GSA Calls on HUBZone, Veteran-Owned Businesses to Submit Proposals for Polaris

The General Services Administration is accepting proposals from service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses and historically underutilized business zones to participate in Polaris, its information technology-focused governmentwide acquisition contract specifically for SBs.

According to Sonny Hashmi, federal acquisition service commissioner, GSA aims to aid SDVOSBs and HUBZone firms that provide IT services in entering and integrating into the federal contracting industry. Hashmi, a 2021 Wash100 awardee, added that Polaris could provide inroads into other contracts.

Qualified parties must submit their proposals by Nov. 4, GSA said Friday.

In March, GSA issued its initial Polaris requests for proposals for women-owned small businesses and regular small businesses. The submission deadline for these proposals was extended to Sept. 23 following technical issues with the award management system and SAM .gov.

Alongside SDVOSBs and HUBZone companies, WOSBs and regular SBs comprise the vehicle’s four pools of industry partners, aligning with a directive under Executive Order 13985 titled “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.”

Polaris is a $15 billion contract vehicle intended to procure emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, automated technology and edge computing for the federal government. It is replacing the Alliant 2 GWAC. In January 2021, GSA released a draft framework for Polaris that highlighted set-asides for socioeconomically disadvantaged businesses.