FAA eFAST: What’s New?
The deadline for eFAST is approaching, the FAA recently released eFAST SIR Amendment 8 and updated its announcement on the solicitation’s official SAM page. The Open Season 7 (OS7) site has reopened for submitting eFAST Proposals on June 28, 2021, and as of now, the submission date has been postponed to September 13, 2021. If you have already completed registration for the FAA eFAST OS7, but couldn’t pursue the opportunity due to time constraints, you now have a much better time window to prepare and maximize your chances of submitting a winning proposal response to eFAST.
Before these latest developments on eFAST, there had been a delay in the overall solicitation process. Furthermore, an earlier modification provided insights into the issues surrounding the Open Season (OS) 7 KSN portal and the delay in proposal submissions. Now, that issue has been addressed, and the portal has been reopened for submissions, offerors are requested to submit their proposals and supporting documentation for eFast OS7 on the KSN Portal
What is FAA eFAST?
The Electronic Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Accelerated and Simplified Tasks (eFAST) is the FAA’s favored contracting vehicle for contracts with small businesses that allow long-term procurements for a broad array of professional and support services. Functional areas under the vehicle are support service categories used in eFAST acquisitions. eFAST Master Ordering Agreement (MOA) Holders offer services in functional areas such as Air Transportation Support, Business Administration & Management, Research & Development, Computer/Information Systems Development, Computer Systems Support, Documentation & Training, Engineering Services, Maintenance & Repair. FAA eFAST streamlines the procurement process through its use of a web-based acquisition tool and automated workflows compliant with it’s standards.
How can eFAST benefit you?
Since Fiscal Year 2010, FAA eFAST program has awarded contracts worth over $4.4 billion to small businesses. According to the Screening Information Request (SIR) released in November 2020, the anticipated total ceiling amount for all MOAs for the entire 20 year period (2010-2029) is valued at $7.4 billion. Also because eFAST is a set-aside for small businesses, SEDB 8(a), SDVOSB, WOSB, HUBZone, and 8(a) Indian Tribal Owned and ANC’s, this procurement eliminates the involvement of large businesses allowing potential small business offerors to support FAA and other Federal Government Agency requirements.
What changes did Amendment 8 introduce?
This amendment revises some key sections of the SIR, including B.1, H.1, H.5, H.6.2, I.1, I.3, L.6 provide answers to vendors’ questions. All other terms and conditions remain unchanged. If you are submitting a response, you need to keep the following changes in mind:
- Reference Contract Upload: If you would like to submit a 2nd Reference Contract and are not able to, please merge BOTH Reference Contracts into a single .pdf, note the details of both on the form, and re-upload with a different file name.
- Clarification of DSBS / SAM Report Download / Upload: These reports can be downloaded from their respective sites and uploaded to the Vendor’s OS7 Proposal at any time during the submission period.
- Price-Cost Worksheet Version 3.4: Conditional formatting has been removed from the out-year prices to eliminate them from turning ‘pink’ when they exceed base-year prices. Additionally, all columns have been unhidden on the Unlocked Worksheet tab to ensure all formulas are visible and available to Vendors. There is no impact on prior submissions however the team wanted to reduce some confusion for Vendors.
- Reference Contract FAQ Update: An article has been added to the Help Center to address questions around the definitions of terms. For Vendor PPOC’s with access to the OS7 site, the article can be found at Reference Contract (Technical) Form – FAA eFAST Help Desk (Zendesk.com)
- Acknowledgment of Amendments Update: The references to specific amendments, Amendment 1, Amendment 2, and Amendment 3, are to be deleted and ignored.
Other Key Clarifications Made by FAA
In addition to the above-mentioned developments, subcontractors can not use CPARs or PPQs from prime contractors for their past performances. Moreover, Federal Grant experiences also cannot be used as Past performance submissions. Last but not the least, it has been clarified by the Agency that the existing MOA holders will be able to submit proposals to extend their pricing to FY2029. Furthermore, in case of technical assistance, interested offerors are advised to send their requests to the help desk at 9-NATL-eFast-Admin (FAA) NATL-eFast-Admin@faa.gov.
Want to prepare for the FAA eFAST?
iQuasar has a team of professional proposal development experts who create high-quality and compliant proposals that have helped many of our clients win contracts in the federal domain. We provide end-to-end Proposal Development Services to US Small Businesses, helping them develop winning proposals. We have expertise in supporting Small Businesses in bidding for contract vehicles, including GSA Schedule IT 70, OASIS, GSA FSS, Alliant Small Business, 8 (a) STARS, HcaTS, Navy SEAPORT-E, CATS+, MOBIS, RMAS, GWACs, and NIH CIO-SP3.
Our team is well acquainted with the CIO-SP4 requirements and is proactively helping Small Businesses in preparing for eFAST Our team of experts will manage the entire submission process by analyzing your company eligibility, making a checklist of items, and preparing the compliant proposal response helping you win it.
