with a full range of IT services and solutions supporting Army Enterprise infrastructure with IT services throughout CONUS and OCONUS locations, including warzones.

The structure for ITES-4S will be similar to ITES-3S, but with some significant additions and changes, such as multiple NAICS codes, two sets of suites (high-end vs. low-end), 8 (a) set-asides, more small-business goals, and requirement for vendors to provide additional details on their websites about current partners, subcontractors and the benefits of partnering with them.

In this article, we will provide an overview of this opportunity, its scope, timeline, and evaluation criteria, as well as some tips on how to prepare a winning proposal.

What is ITES-4S?

US Army’s ITES-4S is a follow-on contract to ITES-3S, which was awarded in 2018 to 135 contractors: 85 small businesses and 50 large businesses. The period of performance for ITES-3S is five years, plus four one-year options, for a total of nine years of performance if the options are exercised. The overall contract spend for ITES-3S was more than $741 million as of September 30, 2022, according to the Army.

This new ITES solicitation will be an IDIQ contract with a $12.1 billion ceiling, open to Army, Department of Defense (DoD), and Federal agencies. The contracts will include firm fixed price, time and materials, and cost-plus types. The NAICS code for ITES-4S is 541519: Other Computer Related Services (possible additional NAICS codes).

The scope of ITES-4S will be covering the following task areas:

  • Cybersecurity Services
  • IT Services
  • Business Process Reengineering
  • Enterprise Design, Integration, and Consolidation
  • Network/Systems Operation and Maintenance
  • Telecommunications/Systems Operation and Maintenance
  • IT Supply Chain Management
  • IT Education & Training

What is the timeline?

The Army has not announced the exact date for releasing the Request for Proposal (RFP) for ITES-4S, but it is expected to be sometime in fiscal year 2023 or early fiscal year 2024.

The RFI was published on July 27, 2023 and the response date is August 31, 2023. The Army is also planning an industry day in November 2023 to provide more information about the opportunity and solicit feedback from potential offerors.

The Army’s intention is to gather data and feedback from industry to shape the procurement. The Request for Information (RFI) and a market research survey can be found here. The RFI serves as a means of conducting market research and the results of this survey will help the Government determine the structure and methods used for the potential ITES-4S.

How will ITES-4S be evaluated?

The Army has not disclosed the exact evaluation criteria for ITES-4S yet, but it is likely to be similar to ITES-3S, which used a best value tradeoff approach with three factors: technical capability, past performance, and price.

The technical capability factor consisted of three subfactors: management approach, technical approach, and staffing plan. The past performance factor assessed the relevancy and quality of the offerors’ previous contracts in providing similar services and solutions. The price factor evaluated the reasonableness and realism of the offerors’ proposed prices.

The Army also used small business participation as an evaluation criterion for awarding contracts under ITES-3S in which the goal was to award at least 35% of the total contract value to small businesses. The Army also encouraged offerors to propose subcontracting plans that included small businesses, especially those in socio-economic categories such as 8 (a), HUBZone, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, and Women-Owned.

How to prepare a winning proposal for ITES-4S?

To win a spot on the Army’s ITES-4S contract, offerors need to demonstrate their capabilities, experience, and value proposition in providing IT services and solutions to the Army and other federal agencies. Here are some tips on how to prepare a winning proposal for ITES-4S:

  • Start early. The RFI and the market research survey are great opportunities to gather information, ask questions, and provide feedback to the Army about this opportunity. Offerors should also monitor the SAM.gov website and the CHESS website for any updates or announcements related to ITES-4S. Starting early will help offerors understand the requirements, scope, and evaluation criteria for ITES-4S and prepare accordingly.
  • Do your homework. Offerors should conduct thorough research on the Army’s IT needs, challenges, and priorities, as well as the competitive landscape and the best practices in the IT industry. Capture managers should also review their past performance records and identify relevant and successful contracts that showcase their capabilities and experience in providing IT services and solutions similar to ITES-4S. Offerors should also analyze their pricing strategy and ensure that their proposed prices are reasonable and realistic for the ITES-4S scope.
  • Focus on value. Offerors should not only focus on meeting the minimum requirements for ITES-4S, but also on exceeding them and providing added value to the Army and other federal customers. Offerors should highlight their differentiators, innovations, and solutions that can help the Army achieve its IT goals and objectives, such as improving cybersecurity, enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and increasing customer satisfaction. Offerors should also demonstrate their understanding of the Army’s mission, vision, and values, and how their IT services and solutions align with them.
  • Write clearly and persuasively. Proposals should be clear, concise, and compelling, using plain language and avoiding jargon or acronyms. Offerors should also use visual aids such as charts, graphs, tables, diagrams, or pictures to illustrate their points and make their proposals more appealing and easier to read.
  • Seek professional help. Participants may benefit from seeking professional help from business development consulting firms or proposal experts who have experience supporting large, strategic bids like ITES-4S. Professional consultants can provide capture and proposal teams to develop a complete, winning ITES-4S proposal, or provide individual consultants on a case-by-case basis to fill gaps on the offerors’ business development team.

Our Services

At GDI Consulting, we specialize in capture and proposal development of enterprise-level government contracts. We can help you prepare a winning proposal for the ITES-4S contract by providing a full range of services, such as:

  • Market research and analysis
  • Capture strategy and planning
  • Partnering support
  • Proposal writing and editing
  • Graphic design and layout
  • Compliance and quality assurance
  • Review and feedback

With our services, you can increase your chances of securing the Army’s ITES-4S and grow your business in the geospatial industry. Contact us today and let us know how we can help you with your proposal writing project.