CONTRACT LIFE:
NASA is currently on the 5th iteration of the SEWP contract.  Awards for the current SEWP V contract were made in May of 2015, and the duration of the contract will run from May 1, 2015 to April 30, 2025.

SCOPE:
The scope of the NASA SEWP GWAC covers a broad range of IT hardware, such as laptops, servers, tablets, peripherals, network equipment, storage systems, software products, cloud-based services, telecommunications, security tools, as well as product-centric services such as installation, training, engineering, and maintenance services.

COMPETITION:
SEWP is a multi-award contract with well over 100, meaning that many companies hold NASA SEWP contracts. As with all GWACs, SEWP operates according to FAR Part 16.505(b), which defines that unless an exception exists, fair opportunity must be provided to all the contract holders within a given contract group. The government buyer can only specify a vendor to guide the contracting office towards specific contract groups.

PURCHASING THROUGH SEWP:
The SEWP quote request tool provides an easy means for the buyer to submit RFQs, follow the FAR fair opportunity rules, and obtain quotes that have been verified to be accurate and contractually correct.

Buyers can request any product or service that is in-scope. If a company wants to respond to a buyers request and does not yet have the items on contract, they submit a request to the NASA SEWP Program Management Office to add the needed items. If approved by the NASA SEWP Program Management Office (PMO), the company can then respond to the quote request.

SURCHARGE:
SEWP offers low prices (generally below GSA schedule prices), the lowest surcharge and the easiest and fastest ordering procedure using pre-competed contracts. As of October 1, 2020, the SEWP surcharge for all orders is a 0.34%. The fee is included in the price of all products and is not separately listed on quotes. It is the Contract Holder’s responsibility to pay the fee from their quoted product prices.

WHO CAN USE SEWP?
The SEWP contracts are for use by NASA, all Federal agencies and approved federal agency support service contractors. Contracting officers considering authorizing support service contractors should review the policy at FAR 51.101, and any agency specific guidance or policy, to make the appropriate determination and written finding which supports issuance of the authorization, as required by FAR 51.102 and FAR 51.107. (For NASA contracting officers, additional guidance is provided in the NASA Far Supplement at Subpart 1851.) Approved support service contractors must comply with the requirements at FAR 51.103.

To authorize a contractor to purchase from the SEWP contracts, the authorizing contracting officer should send a copy of the authorization letter to the SEWP Program Management Office (PMO) containing all the following information:

• Authorizing Agency Name, Contracting Officer (CO) Name, Mailing Address, Phone/FAX number and the contractor’s corporate name, division, and address.
• Contract number and period of performance
• A statement that the contractor is authorized to purchase from SEWP contracts in support of the above contract.
• The CO’s/KO’s signature and date signed.

The letter should be sent in advance of or with the first order via fax, e-mail or Ground Mail.
[email protected]

SEWP Program Management Office (PMO)
10210 Greenbelt Road
Suite #200
Lanham, MD 20706

Phone: (301)286-1478

Fax: (301)286-0317

DETAILED REPORTING:
The SEWP Program Management Office provides detailed utilization reporting to government CIOs which is a tremendous benefit in helping them meet the requirements of the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA).

ECONOMY ACT:
Delivery orders issued against the SEWP contracts are not subject to the Economy Act. FAR 17.500(b) states The Economy Act applies when more specific statutory authority does not exist. Examples of acquisitions to which the Economy Act does not apply (17.500(b)(2) include acquisitions using Government-wide acquisition contracts. The SEWP contracts are Government Wide Acquisition Contracts. The authority for the SEWP contracts is from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), pursuant to Section 5112(e) of the Information Technology Management Reform Act (“Clinger-Cohen Act”), 40 U.S.C. 1412(e), which authorizes the Director of OMB to designate one or more heads of executive agencies as executive agents for government-wide acquisitions contracts for IT.

There is a requirement that all SEWP Delivery Orders be routed through the NASA SEWP Program Management Office (PMO) to ensure all ordering information is complete, accurate and in scope with the applicable contract. However, NASA does not issue orders for other agencies under the SEWP contracts, and other Federal Agencies do not send funds to NASA. Each SEWP Delivery Order is funded and issued to the SEWP Prime Contractor by a Contracting Officer at the ordering Federal Agency.

FAIR OPPORTUNITY WHEN USING SEWP CONTRACTS:
SEWP V is composed of 202 Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts to 148 prime contract holders, both manufacturers and resellers of IT equipment. The contracts were awarded in 5 contract Groups – 2 full and open and 3 set-aside competitions. Since all awards were multi-award contracts, Fair Opportunity (refer to FAR 16.505(b)) must be given to all contractors in one or more Groups.

The SEWP website provides the only SEWP recommended tools for manufacturer searches (Quick RFI Tool) and for Request for Information/Request for Quotes (RFI/RFQ) (Quote Request Tool). These tools are available to assist customers with buying decisions and as one means to provide documentation for any needed selection criteria. The following steps may assist customers in determining which contract best fulfills their requirements:

• Market Research: According to Federal Acquisition Regulations, (FAR) Part 10, appropriate market research based on the size and complexity of the acquisition is required. The Online Quick RFI Tool and Quote Request Tool SEWP tools assist in this market research process.
• Fair Opportunity: FAR 16.505(b) (1) provides that each contractor shall be given fair opportunity to be considered for each order exceeding $3,000 and issued under multiple award contracts. The FAR states that the method to obtain fair opportunity is at the discretion of the CO and that the CO must document the rationale for placement and price of each order. Using the SEWP online Quote Request Tool is the recommended method to assist in this activity and to augment the required decision documentation. The SEWP QRT tool will automatically include the Contract Holders within a selected Group or based on a suggested source. NOTE: Fair Opportunity to all Contract Holders within one or more SEWP Groups is required. There is no requirement to obtain 3 quotes as long as all Contract Holders within a Group were provided opportunity to provide a quote.
• Best Value: Once market research is completed, the end-user’s needs, technical requirements, Contract Holder program performance, price, Agency policy and other factors related to the exercise of sound business judgment should be considered in making a best value determination.