Post Tags: Cyber, cybersecurity
New GSA Cyber Special Item Numbers connect agencies to vendors
NetCentrics Corporation, a leading provider of enterprise IT services and cybersecurity for the U.S. government, is one of the first companies to be awarded all four Government Services Administration (GSA) Highly Adaptive Cybersecurity Services (HACS) Special Item Numbers (SINs) under IT Schedule 70.
The procurement of services can be a long and arduous process for any organization, government or commercial. However, the Federal Government is taking steps to improve that process through the creation of special item numbers for federal contractors on General Services Administration (GSA) IT Schedule 70, a long-term contract for commercial technology vendors.
Contractors awarded a Schedule contract have been pre-approved from a greater selection of contractors based on fair and reasonable pricing and compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. In short, it allows government agencies to cut through the red tape and receive goods and services faster from selected vendors.
To allow agencies to get the goods and services they need even faster, GSA has taken it a step further by establishing four new Highly Adaptive Cybersecurity Services (HACS) Special Item Numbers (SINs) under IT Schedule 70. The new SINs were developed by GSA in support of the President’s Cybersecurity National Action Plan (CNAP) and include agency critical cyber security areas such as: Penetration Testing, Incident Response, Cyber Hunt, and Risk Vulnerability and Assessment.
These four service lines are in high demand across Government, Industry, and Academia and a vendor being awarded the SIN demonstrates that GSA has reviewed the vendor’s past performance, ability to deliver, and verified its subject matter expertise through the use of an oral review board and the vendor’s response to a simulated activity. According to GSA Administrator Denise Turner Roth, “These new SINs will provide Government agencies with quicker and more reliable access to key, pre-vetted support services that will expand agencies’ capacity to test their high-priority IT systems, rapidly address potential vulnerabilities, and stop adversaries before they impact our networks.”
By using the specialized cybersecurity SINs from the GSA Schedule 70 contract vehicle, an organization can streamline their acquisition process to execute rapid ordering and deployment services. IT Schedule 70’s streamlined ordering procedures can reduce agency procurement lead times by 25-50% as compared to open-market ordering, allowing agencies and organizations to satisfy cyber needs much faster than before. The end result for the government is a condensed list of pre-approved, vetted, qualified cyber vendors to choose from, ultimately shortening the procurement process and allowing more rapid contract award for cyber services.
As of January 2017, there are roughly 5,000 Schedule 70 contractors. Of those, only 40 have been awarded at least one of the four SINs. Of those 40, NetCentrics is one of only 20 to be awarded all four SINs. NetCentrics also provides a full suite of cybersecurity capabilities, including:
- Security Operations Center (SOC) Management and Operations
- Cyber Forensics
- Intelligence Operations
- Cyber Governance, including deep experience with Risk Management Framework (RMF)
To engage with NetCentrics and learn more about how to better secure your data, networks, and systems, visit www.netcentrics.wpengine.com or contact info@netcentrics.com.