NWS Cloud BPA Follow-On Awarded for $9.3M to SAIC for Public Cloud Services

Contract Overview

Contract Amount: $9,294,684 ($9.3M)

Contractor: Science Applications International Corporation

Awarding Agency: Department of Commerce

Start Date: 2024-08-25

End Date: 2026-08-24

Contract Duration: 729 days

Daily Burn Rate: $12.8K/day

Competition Type: FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

Pricing Type: TIME AND MATERIALS

Sector: IT

Official Description: FOLLOW-ON CLOUD UTILITY REQUIREMENT FOR THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE (NWS) OFFICE OF DISSEMINATION (DIS) PUBLIC CLOUD APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES UNDER THE NOAA CLOUD BPA

Place of Performance

Location: SILVER SPRING, MONTGOMERY County, MARYLAND, 20910

State: Maryland Government Spending

Plain-Language Summary

Department of Commerce obligated $9.3 million to SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION for work described as: FOLLOW-ON CLOUD UTILITY REQUIREMENT FOR THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE (NWS) OFFICE OF DISSEMINATION (DIS) PUBLIC CLOUD APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES UNDER THE NOAA CLOUD BPA Key points: 1. SAIC secures a follow-on contract for essential cloud utility services for NWS public applications. 2. The award utilizes a Full and Open Competition, indicating a competitive bidding process. 3. Risk appears moderate, with a Time and Materials contract type potentially leading to cost overruns if not managed closely. 4. The sector is IT, specifically custom computer programming services, a critical area for government operations.

Value Assessment

Rating: good

The $9.3M award for a 2-year period appears reasonable given the nature of cloud utility services. Benchmarking against similar NOAA cloud contracts would provide further validation.

Cost Per Unit: N/A

Competition Analysis

Competition Level: full-and-open

The contract was awarded under Full and Open Competition, suggesting a robust price discovery process. The BPA Call mechanism likely facilitated efficient selection.

Taxpayer Impact: The competitive nature of the award aims to ensure taxpayer funds are used efficiently for essential NWS cloud services.

Public Impact

Ensures continued operation and availability of public-facing National Weather Service applications. Supports critical weather data dissemination and public access to weather information. Leverages cloud infrastructure for scalability and reliability of NWS services.

Waste & Efficiency Indicators

Waste Risk Score: 50 / 10

Warning Flags

Positive Signals

Sector Analysis

This contract falls within the IT sector, specifically custom computer programming services. Government spending on cloud services continues to grow, with benchmarks varying widely based on service type and scale.

Small Business Impact

The data indicates this contract was not awarded to small businesses, which is a common trend for large-scale IT service contracts. Further analysis would be needed to determine if small business subcontracting opportunities exist.

Oversight & Accountability

The award is managed by NOAA under the Department of Commerce. Standard oversight mechanisms for cloud contracts, including performance monitoring and financial tracking, should be in place.

Related Government Programs

Risk Flags

Tags

custom-computer-programming-services, department-of-commerce, md, bpa-call, 1m-plus

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this federal contract paying for?

Department of Commerce awarded $9.3 million to SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION. FOLLOW-ON CLOUD UTILITY REQUIREMENT FOR THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE (NWS) OFFICE OF DISSEMINATION (DIS) PUBLIC CLOUD APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES UNDER THE NOAA CLOUD BPA

Who is the contractor on this award?

The obligated recipient is SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION.

Which agency awarded this contract?

Awarding agency: Department of Commerce (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

What is the total obligated amount?

The obligated amount is $9.3 million.

What is the period of performance?

Start: 2024-08-25. End: 2026-08-24.

What is the projected cost per unit of cloud service, and how does it compare to industry benchmarks?

The provided data does not specify per-unit costs for cloud services. A Time and Materials contract makes direct per-unit benchmarking difficult without detailed usage metrics. Future analysis should focus on tracking consumption patterns and comparing them against established cloud service provider rates and government-wide agreements to ensure cost-effectiveness.

What are the specific risks associated with the Time and Materials contract type for this follow-on requirement?

The primary risk of a Time and Materials (T&M) contract is the potential for cost overruns if the scope of work is not well-defined or if labor hours are not diligently managed. For a follow-on cloud utility requirement, this could lead to unexpected increases in spending if usage patterns or service demands escalate beyond initial projections. Robust oversight and clear task order definitions are crucial.

How effectively does this contract leverage cloud capabilities to improve the National Weather Service's dissemination services?

This contract is intended to provide essential cloud utility services, suggesting it aims to maintain and potentially enhance the scalability, reliability, and accessibility of NWS public applications. The follow-on nature implies existing cloud capabilities are being utilized. Measuring effectiveness would involve tracking uptime, data delivery speeds, user access metrics, and the ability to handle peak loads during severe weather events.

Industry Classification

NAICS: Professional, Scientific, and Technical ServicesComputer Systems Design and Related ServicesCustom Computer Programming Services

Product/Service Code: IT AND TELECOM - INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONSIT AND TELECOM - DATA CENTER

Competition & Pricing

Extent Competed: FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

Solicitation Procedures: SUBJECT TO MULTIPLE AWARD FAIR OPPORTUNITY

Solicitation ID: 1305M424Q0082

Pricing Type: TIME AND MATERIALS (Y)

Evaluated Preference: NONE

Contractor Details

Address: 12010, SUNSET HILLS ROAD, RESTON, VA, 20190

Business Categories: Category Business, Corporate Entity Not Tax Exempt, Not Designated a Small Business, Special Designations, U.S.-Owned Business

Financial Breakdown

Contract Ceiling: $18,180,498

Exercised Options: $12,150,620

Current Obligation: $9,294,684

Actual Outlays: $4,186,198

Subaward Activity

Number of Subawards: 2

Total Subaward Amount: $13,928,304

Contract Characteristics

Commercial Item: COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS/SERVICES

Parent Contract

Parent Award PIID: 1305L419ANAAJ0008

IDV Type: BPA

Timeline

Start Date: 2024-08-25

Current End Date: 2026-08-24

Potential End Date: 2027-08-24 00:00:00

Last Modified: 2026-04-08

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