We’ll update this Alliant 3 blog frequently with current guidance, FAQs, and pro tips on responding to GSA's no-contract ceiling GWAC. Be sure to check back in! Want us to dive deep into a topic for you? Contact us and let us know what you’re curious about. 

Table of Contents

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NEW UPDATES

• Jan. 28, 2025: GSA Releases Amendment 8, Extends Deadline to Feb. 24

Previous Information

• Jan. 23, 2025: GSA Releases Amendment 7, Extends Deadline to Feb. 22
• Dec. 18: GSA Releases Pre-Recorded, Pre-Proposal Conference
• Dec. 9: GSA Releases Amendment 6
• Nov. 26: GSA Releases Amendment 5
• Nov. 22: GSA Releases Amendment 4, Extends Deadline to Feb. 3
• Nov. 8: GSA Releases Amendment 3 and Final Set of Q&As
• GSA Extends Deadline; releases new dates
• GSA Releases Amendment 0001
• What to know about the Final RFP
• How can I boost my score?
• What should I be doing now?
• What is Alliant 3?
• How do I know if I'm a good candidate?

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**NEW**

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Jan. 28: GSA Releases Amendment 8, Extends Deadline to Feb. 24

On Jan. 28, 2025, GSA released Amendment 8 and extended the RFP deadline to Feb. 24, 2025. Below is the update from GSA:  

1/28/25: Amendment A0008 is issued to the Alliant 3 Conformed Request for Proposal (RFP), 47QTCB24R0009 to: (1) remove the Meaningful Relationship Commitment Letter (MRCL) project requirement (RFP Section L.5.1.5(f)(5)); (2) include the requirement to designate a Parent-Company Corporate Official empowered to resolve operational and consensus issues between the entity claiming the MRCL, and its Affiliate, Division or Subsidiary with which it claims a MRCL (RFP Section L.5.1.5(f)(5)); (3) update the previously performed project requirement for SBSubk SBCTAs to claim Organizational Risk Assessment points (L.5.6(b)).   

The Alliant 3 proposal due date is February 24, 2025. For any technical support related to Symphony, please visit the Alliant 3 Symphony helpdesk articles at https://apexlogic.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/35000149135 or contact the Apex Logic helpdesk at [email protected].   

 

 

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Past Updates

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Jan. 23, 2025: GSA Releases Amendment 7, Extends Deadline to Feb. 22

On Jan. 23, 2025, GSA released Amendment 7 and extended the RFP deadline to Feb. 22, 2025. Below is the update from GSA:  

1/23/25: Amendment A0007 is issued to the Alliant 3 Conformed Request for Proposal (RFP), 47QTCB24R0009 to: (1) update the verification of Emerging Technology Relevant Experience projects performed as a subcontractor or under a previous/existing Contractor Teaming Arrangement (CTA) for Federal or Commercial projects (RFP Section L.5.2.4.2(d) and (e)); (2) update the Verification of Primary NAICS Code Relevant Experience Submission for Federal Government Contracts (RFP Section L.5.2.3.1); (3) provide clarity on the definition of a Meaningful Relationship Commitment Letter project (RFP Section L.5.1.5(f)(5)); (4) for federal contracts only, authorize the partial redaction of the attestation statement of cognizant Contracting Officers and Government Officials on Attachment J.P-3 (RFP Section L.5.2.4.2); (5) permit Offerors to password protect the GSA Form 527 and additional financial documents in order to provide Offerors with CTA members the option of submitting Financial Resources documentation required for Acceptability without disclosing sensitive financial information to other CTA members (RFP Section L.5.5.1). Offerors remain responsible for determining the Responsibility of their CTA members.

If your organization has already submitted the GSA Form 527 via Symphony, no action is required. If your organization chooses to submit GSA Form 527 in a password protected format, the amended attachment J.P-10, A3 GSA Form 527 Contractor Qualification and Financial Information V.4 must be utilized, as the previous version did not allow for password protection. NOTE: For the J.P-10 attachment, either V.3 (nonpassword protected) or V.4 (password protected) is acceptable for submission depending on your password protection preference. 

Offerors submitting a password protected GSA Form 527 and associated financial documents must email their passwords to: [email protected], prior to the proposal due date and time. The resubmission or correction of a password(s) will not be permitted after the proposal due date and time. The email shall include the following information: 

• Offering Entity Name:
• Offering Entity UEI:
• CTA Member Name: 
• CTA Member UEI: 
• GSA Form 527 or Associated Document(s) File Name: 
• Password:

In addition, Government Response GR4-395 is amended to clarify ORA point eligibility when a CTA performed a Primary NAICS Code Relevant Experience Project with a subcontractor. 

Amended Response: 

Yes.  CTA members who worked together exclusively on the Primary NAICS Code Relevant Experience Project are eligible for Organizational Risk Assessment points, regardless of whether a CTA member used subcontractors. 

Please see the following attachments for updates to the Alliant 3 RFP: 

• Alliant 3 RFP A0007 - Version 7
• SF30 Amend 0007 Alliant 3
• J.P-10 A3 GSA Form 527 Contractors Qualifications and Financial Information V.4

The Alliant 3 proposal due date is changed to February 22, 2025. For any technical support related to Symphony, please visit the Alliant 3 Symphony helpdesk articles at https://apexlogic.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/35000149135 or contact the Apex Logic helpdesk at [email protected]. 

Dec. 18: GSA Releases Pre-Recorded, Pre-Proposal Conference

On Dec. 18, 2024, GSA released the pre-precorded pre-proposal conference for Alliant 3. Below is the update from GSA: 

12/18/24: The Alliant 3 Team is pleased to provide a pre-recorded, pre-proposal conference for the Alliant 3 (A3) Request for Proposal (RFP), 47QTCB24R0009. The A3 pre-proposal conference is issued as a series of videos focusing on specific areas of the RFP. We encourage all offerors to view all of the videos and hope the series partitioning improves your experience. Please see below for a listing of the A3 pre-proposal conference video series, available through attachment Alliant 3 Pre-proposal Conference.

• Alliant 3 Overview
• Small Business Offeror Types
• Small Business Subcontracting Plan
• C-SCRM
• Pricing
• VETS 4212 Federal Contracting Reporting
• MRCL, ORA, GHG, Series Close

Proposals are due February 3, 2025 via Symphony. As a reminder, the current version of the conformed Alliant 3 RFP and associated attachments always supersede previous versions issued on SAM.gov. Please see below for the current version of the solicitation documents. 

• Alliant 3 RFP A006 - Version 6
• J.P-1 A3 Contractor Teaming Arrangement (CTA) Template
• J.P-2 A3 Primary NAICS Code Relevant Experience Project Template
• J.P-3 A3 Emerging Technology Relevant Experience Project Template
• J.P-4 A3 Subcontractor Experience Project Template
• J.P-5 A3 Small Business Engagement Template
• J.P-6 A3 Past Performance Rating Template
• J.P-7 A3 Federal Contract FPDS Crosswalk Sample V2
• J.P-8 A3 Price Template V.2
• J.P-9 A3 Model Individual Subcontracting Plan Template V.3
• J.P-10 A3 GSA Form 527 Contractor Qualification and Financial Information V.3
• J.P-11 A3 Contractor C-SCRM Responsibility Questionnaire V.2
• J.P-12 A3 C-SCRM References V.2
• J.P-13 A3 C-SCRM Plan Template V.2
• J.P-14 A3 C-SCRM Control Selections 
• J.P-15 A3 Climate Change Risk Management Plan Criteria
• J.P-16 A3 Self-Scoring Worksheet V.4
• J.P-17 A3 C-SCRM Plan Preparation Guide
• J.P-18 A3 Labor Rate Attestation V.2

Thank you for your interest in the Alliant 3 solicitation. Best of luck to all offerors. 

Dec. 9: GSA Releases Amendment 6

On Dec. 9, 2024, GSA released Amendment 6. Below is the update from GSA: 

12/09/24: Amendment (A0006) is issued to the Alliant 3 Conformed Request for Proposal (RFP), 47QTCB24R0009, version 6 to update Section L.5.7.1, from Public Disclosure of Scope 1 or 2 or 3 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions to Public Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Reduction - Attestation. Offerors are required to provide a signed attestation of Public Disclosure of GHG emission and reduction goals, as delineated in Section L.5.7.1, to receive the maximum 1,750 points for this scoring element. The proposal due date of February 3, 2025 remains unchanged. The following attachments are included with this amendment: 

• Alliant 3 RFP A0006 - Version 6
• SF30 Amend 0006 Alliant 3
• Attachment J.P-16 A3 Self-Scoring Worksheet V.4

Nov. 26: GSA Releases Amendment 5

On Nov. 26, 2024, GSA released Amendment 5. Below is the update from GSA: 

11/26/24: Amendment (A0005) is issued to the Alliant 3 Conformed Request for Proposal (RFP), 47QTCB24R0009, version 5 to update Section L.1, Table 21, Provision Incorporated by Reference, FAR Provision 52.204-7, System for Award Management (Nov 2024). In addition, a new version of the GSA Form 527 is provided with an updated effective date and expiration date. The attachment is titled J.P-10 A3 GSA Form 527 Contractor Qualification and Financial Information V.3. The updated version of the conformed RFP supersedes any previous versions issued by GSA. Offerors are required to use the most recent version of all RFP attachments. The attachments included in this amendment are as follows: 

• Alliant 3 RFP A0005 - Version 5
• SF30 Amend 0005 Alliant 3
• J.P-10 A3 GSA Form 527 Contractor Qualification and Financial Information V.3

Nov. 22: GSA Releases Amendment 4, Extends Deadline to Feb. 3

On Nov. 22, 2024, GSA released Amendment 4 and extended the RFP deadline to Feb. 3, 2025. Below is the update from GSA: 

11/22/24: Amendment (A0004) is issued to the Alliant 3 Conformed Request for Proposal (RFP), 47QTCB24R0009, version 4 to align Section L.4.1, Proposal Format Table, L.5.2.4.2 with Government Response GR4-262, to allow a set of Task Orders or BPA calls that are combined for Primary NAICS Relevant Experience Projects to be submitted separately and used as individual Emerging Technology Relevant Experience Projects. The proposal due date is changed to February 3, 2025, 4 pm, Eastern Time (ET), to support the Offeror in submitting additional attachment J.P-3, Emerging Technology Relevant Experience Project Templates. The Alliant 3 Team will issue the pre-recorded, pre-proposal conference in early December to support all interested parties. The final attachments are included with this amendment: 

• Alliant 3 RFP V.4 A004
• SF30 Amend 0004 Alliant 3

Nov. 8: GSA Releases Amendment 3 and Final Q&As

On Nov. 8, 2024, GSA released the final set of Q&As and Amendment 0003 for Alliant 3. As always, please refer to the latest Amendment for updates. Below is the update from GSA: 

11/08/24: Thank you for your interest in the Alliant 3 GWAC solicitation. The Alliant 3 GWAC Team is pleased to provide the final set of Government responses (GR Set 04) and corresponding amendment (A0003).  In some cases, the questions were slightly modified to answer a host of similar questions or comments. The Alliant 3 Conformed Request for Proposal (RFP), 47QTCB24R0009, version 3 takes precedence over any previous RFP versions issued to the public via the government point of entry SAM.gov. The following attachments are included in this final release, which concludes the government response period:

• Alliant 3 RFP V.3 A0003
• SF30 Amend 0003 Alliant 3
• A3 GR Set 04_11.08.24
• J.P-7 A3 Federal Contract FPDS Crosswalk Sample V.2
• J.P-16 A3 Self-Scoring Worksheet V.3

The Alliant 3 GWAC Team will provide a pre-recorded, pre-proposal conference in November to support all interested parties. All proposals are due no later than January 10, 2025, 4:00 pm. Eastern Time (ET).  

The following URL provides access to Symphony and a user instructional video: https://offerorsupport.apexlogic.com/support/solutions/articles/35000247183-alliant-3-faq-training-video

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GSA Extends Deadline; Releases New Dates

On Aug. 24, 2024, GSA extended the Alliant 3 deadline. The new deadline is Jan. 10, 2025. They also released the below updates and timelines.

• Proposal Submission Date: Jan. 10, 2025

• Pre-recorded, pre-proposal conference for Alliant 3: On or around Nov. 8, 2024

• Government responses and amendments as needed will be released: Now through Oct. 25, 2024

Below is the full announcement:

Thank you for submitting your questions and comments for the Alliant 3 GWAC solicitation, 47QTCB24R0009. The Alliant 3 team has reviewed all of the submissions and plans to provide government responses and amendments as needed from now until October 25, 2024. 

The proposal submission date is now changed from October 28, 2024 to January 10, 2025. This extension comes in response to requests from our Industry Partners, and it reflects our commitment to providing maximum clarity to our stakeholders. By allowing additional time, we aim to ensure that the proposals we receive are of the highest possible quality and will drive the most meaningful mission outcomes for our Agency Customers.

The Alliant 3 schedule adjustment is considered a strategic movement forward, starting with the first set of government responses issued as attachment A3 GR Set 01_08.23.24. Additionally, the government plans to issue a pre-recorded, pre-proposal conference for Alliant 3 on or around November 08, 2024.

We thank you again for your submissions and encourage you to enroll in the Alliant 3 Community of Interest page on GSA Interact to stay apprised of the latest information and receive notifications.

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GSA Releases Amendment 0001

On Wednesday, July 10, GSA released Amendment 0001 for Alliant 3. This amendment corrected “technical issues” and updated the following attachments:

• P-9: Model Individual Subcontracting Plan
• P-10: GSA Form 527 Contractor Qualification and Financial Information
• P-12: C-SCRM References
• P-13: C-SCRM Control Selections

The government did not extend the submission due date in this update. However, they did extend the question submission deadline to Aug. 2. Additionally, GSA said they will issue a “pre-recorded preproposal conference” after all questions are received on Aug. 2 (although, based on the question extension, we anticipate this may slide to early August as well).  

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What to Know About the Final RFP 

Solicitation Number	RFP - 47QTCB24R0009
Contract Ceiling	No ceiling
Period of Performance	Maximum of 15 years
Customer Agencies	Multiple federal agencies
Competition Type	Unrestricted (UNR)
Evaluation Method	Phase 1 – Submitted proposals will be ranked based on highest total score to lowest total score. The 76 highest scoring proposals or preliminary qualifying proposals (PQP) will be screened to verify all supporting documentation was submitted. Phase 2 – PQPs will be screened against the Acceptability Review criteria (section M.4 of the Nov 8, 2024 RFP). Any PQP that fails the review will be removed from the potential award pool. Phase 3 – PQP supporting documentation will be evaluated. The evaluation process will continue until the 76 awardees are identified.
Number of Awards	76
Anticipated TO Award Types	Firm Fixed Price, Time and Material, Labor Hour, Cost-Reimbursement, Fixed Price Award Fee, and Fixed Price Incentive Fee
Domains/Core Services	541512 - Computer Systems Design Services
Award Timeline	Expected 2025
On Ramps	Under consideration

Opportunity Update

RFP Released	June 28, 2024 (here); Amendment 0001 released July 10, 2024, updating four attachments (notice here); Amendment 0002 released Sept. 19 (here); Amendment 0003 released Nov. 8 (here)
Questions Due	Updated: Aug 2, 2024, no later than 4 p.m. EDT (Note: Questions are to be submitted via Google Form located on SAM.gov announcement. You must submit a separate response for each question.)
Expected Q&A Release	Aug. 23, 2024
Responses Due	Oct. 28, 2024, no later than 4 p.m. EDT

Final Submission Requirements

The RFP features eight main response sections with various components based on the offeror’s bidding strategy and experience portfolio. Some sections are Pass/Fail, while others will score points as part of the RFP’s scorecard evaluation methodology. The RFP included 18 attachments, but not all attachments are required for all bidders. We've compiled the summary below to help you understand the general organization and baseline requirements. An asterisk (*) denotes a requirement for ALL bidders.

1.  General (L.5.1)
   1. Signed SF-33 and SF-30(s)*
   2. Meaningful Relationship Commitment Letters [If applicable]
   3. Professional Employee Compensation Plan*
   4. Uncompensated Overtime Policy*
   5. Representations and Certifications per Section K*
   6. Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) Plan*
   7. P-11, A3 Contractor Cybersecurity-Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM) Responsibility Questionnaire*
2.  Relevant Experience (L.5.2)
   1. Primary NAICS Code Relevant Experience* (Attachment J.P-2)
   2. Emerging Technology Relevant Experience (Attachment J.P-3)
      1. Engagement with SB
   3.  Past Performance for Relevant Experience (L.5.3) (Attachment J.P-6)*
   4.  Systems, Certifications, and Clearances (L.5.4)
      1. Accounting System and Audit Information
      2. Approved Purchasing System
      3. Forward Pricing Rate Agreements, Forward Pricing Rate Recommendations, and/or Approved Billing Rates
      4. Earned Value Management System
      5. Acceptable Estimating System
      6. Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Certification
      7. ISO 9001:2015 Certification
      8. ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 Certification
      9. ISO/IEC 27001:2013 or ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Certification
      10. Facility Clearance Level
   5.  Responsibility (L.5.5)
      1. P-10: GSA Form 527 Financial Resources*
      2. C-SCRM
   6.  Organizational Risk Assessment (L.5.6)
   7.  Sustainability-Related Disclosures (L.5.7)
   8.  Price (L.5.8) [Acceptable/Unacceptable]
      1. Attachment J.P-8 – Price Template*
      2. Attachment J.P-18 – Labor Rate Attestation*

Additional Notes:

• Attachment J.P-16 (Self-Scoring Worksheet) is provided to help guide bidders but is NOT to be submitted with the proposal (the submission platform, Symphony, is where bidders must claim points)
• Bidders will be required to submit a C-SCRM Plan within 60 Days of Contract Notice to Proceed.
  • Attachments J.P-13 (C-SCRM Plan Template) and J.P-17 (C-SCRM Plan Preparation Guide) are provided to aid the development of the C-SCRM Plan but are not required as part of an offeror’s proposal.

Am I allowed to team?

The short answer is yes, but there are some significant restrictions. Other Than Small Business (OTSB) Offerors may form a Contractor Teaming Arrangement (CTA), but the only two types of permitted CTAs will be:

“(1) an arrangement in which two or more companies form a Joint Venture or Partnership to act as a potential Prime Contractor, or

(2) a potential prime contractor agrees with one or more other companies to have them as its subcontractor. “All other CTA types that are defined in agency supplemental regulations, agency desk guides, or any other form of supplemental policy“ will be excluded from consideration on Alliant 3 (L.5.1.4). There’s more.

If you’re submitting as part of an existing CTA, in order to get the Organizational Risk Assessment credit, you’ll need to demonstrate experience and performance on ALL relevant experience projects as a CTA or as all members of the CTA performing together exclusively (see Section L.5.6 for more information).

There’s one more factor to consider before you submit a bid as a CTA: if you’re an OTSB Offeror with First-Tier subcontractors, you will not be allowed to use the relevant experience, past performance systems, certifications, and clearances of your First-Tier Subcontractors.

What about Small Business offerors? The rules are different for SB CTAs, but still fairly nuanced, so we’re providing the verbatim RFP guidance here. The following three types of SB CTAs will be considered for Alliant 3:

(a) Small Business Joint Venture or Partnership (SBJV) Offeror – Two or more small business contractors form a Joint Venture or Partnership to act as a potential prime contractor with a corresponding UEI Number in (https://www.SAM.gov).

(b) Small Business with Subcontractor(s) (SBSubK) Offeror – A potential small business prime contractor agrees with one or more other small business contractors to have them act as its subcontractors under the resulting Master Contract.

(c) Small Business Mentor-Protégé (SBMP) Offeror – Two business concerns in a mentor-protégé relationship when both the mentor and the protégé are small or the protégé is small and the concerns have received an exception to affiliation pursuant to 13 CFR 121.103(h)(3)(ii) or (iii).

Does my business size affect anything else?

Yep – it sure does! Here’s a quick recap of the evolution of the Alliant contract vehicle. Originally, there were two vehicles: Alliant (Large Business) and Alliant (Small Business). When GSA recompeted the contracts, they became Alliant 2 (Large Business) and Alliant 2 (Small Business), except Alliant 2 (Small Business) was protested and protested and eventually canceled altogether before rising from the ashes as GSA Polaris (we’ve got a whole blog on that contract here!). All of this history means that Alliant 3 is basically a continuation of the Large Business (more commonly called Other Than Small Business) contract and is not designed for Small Businesses. That doesn’t mean Small Businesses are excluded from submitting a bid on Alliant 3, of course; it just means that the scorecard and breadth of requirements are likely to be more advantageous to a large, well-established business with an extensive contracting portfolio. Back to the question, though – here’s how your proposal requirements might vary based on your business size.

OTSBs will need:

• Individual Small Business Subcontracting Plan (required for all OTSBs). Attachment J.P-9 is provided as a resource; and this will be rated as either Acceptable or Unacceptable (no point associated with this component, just compliance).
• A3 Small Business Engagement Template (Attachment J.P-5). Basically, for this component you get additional points if you can have a SB substantiate that you’ve engaged them in a meaningful way for an emerging technology project. (If you’re a SB bidder, you automatically get these points).

SBs are not required to submit an Individual SB subcontracting plan and will automatically qualify for the Small Business Engagement points.

Remember, Attachment templates may change as amendments are released, so please ensure you’re using the latest versions! 

Note: All proposal document files must be submitted in Adobe (.pdf) format except for the Price Proposal Worksheet and S-SCRM Responsibility Questionnaire, which must be submitted in Microsoft Excel.

What do I need to know about “Relevant Experience”?

Now, let’s discuss the nuances of relevant experience. Relevant experience is divided into two categories: Primary NAICS Code Projects and Emerging Technology Projects. First, let’s look at what type of contract work qualifies as a “project.” Based on the Nov 8, 2024 final RFP (Section L.5.2.1), a Relevant Experience “project” can be:

• A single contract.
• A task order awarded under a Single or Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery Task Order contract (Definite Quantity, Requirements, or Indefinite Quantity) contract (FAR 16.502, 16.503, and 16.504).
• A single task order placed under a Federal Supply Schedule contract (FAR 8.405-2), or;
• A single task order placed under a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) (FAR 8.405-3)
• When an Indefinite Delivery Task Order contract or BPA’s requirements are well defined for a specific purpose(s), and Task Orders are issued on a recurring basis, a collection of a unique set of Task Orders placed under it may be combined and submitted as a single project. U.S. Federal Government, State Government, International Public Sector, and Non-Government projects awarded from the private sector can be submitted.

There's some additional guidance in Amendment 0003 you'll want to check out. You’ll also notice that you cannot claim a whole IDIQ as a project; rather, you must aggregate task awarded task orders (and they all need to be for similar services). You are not permitted to claim the ceiling value of the IDIQ, just the aggregate value of the task orders. These definitions apply to both Prime and subcontractor experience. And speaking of subcontractor experience, the final RFP reminds us that “only the work identified in the specific subcontract may be utilized for scoring as a relevant experience project” (Section L.5.2.1)

While we’re talking about caveats, let’s also get this out of the way: your offer must include no more than seven distinct primary NAICS code-relevant experience projects and no more than three emerging technology-relevant experience projects per emerging technology area (for a total of up to 33 emerging technology experience projects).

For your primary NAICS code-relevant experience projects that meet the definition above, the next step is to confirm the projects meet all six minimum criteria (see Section L.5.2.2 of the Nov 8, 2024 RFP for more information). Specifically, you must confirm that:

1. The project includes performance in one of the NAICS listed in L.5.2.3. Note: The claimed NAICS must have been integral to the performance of the project.
2. The project is only being claimed once.
3. The project is ongoing or has been completed within five years from the date the RFP is released.
4. The project is complete or has at least one year of performance.
5. The value is equal to or greater than $7,500,000. Note: Project value for completed projects is determined by the total obligated dollars. Project value for ongoing projects is determined based on the total estimated value (inclusive of all option periods).
6. The project may be subcontracted work for both federal and commercial projects.

The list of minimum criteria for emerging technology projects is very similar (see Section L.5.2.4 of the Nov 8, 2024 RFP for more information). For these projects to qualify, they must meet all of the following five minimum criteria:

1. Only be used once within the Emerging Technology Relevant Experience (See L.5.2.4.1, Emerging Technology Listing). Note: You CAN use one project to credit both as Primary NAICS Code Experience and Emerging Technology Relevant Experience.
2. Be ongoing or completed within five years from the date RFP solicitation is released.
3. Must be complete or have at least one year of performance. Note: If the project wasn’t completed or not completed within the base year, you must submit an interim or final CPARs report, a completed Award Fee Determination document, or signed Attachment J.P-6.
4. Must have an Individual Project Value equal to or greater than $1,000,000. Note 1: Just like with the primary NAICS code experience projects, project value for completed projects is determined by the total obligated dollars. Project value for ongoing projects is determined based on the total estimated value (inclusive of all option periods). Note 2: The value of the emerging technology's portion does not have a dollar threshold, so there is no burden to prove that the technology you are claiming made up at least $1M of the project, you just need to demonstrate the project's total value was $1M or greater. 
5. The project may be work you completed as a subcontractor for either federal or commercial projects, but if it is subcontracted work, you: 1) can only claim the value and scope of the work subcontracted to you, and 2) in addition to the project verification requirements under L.5.2.4.2, you must also provide Attachment J.P-4 signed by the prime contractor as verification of the project work, scope, and value.

So, at this point, you’ve confirmed your project meets the definition of a “project,” and meets all the minimum criteria. Now, you can look at scoring your projects individually!

Based on the scoresheet, you can give yourself the following points  each Prime or Subcontractor project:

RFP reference	Element	Points	Notes
L.5.2.3.1	Qualifying Project in a Qualifying NAICS	2,500	Maximum of 7 projects
L5.2.3.3	Primary NAICS Code Relevant Experience Project Values: Greater or equal to $7.5M but less than $34.9M Greater or equal to $35M but less than $99.9M Greater or equal to $100M	3,500 7,000 10,500

IF on your project, you were the Prime contractor and the project was in support of a Federal Customer, you can claim additional points for:

RFP reference	Element	Points	Notes
L.5.2.3.4	Demonstrating Experience with Multiple Federal Government Customers	3,500	For a maximum of 7 projects
L5.2.3.5	Cost Reimbursement Type Work	4,000	For a maximum of 2 projects
L.5.2.3.6	Foreign Work Location (OCONUS)	1,500	For a maximum of 1 project

What about emerging technology experience? This area is a little simpler. You’ll get 1,100 points for each qualifying emerging technology project (for up to three projects per category):

RFP reference	Element	Points	Notes
L.5.2.4.2	Emerging Technology (ET) Relevant Experience Projects: First Instance Second Instance Third Instance	1,100 2,200 3,300	Up to 3 emerging technologies per category (11 total occurrences)
L5.2.4.3	Experience Demonstrated in ET Categories (Breadth and Depth): 2-4 separate ET categories 5-7 separate ET categories More than 7 ET categories	500 1,000 1,500	1 occurrence per quantity
L.5.2.4.4	Small Business	1,000	For a maximum of 1 project
L.5.2.4.4	Other Than Small Business with Small Business that has ET Experience	200	Maximum of 5 engagements

Past Performance

Now, let’s focus on past performance, which is a separate rating from relevance. The way to think about this is you earn points for “Relevance” by demonstrating the work you did had/has some meaningful connection to one of the primary Alliant NAICS codes, but you get points for Past Performance based on the quality of how well you performed that work. Past Performance assessments will only be evaluated for projects you are submitting as part of your Primary NAICS Code Relevant Experience (i.e., you can’t just submit CPARs for a random contract).

If your Relevant Experience projects have CPARs, you must provide a copy of the report with the proposal. If the projects don’t have CPARs (or are non-Federal), you must submit Attachment J.P-6 (Past Performance for NAICS Code Relevant Projects). If you are concerned about anything in your CPARs or J.P-6 being perceived in a potentially negative light by an evaluator, you have the option to submit a one-page narrative for each project to address inaccuracies that impacted the overall CPARs rating to be less than satisfactory.

So how do you earn points? You need to have a record of “positive” or “neutral” past performance on each of your relevant experience projects. Here are the definitions for each:

• A positive rating means receiving a Satisfactory or greater rating for four or more of the six rating elements on a Project.
• A negative rating means not receiving a Satisfactory or greater rating for four or more of the six rating elements on a Project.
• A neutral rating means no Past Performance rating elements on a project were available. If this is the case, a positive rating will be assigned.

The bottom line is that as long as you didn’t get a negative rating on a project, you’re eligible to max out the points for this element.

Price Proposal

A price proposal is required for Alliant 3, which must include A3 Price Template (Attachment J.P-8) and may require A3 Labor Rate Attestation (Attachment J.P-18) (see Section L.5.8.2). Important Note: Do not modify the Price Template. The government has said, “If modifications have been made, the Offeror will be deemed ineligible for award.”

This is a pretty straightforward section that, at a high level, consists of 15 contract years of Government Worksite pricing and 15 years of Contractor Worksite pricing for 31 IT Senior Level Labor Categories (a total of 62 rates). The 15 contract years include a 5-year base period + 5-year option period + 5 years to cover any task order that has a term beyond the option period.

Evaluation points are not used to score the price proposal. It will be rated as either acceptable or unacceptable.

File Naming Conventions

All submission documents must follow specific naming conventions that relate to the attachments (See Table 22 in Section L.4.1 of the June 28, 2024 RFP for specifics on ensuring your file names are compliant). This helps the government easily identify which documents apply to certain evaluation criteria.

Symphony Portal

Just like OASIS+ and Polaris, GSA is using the Symphony Portal. Access the portal here. If it’s your first time creating an account on Symphony, they have provided a video to review to ensure you complete all the necessary steps. Watch that video here. We recommend you create a Symphony profile as soon as possible so there are no delays when it comes time to submit your response.  

Screening Process and Technical Evaluation

Now that you’ve submitted your proposal package, here’s what to expect for the evaluation process:

Phase 1—Your proposal will be ranked based on your score. The 76 highest-scoring proposals, or preliminary qualifying proposals (PQP), will be screened to verify that all applicable supporting documentation was submitted. 

Phase 2—If your PQP passes the preliminary screening, it will then be evaluated against the Acceptability Review criteria (section M.4 of the June 28, 2024 final RFP) on a pass/fail basis, based on accuracy and completeness.

• Signed SF-33
• Individual Subcontracting Plan
• Meaningful Relationship Commitment Letters (MRCLs) (if applicable)
• Existing Joint Venture or Partnership
• Small Business Contractor Teaming Agreement
• Subcontractor Letter(s) of Commitment (applicable to Small Business CTAs only)
• Professional Employee Compensation Plan
• Uncompensated Overtime Policy
• Representations and Certifications
• VETS-4212 Federal Contract Reporting (if applicable)
• C-SCRM Responsibility Questionnaire
• Organizational Conflict of Interest Form
• Price Proposal

Note: If your proposal fails the Acceptability Review, it will be removed from the potential award pool.

Phase 3—Your PQP supporting documentation will be evaluated and scored using the Alliant 3 Scoring Table (See Section M.6 of the Nov 8, 2024 RFP). The evaluation process will continue until the 76 awardees are identified. Contract awards will be announced once evaluations are complete.

How can I boost my score?

You’ll remember from the previous section that GSA has determined an oddly specific number of anticipated awardees for Alliant 3 (to save you from scrolling back up, it’s 76). This is based on a minimum qualifying score, like OASIS+, which is the 76 highest-scoring proposal. That means that to be competitive, you will HAVE to submit at least some non-mandatory elements. The non-mandatory elements in total are worth a whopping 26,350 additional points. Below is a snapshot of the scoring table that includes both mandatory and non-mandatory elements. As mentioned above, to view the scoring table in its entirety, see Section M of the most recent RFP.

RFP Section	Element	Maximum Point Value
Mandatory Elements
L.5.2	Relevant Experience	46,100 points
L.5.3	Past Performance	17,500 points
Maximum Point Value		63,600 points
Non-Mandatory Elements
L.5.4	Systems, Certifications, and Clearances	17,600 points
L.5.6	Organizational Risk Assessment	7,000 points
L.5.7	Sustainability Related Disclosures	1,750 points
Non-Mandatory Additional Maximum Point Value		26,350 points
Total Possible Points		89,950

The specific systems, certifications, clearances, and disclosures that can earn you points are listed in Sections L.5.4 and L.5.7:

• Systems: Accounting System and Audit Information, Purchasing System, Forward Pricing Rate Agreements and Recommendations, Earned Value Management System (EVMS) Electronics Industry Alliance (EIA) Standard-748, Estimating System
• Industry Certifications: CMMI, ISO 9001, ISO/TEC 20000-1:2018, ISO/IEC 27001:2013 or ISO/IEC 27001:2022
• Facility Clearance Level
• Sustainability Related Disclosures
• Public Disclosure of Scope 1, 2, or 3 Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Bottom line, to earn the best score, you need to be able to present:

• A diverse portfolio (spanning all five Alliant 3 NAICS codes) of relevant Prime experience projects supporting different Federal customers through large contracts with documented positive past performance (and if you’re bidding as part of a CTA, make sure the projects you’re submitting were performed by the CTA)
• Multiple emerging technology projects spanning all emerging technology areas that also show strong engagement with small businesses
• Audited systems, industry certifications, and a facility clearance.

What should I be doing now?

If you’re not familiar with the Symphony portal, create your account now and log in to familiarize yourself with the platform. GSA also recommends verifying that your SAM.gov entry is up-to-date and that your UEI matches your profile. If your SAM.gov entry is due to expire within the next year, we highly recommend you set a reminder to renew at least one month before it’s set to expire so your SAM.gov listing does not lapse during the award process.

Download all the documents and read the RFP in its entirety. 

Make sure you’ve selected your highest-scoring (and fully qualified) projects. Need another set of eyes? We’re here for you!

Always be prepared for amendments and updates to the documents. Before you submit, ensure you’re using the latest templates provided by the government.

How Trident Can Help

Scorecard evaluations seem may straightforward, but details can be lost with so many attachments (especially given the evidence you’ll need to prepare and submit to validate your claimed points). If you need an extra set of eyes or want to ensure you’re compliant with a third-party evaluation, contact Trident today. Our team of GWAC subject matter experts can help you and your team submit a compliant response.  

CONTACT TRIDENT TODAY

What is Alliant 3? 

Alliant 3 is a GSA Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) for businesses that provide Information Technology services (and if you haven’t guessed already from the name, it is a follow-on to Alliant 2). (Note: if you’re a Small Business, your Alliant-equivalent GWAC is Polaris). The goal of Alliant 3 is to streamline the acquisition of IT services and emerging technology for the Federal Government. Here are the key things to know:

• Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC)
• Final solicitation expected in Q3 FY2024
• All Primes and Subcontractors must be registered in NAICS 541512
• Points-based evaluation with nearly 70% of the total score derived from Relevant Experience/Past Performance
• Additional points are available for approved Cost Accounting and Purchasing systems, Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) certifications, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certifications, and Facility Clearances. 

Timeline: We know what you’re thinking: isn’t it a little early for Alliant 3 if the option period for Alliant 2 was supposed to run through 2028? The short answer is yes – this is happening sooner than GSA originally planned because Alliant 2 is being used that much. We all know GWACs have high ceilings, so to put this in perspective, consider this. The original ceiling for Alliant 2 was $50B. In 2022, the ceiling was increased to $75B. But Alliant 2 is seeing a burn rate of $1B a month. (Yep, that’s BILLION with a B.) The bottom line is the contract will run out of ceiling long before 2028, so GSA is moving forward with this replacement contract as expeditiously as possible. Much like Polaris (if it is ever awarded…), GSA has proposed that Alliant 3 not have a ceiling.

How do I know if I’m a good candidate?

You’ve heard us preach this point before – winning a seat on a GWAC is great IF you have the resources to win task orders on that contract. In other words, you need to evaluate your eligibility/scoring for the GWAC and your business case for the contract itself. Said another way, is Alliant 3 a contract you can realistically manage and that your government clients can use? The initial bid is the (relatively) easy part – winning work on task orders will require additional time, resources, and effort. Before you get into tallying points, ask yourself a few questions:

• Can you manage the administrative demands of a GSA contract with your current contract support infrastructure?
• Do you have access to a senior, high-level, program management professional?
• Are you willing and able to meet the marketing, minimum contract thresholds, and participation requirements that come with a win? For Alliant 3, “participation” has some particularly unique definitions that include submitting a minimum number of proposals each year.

RECOMMENDATION: Answering “no” to the questions above shouldn’t be grounds for an immediate no-bid decision, but it should give you pause and help you calibrate your definition of what success looks like on Alliant 3. Your goal should be staying on the contract and making it work for you, not just winning the initial award. Think through how you will manage work once you're on the contract and let that plan of action inform your strategic bid, hiring, teaming, or business development decisions accordingly.

If you don’t think your long-term success will be an issue, then you can start evaluating your projects and calculating an anticipated score. 

Beware: Even the most organized companies can be surprised by the amount of time and effort it takes to prepare a response like this, but the efforts you make to prepare now can pay dividends when GSA releases the final Alliant 3 RFP. Give yourself the best head start possible by thoughtfully evaluating your projects, putting a strategy in place for teaming (if needed), and knowing what administrative requirements lurk in the fine print of the solicitation that might derail an otherwise eligible bid.

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Written By Rebecca Wayland and Jen Concannon 

Rebecca is our HR and Development Manager. While Rebecca primarily wears the HR hat, she offers comprehensive proposal management, capture support, market research and training. Not only is the author of The FastProp Process, she is also our GWAC and MA-IDIQ lead so if you’re exploring  one of these contract vehicles, she is definitely your SME. As a U.S. Navy veteran and military spouse based in Honolulu, she supports clients around the world as part of our globally dispersed team.

Jen is a capture and proposal manager at Trident. Her skills include proposal support and technical editing and formatting. She is also a licensed project management professional (PMP). As a military spouse based on the East Coast, she supports clients around the world as part of our globally dispersed team.