Cloud Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs)
Federal agencies must comply with the administration's Cloud first initiative. GSA gives you with access to our Cloud business partners through two pre-competed blanket purchase agreements (BPAs). Get cloud computing services through Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Email as a Service (EaaS) work with industry leaders who have expertise and can help you meet your agency's cloud targets.
Email as a Service (EaaS)
The new Email as a Service (EaaS) blanket purchase agreement (BPA) now allows federal, state, and local governments to order EaaS faster and at better prices.
EaaS provides government with instant software updates and supports a mobile workforce. Access your email from anywhere and reduce maintenance and infrastructure costs.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Federal, state, and local governments can use the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) blanket purchase agreement (BPA) to buy cloud storage, virtual machines, and web hosting with an Authority to Operate (ATO) at the FISMA moderate-impact level.
IaaS can help government get cost savings, efficiencies, and modernization without expanding existing infrastructure.
GSA Cloud BPA benefits
Premier IT service providers
Access to exceptionally qualified IT service providers enabling innovative solutions at competitive prices.
Worldwide IT solutions
You can use these BPAs to develop cloud solutions anywhere in the world.
Save time and money with streamlined contracting
BPAs are pre-competed contracts to make your procurement planning faster, easier. The average BPA against a GSA Schedule takes an average of 45 days. Orders against these pre-existing BPAs can be issued in considerably less time than conventional open market procurements.
OMB and OFPP memos recommend IT Investments be Cloud first and acquisition strategies consider pre-competed contracts first.
The Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) directs government to look to interagency contracts like BPAs first for efficiencies and cost savings: Development, Review and Approval of Business Cases for Certain Interagency and Agency-Specific Acquisitions, September 2011 (PDF).
OMB states that direct acquisitions from GSA's BPAs are "in the best interest of the government" - Guidance for Improving the Management and Use of Interagency Acquisitions, June 2008 (PDF).
The CIO and CAO councils noted that GSA's BPAs incorporated best practices in their 2012 report: Creating Effective Cloud Computing Contracts for the Federal Government - Best Practices for Acquiring IT as a Service (PDF).
OMB states that Cloud First Policy (IT Reform) . . . is intended to accelerate the pace at which the government realizes the value of cloud computing by requiring agencies to evaluate safe, secure cloud computing options before making any new investments. Per the Federal Cloud Computing Strategy, agencies should evaluate their technology sourcing plans to include consideration and application of cloud computing solutions as part of the budget process. Agencies should seek to optimize the use of cloud technologies in their IT portfolios to take full advantage of the benefits of cloud computing in order to maximize capacity utilization, improve IT flexibility and responsiveness, and minimize costs. When evaluating options for new IT deployments, OMB requires that agencies default to cloud-based solutions whenever a secure, reliable, cost-effective cloud option exists. Additionally, agencies shall continually evaluate cloud computing solutions across their IT portfolios, regardless of investment type or life-cycle stage. Excerpted from the FY14 OMB GUIDANCE ON EXHIBITS 53 AND 300 – INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND E-GOVERNMENT (PDF 143 KB).
