Unveiling Alliant 3 Draft RFP No. 2: Your Guide to What’s Inside!

At A Glance:

• The main takeaway: The recently released draft of the Alliant 3 GWAC RFP includes potentially significant changes from Alliant 2, presenting both opportunities and challenges for potential contractors. 
• The impact on your business: Contractors that understand Alliant 3 and maximize their points may stand a good chance of being awarded a very lucrative contract.
• Next steps: Read through this piece and take in the insights it presents, then contact Aprio’s GovCon team for more information and help on how to proceed.

Schedule a consultation with Aprio’s Government Contracting team today.

The full story:

GSA released the second draft of the Alliant 3 GWAC RFP on December 8, 2023. The actual RFP is expected to be issued in the Spring of 2024, after which GSA intends to award 60 contracts. Initially we will briefly describe the contract and then describe the proposal/evaluation requirements in more detail.

The Contract

Alliant 3 includes the full range of IT services and has a 5-year base period and one 5-year option period. Unlike previous versions, Alliant 3 has no maximum ceiling (the Alliant 2 maximum ceiling was $75 billion). Task orders can be fixed price, time and materials or cost reimbursement.

Alliant 3 differs from Alliant 2 in at least two significant ways. Alliant 3 will have open seasons, currently planned for contract years 3 and 6, though GSA reserves the right to reschedule the open seasons. So, this will not be the only chance for a contractor to win a spot on Alliant 3. In addition, Alliant 3 will contain contractor “participation” standards based on task order proposals submitted and task orders won. Contractors who fail to meet the participation standards may be “off ramped” from the contract.

The RFP

The Alliant 3 RFP is a self-scoring, points-based solicitation. Technical and management proposals are not required. However, each bidder must price 31 labor categories for all 10 years, though cost or pricing data is not required. GSA will validate the bidder’s self-scoring and then will evaluate the labor rates for the top 60 scorers. If the proposed labor rates are deemed fair and reasonable, those 60 contractors will be awarded contracts. If a bidder’s labor rates are not fair and reasonable, they will be eliminated from the competition and GSA will evaluate the labor rates proposed by the next high scorer.

The Self Scoring

The Alliant 3 self-scoring work sheet is attached. There are 92,200 total points available with almost 70% attributable to relevant experience and past performance. Thus, it will be difficult to win an Alliant 3 contract without a significant amount of high-dollar value relevant experience, each with satisfactory CPAR rating. The remaining points are spread over business systems, certifications, clearances, organizational risk and sustainability disclosures.

Significantly, contractor accounting, purchasing and estimating systems can be “approved” by independent CPA firms, though business systems approved by DCAA will earn twice the points. This is an odd distinction, as the CPA firms would presumably be using the same criteria that DCAA uses. In addition, there are 3,500 points (4% of the total) available for sustainability disclosures (greenhouse gas emissions). Please see our companion article for a deeper dive into how contractors can earn these points.

The Winning Score?

The lowest scoring awardee on Alliant 2 earned 88.6% of the available points. If we assume a similar outcome on Alliant 3, a winner will need to earn approximately 82,000 points. To put it another way, a winning bidder cannot afford to leave much more than 10,000 points on the table. Based on this analysis, Alliant 3 favors large established DoD contractors at the expense of civilian agency contractors or newly formed firms such as joint-ventures or contractor teaming arrangements.

The Challenges for Some Contractors

To maximize the relevant experience score, a bidder must have 7 relevant projects, each valued at $100 million or more, a threshold that only large businesses are likely to meet. The self-scoring hurts civilian agency contractors in two ways: First, bidders can earn 3,500 points for a top-secret clearance, something civilian agency contractors are not likely to have. Civilian agency contractors are also unlikely to have their business systems approved by the government. Therefore, at best such bidders can only earn half the available business systems points. That means a civilian agency contractor is already down 7,350 points and would need to score approximately 82,000 points out of the 84,850 available to them. That is possible, but a tall order.

Newly-formed entities, such as joint ventures (JV) or contractor teaming arrangements (CTAs), will be faced with a similar challenge. JVs or CTAs can obtain relevant experience points by submitting projects that were performed by their members. However, there are 7,500 hundred points available if the “entity” bidding Alliant 3 can show that they had previously worked together to perform contracts. This is a requirement a prime contractor bidder can easily meet but one that cannot be met by a newly formed entity. Consequently, a newly formed entity would have to earn almost all the other available points to receive an award.

Other Proposal Requirements

In addition to the self-scoring and supporting documentation, bidders must also provide the following items:

• C-SCRM Assessment
• GSA Form 527
• Small Business Subcontracting Plan
• Uncompensated Overtime Policy
• Professional Compensation Plan
• Representations and Certifications

Alliant 3 Self Scoring Worksheet – Unrestricted
Element	Max Points	Percent
Relevant Experience
NAICS Relevant Experience Projects	17,500	50%
NAICS Relevant Experience Project Size & Complexity	10,500
NAICS Relevant Experience Project – Multiple Agency Awards	3,500
NAICS Relevant Experience Project with Cost-Reimbursement	4,000
NAICS Relevant Experience Project in a Foreign Location	1,500
Emerging Technology Relevant Experience Projects	6,600
Breadth of Emerging Technology Relevant Experience	1,500
Engaging Small Business with Emerging Technology Experience	1,000
Past Performance
Past Performance for Relevant Experience Projects	17,500	19%
Systems, Certifications, and Clearances
Systems	8,100	19%
Industry Certifications	6,000
Government Facility Clearances	3,500
Organizational Risk Assessment
Organizational Risk Assessment	7,500	8%
Sustainability Disclosures	3,500	4%
Total Possible Points	92,200

Schedule a consultation with Aprio’s GovCon team today for more information and assistance navigating the new Alliant 3 requirements.

Related Resources:

When Contractor Purchasing System Reviews are Required and How to Pass Them

Why Estimating Systems are Critical Tools for Winning Government Contracts

Earned Value Management System (EVMS)