IT SCHEDULE 70

What’s Impacting IT Schedule 70?

1. Federal Cloud Computing Strategy: Cloud Smart

The biggest change in federal cloud in the last year has been the release and implementation of the Office of Management and Budget’s Cloud Smart strategy, which enables agencies to take full advantage of commercial cloud by improving three key features in security, procurement, and workforce.

• Federal agencies are trying to streamline security processes wherever possible in order to ensure that they can adopt some of these outside the perimeter services without sacrificing security.
• Make acquisition of cloud more flexible, encourage agencies to pay as they go. Adapting some of these larger government-wide contracts such as Schedule 70 to make it easier to buy cloud services.
• Hire and retain more staff members with training on cloud services.

 

2. FedRAMP Standards Are Changing – Pentagon Issues New Rules for Non-DOD IT Systems

The Defense Department’s broad effort to tighten up cyber-security is expanding its purview to ensure that non-defense systems meet new standards. Contractors who fail to meet these standards may soon find themselves unable to compete for DOD work.

DOD Chief Information Officer Dana Deasy has approved new measures to protect unclassified nonpublic DOD information from cyberattackers. The new instructions, which were released on Dec. 9, incorporate rules for contractors using external cloud providers and Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) standards that were not included in the previous version of this rule. Contractors and other entities that possess this type of information will need to implement the measures immediately.

However, the rule does not apply to DOD IT systems being operated by contractors, non-DOD IT systems providing IT services to DOD, and unclassified information that has been cleared for public release. Other rules cover these systems.
 

3. Schedule IT-70 Included in GSA Consolidated Schedule Solicitation

A lot of these contracts are large government-wide acquisition contracts through which billions of dollars in yearly IT spending flow. But it’s really something that agencies are trying to position as end-to-end solutions contracts. Schedule 70 is another contract that GSA really wants agencies to think of when they think of cloud computing. They’ve done this by adding special item numbers for products and services in cloud computing, they’ve beefed up their acquisition staff, and they are helping agencies make the transition to cloud.