Jennifer Sakole is the principal analyst for Federal Information Solutions at Deltek.

At a recent Federal IT Acquisition Summit, a panel of government representatives discussed cloud adoption by the federal government. Comments made during the panel – particularly by Stan Kaczmarczyk, Director of the Cloud Computing Services Program Management Office within the General Services Administration's Office of Integrated Technology Services (ITS) – offer insight into what the future of federal cloud computing might look like.

Mr. Kaczmarczyk recognized the frustration that both employees and industry have with the slow adoption of cloud by the federal government. He pointed to several contributing factors, including the lengthy federal budget cycle, reduced budgets, and the temptation for agencies to exercise options on contracts already in place for legacy systems rather than initiating new procurement efforts required to move to cloud.

But that frustration may soon be alleviated, he said, as federal cloud adoption will most likely accelerate in late fiscal 2016 and into fiscal 2017.

So, how is GSA going to help the government get there? Mr. Kaczmarczyk referenced two acquisition pathways: the Schedule 70 Cloud SIN, and a yet-to-be named Next Generation Acquisition vehicle.

Schedule 70 Cloud Special Item Number (SIN)

Schedule 70 Cloud SIN was introduced by GSA to "provide clear technology differentiation for customers and improve access to cloud services."

There are three categories under the new Cloud SIN: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). Vendors will be required to self-certify as a cloud vendor under one or more of these categories as part of the application process.

Many applications have been submitted to date, and GSA expects a significant amount of time this summer will be spent evaluating these applications, with the intention of having Cloud SIN up and ready to use in FY16.

An additional benefit is that, to date, there has really been no way for the government to be able to assess the volume of cloud sales that have gone through Schedule 70. With the introduction of the Cloud SIN, GSA will have the ability to collect such metrics.

A New Cloud Vehicle on the Horizon?

The new, as yet unnamed vehicle (tracked by Deltek as GovWin IQ #122532) would incorporate several improvements to previous cloud-related contracts, including providing a mechanism to procure cloud professional services; enabling flexibility to keep pace with rapid changes in the cloud market; and leveraging industry's investment in FEDRAMP certifications.

Federal customers are interested in having another option to buy cloud, says Mr. Kaczmarczyk. In particular, they want access to vendors who may not be on Schedule 70 due to price restrictions or the need to use resellers. Such a new vehicle is a way to give the customers access to the providers they want.

Responses from the vendor community to the RFI were favorable in support of a new vehicle, said Mr. Kaczmarczyk. He mentioned that the vehicle is just in the development stages, so we will need to stay tuned.

In a later session, Marcelo Olascoaga, Service Line Planner – GSA ITS, also spoke of the "cloud follow-on." He provided additional insight, saying that he currently envisions up to five categories: IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, cloud-enabling technologies and consulting services. He also mentioned that the structure is open to public feedback.

As referenced in Deltek's "FY 2016 Federal Budget Request: Challenges and Opportunities" report, FY16 IT Portfolio budget submissions for "pure cloud" are projected at $2.1 billion. Cloud vendors should continue monitoring the progress of these procurement options to ensure they can incorporate the contract vehicles into their federal business development portfolios to capture future cloud business.

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