December Is Latest Target For Vets' GWAC GSA expects to make awards in December for its long-delayed governmentwide acquisition contract for service-disabled veterans. The Veterans Technology Services (VETS) GWAC is worth up to $5 billion over 10 years. The solicitation was released more than a year ago and awards were originally targeted for June, but the deadline has slipped twice. GSA Administrator Lurita Doan said she is “irritated” by the delays, Federal Computer Week reported. At a conference for veteran-owned businesses in Washington Nov. 15, she said protests and bureaucratic hurdles caused the delays, but most of the problems have been resolved. Although GSA has not said how many awards it will make, Scott Denniston, director of the Veterans Affairs Department’s small business office, said he has been pushing for a larger pool of contractors on the vehicle. Speaking at Set-Aside Alert’s Small Business Forum Nov. 16, Denniston urged SDV businesses to contact VA’s Center for Veterans Enterprise for help in cracking the federal market. He said the agencies that provide the most opportunities for SDVs have worked through VA to make connections with qualified contractors. VA’s Vendor Information Pages, at www.vetbiz.gov, now list about 12,000 veteran-owned firms. Companies can post videos with their listings. President Bush ordered GSA to create the GWAC last year as part of an initiative to expand contracting opportunities for disabled veterans. Congress has set a goal of awarding 3% of prime contract dollars to SDVs, but agencies awarded only 0.6% in 2005. The departments of Veterans Affairs and State were the only ones to reach 2%. Denniston said he expects VA to be the first department to exceed the goal when final 2006 figures are tallied.