5 questions GSA has about cloud
Connecting state and local government leaders
The Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technology is seeking industry input on building a better portfolio of services to help agencies get to the cloud.
The General Services Administration stood up its first dedicated cloud computing effort nearly seven years ago, but GSA officials know that federal agencies still find cloud acquisition and migration somewhat daunting. So the agency is seeking industry input on new ways to help government get into the cloud.
In a request for information posted to FedBizOpps.gov on Jan. 6, GSA's Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies outlined five key areas where contractors could help GSA build a better cloud portfolio. No matter where agencies are in "their journey to the cloud," the document states, "OCSIT wants to be able to deliver a product or service that will help [them get there] faster, with less confusion, and avoid any errors along the way."
Interested vendors were asked to outline their abilities and insights in the following areas:
1. Governmentwide technology program experience. Since GSA is looking to facilitate cloud adoption across the executive branch -- and sometimes serves state and local governments as well -- OCSIT wants to know what vendors have learned from designing, implementing and evaluating services across multiple agencies.
2. Best ways to build a governmentwide program. What techniques have companies discovered simply don't work when pushing a program governmentwide? What has worked well in past efforts? And what are would-be industry partners looking for in program office for such services?
3. Striking the right balance between products and services. What's the best way to gauge government demand for the tools, services and solutions involved in moving to the cloud? What techniques have vendors used to determine the proper offerings?
4. Forging productive partnerships. What are the key partnerships that must be struck -- in government and the private sector -- to create a successful cloud portfolio? Which ones already exist, and how can the missing links be identified?
5. Thinking like a start-up. "OCSIT consistently builds programs on small budgets but with huge impacts," the RFI states. So what's the minimal viable scope of work for a project like this? And how could a new cloud portfolio program be tested and iterated in a "fail-fast environment?"
All responses are due Feb. 3.
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