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Federal Market Intelligence for Small Business |
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Need to define Best in Class?The recent Office of Management and Budget memo on Category Management puts a strong emphasis on agencies utilizing “Best-in-Class” (BIC) procurement vehicles to carry out the category management goals. The initiative has raised concerns for small business contractors because category management typically involves consolidation in contracting, and a reduction in the number of contractors. By expanding Best-in-Class contracting, the supplier base is likely to shrink. Adding to the discussion, some observers also are saying that BIC contracting needs to be better defined. “What constitutes Best-in-Class contracting? Unfortunately, while OMB had an opportunity to better define and more broadly define what constitutes Best in Class, they did not. They took a pass on it. You have something that is a very subjective definition,” Larry Allen, president of Allen Federal Partners, told Federal News Network in a recent interview. What is Best in Class for one agency may be different than for another agency, and may change within agencies, and over time and in different situations, he added. The General Services Administration has published a Best In Class Resource Page on its Acquisition Gateway with a list of current BIC contracts and a document explaining how contracts are selected for BIC status. There currently are 38 BIC contracts, including 25 run by GSA for a wide variety of goods and services. The GSA’s criteria for BICs includes rigorous requirements and planning processes, appropriate pricing, data-driven strategies and independent validation. The GSA also hosts a Best in Class “FAQ” page on the gateway site, but Set-Aside Alert was directed to the home page when clicking on a link from that page. GSA officials were not immediately available for comment.
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