The Office of Management and Budget has released a policy that requires federal agencies to use the General Services Administration’s blanket purchase agreements to acquire data breach response, credit monitoring and identity protection services.U.S. Chief Acquisition Officer Anne Rung wrote in a memorandum published Friday the category management policy directs GSA to collaborate with an interagency team to review and update the contract requirements and terms of IPS BPAs on a periodic basis.
The policy requires agencies that plan to exercise an option in the existing contract or seek to use a different contract vehicle to acquire IPS to analyze the terms and conditions, performance period, pricing, fees and savings under the existing or new contract in comparison to the IPS BPAs.
Agencies should submit the analysis to GSA and OMB and seek approval from the senior agency official for privacy if they decide to exercise an option in the existing contract or proceed with a new vehicle.
Rung, an inductee into Executive Mosaic’s Wash100 for 2016, noted that federal agencies should also submit a draft analysis to OMB and the category manager for professional services if the contract vehicle’s estimated value is above the simplified acquisition threshold.
