Army Marketplace for the Acquisition of Professional Services (MAPS)

We offer comprehensive proposal support for the U.S. Army’s $50 billion Marketplace for the Acquisition of Professional Services (MAPS) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, designed to procure a wide range of IT and knowledge-based professional services and solutions for the Army, DoD, and other federal agencies. Our services help large and small businesses navigate the complexities of the MAPS contract, ensuring high-quality, compliant, and competitive proposals.

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Contract Overview

The new MAPS contract combines the strengths of the IT Enterprise Solutions - 3 Service (ITES-3S) and the Responsive Strategic Sourcing (RS3) contracts, offering a unified approach to acquiring integrated IT and professional services solutions. This merged contract vehicle aims to enhance capabilities across IT services and mission support by incorporating emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and big data analytics, aligning with the evolving needs of federal agencies.

By merging ITES-3S and RS3, the Army seeks to reduce redundancies, save time and costs for both the government and industry, and align with its broader digital transformation and agile acquisition strategies. This unified approach will make it easier for vendors to reach target markets without needing to be on multiple contract vehicles, thereby streamlining access to Army procurement opportunities.

Overall, MAPS represents a significant step forward in the Army’s efforts to modernize its acquisition processes, making it a critical vehicle for companies aiming to expand their federal IT and professional services footprint.

ITES-3S was awarded to 116 firms, consisting of 51 small businesses and 65 large businesses. RS3 was awarded to 198 companies in total. Given the consolidation of the ITES-3S and RS3 contracts into MAPS, the Army expects to make a maximum of 100 awards across 5 domains. However, it is highly likely that multiple firms will win multiple domains, meaning there will be less than 100 awards.

Contract Details

  • Agency: U.S. Army Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems (PEO EIS) in partnership with Army Contracting Command Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG)
  • Status: Pre-RFP
  • Solicitation Dates:
    • RFI: September 19, 2024
    • Industry Day:  November 8, 2024
    • Draft RFP: November 5, 2024
    • Final RFP: February 2025
  • Period of Performance: 5-year base period plus one 5-year option period (total 10 years)
  • Award Date: Estimated August 2025
  • Competition Type: Unrestricted/full and open with small business reserves
  • NAICS: $34M size standard
    • Domain 1 (Technical): 541330
    • Domain 2 (RDT&E): 541715
    • Domain 3 (Management & Advisory): 561110
    • Domain 4 (High-Level IT): 541512
    • Domain 5 (Low-Level IT): 541519
  • Subcontracting Goals: 8(a), SDVO, WOSB, HUBZone
  • Number of Awards: 100 awards, 20 awards per domain with small business reserves per domain
  • Contract Value: $50B
  • Proposal Due Date: Estimated March 2025

Functional Areas

The expected scope of work and task areas for the MAPS (Marketplace for the Acquisition of Professional Services) contract will combine elements from both the ITES-3S and RS3 contracts, aiming to provide a comprehensive platform for acquiring a variety of professional services across the Army, Department of Defense, and federal agencies. MAPS is expected to have five domains including:

  • Technical Services: (Engineering Services, Logistics Services, Manufacturing Readiness, Technology Insertion, Integration, and Interoperability)
  • Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation Services: (Basic Research, Applied Research, Experimental/Developmental, Modeling and Simulation, Prototyping and Fabrication Support, and Exploratory Research)
  • Management and Advisory Services: (Acquisition and Strategic Planning, Financial Services, Training Services, Education Services, Program Management, Quality Assurance, and Risk Management)
  • High-Level IT Services: (Intelligent Automation (AI/Robotic Pre-Automation), Infrastructure, Service Platform, and Infrastructure Cloud Services, Component Framework, Big Data and Big Data Analytics Data Services, Quantum Computing, Integration, and Consolidation Information Technology Services, and Cybersecurity Services)
  • Low-Level IT Services: (Help Desk Support, Independent Verification and Validation, IT Education and Training, IT Supply Chain Management, IT Management Services, Business Process Reengineering, Network/Systems Operation and Maintenance, Information Technology Services, Cybersecurity Services, Telecommunications/Systems Operation and Maintenance)

Proposal Requirements

Submitting a successful proposal for the MAPS Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Multiple Award Contract (MAC) requires meticulous attention to detail and thorough preparation. The proposal requirements will be broken into five key documents:

  1. Cover Letter (1 page)
    1. Point of contact
    2. Domain(s) you’re proposing on
    3. Company name
    4. Business size
    5. CAGE code
  2. Gate Criteria
    1. Active facility clearance
    2. Certifications
    3. Government-approved accounting system (only applicable to large businesses)
    4. CPARS ratings
    5. Small business certification, if applicable
  3. Volume I: Systems, Rates, & Certifications
    1. Government-approved systems and rates
    2. Certifications
      1. CMMC Level 2 or higher
      2. ANSI/EIA-748 certification
  4. Volume II: Past Performance
    1. Maximum of 3 qualifying projects (QPs) for each specific domain you’re proposing to
      1. Must be a single contract, single task order under an IDIQ, BPA, or BOA, or a task order under a Federal Supply Schedule contract
      2. At least 2M in total contract value
      3. At least 1 year of performance, but not more than 4 years old
      4. Performance end date must be within last 4 years of final proposal submission date
      5. NAICS code must match the NAICS code aligned to the domain
      6. The same QPs can be submitted across multiple domains
  5. Volume III: Technical (6 pages)
    1. Recruitment (2 pages)
    2. Retention (2 pages)
    3. Risk Management (2 pages)

Evaluation Criteria

This will be a one-step procurement and bidders will be expected to submit their entire proposal at once. This means you’ll need to fully invest in developing your entire proposal without knowing if you’ll pass the gate review process.

The gate criteria will be pass/fail and bidders must meet all gate criteria to continue in the evaluation process. The gate criteria consists of:

  • Active facility clearance at the secret level
  • Certifications
    • ISO 9001:2015 310
    • CMMC Level I 311
    • ISO/IEC 27001:2022 312
    • NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 313
    • NIST SP 800-53B 314
    • NIST SP 800-37 Rev 2 315
    • CNSS Instruction 1253:2022 316
    • NIST SP 800-171 Assessment
  • Government approved accounting system
  • CPARS ratings
  • Small business certification, if applicable

Once bidders pass the gate review, the government will continue evaluating proposals against a scorecard rubric for each domain and determine the points earned. The scorecard will evaluate:

  • Volume I: Systems, Rates, & Certifications
    • Government-approved systems and rates (maximum 2 points)
    • Certifications (1 point per additional certification beyond the gate criteria requirements)
  • Volume II: Past Performance
    • Relevance
      • 5 points per QP that meets 100% of the domain technical capabilities
      • 3 points per QP that meets 75-99% of the domain technical capabilities
      • 2 points per QP that meets 50-74% of the domain technical capabilities
      • 1 points per QP that meets 25-49% of the domain technical capabilities
      • 0 points per QP that meets 0-24% of the domain technical capabilities
    • NAICS Alignment
      • 1 additional point per QP if the QP aligns with the domain specific NAICS (maximum of 3 points)
    • Recency
      • 1 additional point per QP if the performance end date is within 2 years (maximum of 3 points)
    • Performance Quality
      • 1 point for 1 recent QP with satisfactory or above rating on all CPAR/PPQ elements
      • 3 points for 2 recent QPs with satisfactory or above rating on all CPAR/PPQ elements
      • 5 points for all 3 QPs with satisfactory or above rating on all CPAR/PPQ elements
  • Volume III: Technical
    • Recruitment (maximum 3 points)
    • Retention (maximum 3 points)
    • Risk Management (maximum 3 points)

Critical Insights for MAPS Bidders

To secure a position on the MAPS contract vehicle, bidders must be aware of several critical insights highlighted during November 8, 2024 industry day:

  • Your entire proposal must be submitted in one go. The government assumes you know whether you'll pass the gate review and how you’ll score on the scorecard, so they require everything upfront rather than in phases. This means firms need to invest fully in the proposal without knowing if they’ll clear the gate review stage.
  • There’s been plenty of discussion around the five NAICS codes selected for the domains. While the government has made its decision, they’re still open to feedback during the open comment period.
  • Start determining your strategy for qualifying projects now. Since each QP must be tied to the specific NAICS code for each domain you’re proposing on, this may require some creative strategies.
  • The government will review all your active CPARS by NAICS code. If you have a marginal or lower rating on any, you’ll be disqualified. There’s been considerable debate on whether this is fair, especially for large businesses that might have 500+ active CPARS and a higher chance of receiving a marginal rating.
  • Future opportunities for offramping and onramping are expected, though details haven’t been released yet. This flexibility could impact your decision on whether to submit now or wait until you’re positioned for a higher score. We recommend considering your current competitiveness, as well as the potential to strengthen your score for future submissions, to align with your long-term strategy.

Summit Strategy Services

We provide a full spectrum of proposal support services tailored to help both large and small businesses secure a position on the Army MAPS contract. Our expert team is equipped to guide you through every stage of the proposal process, from draft solicitation and final solicitation review to initial planning to final submission.
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Understanding and Analysis:

We analyze the final RFP to provide a clear understanding and insights, helping you make your go/no-go assessment.

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Scoring Systems:

Our experts explain the scoring system and offer strategic tips to maximize your score.

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Proposal Planning:

We assist with compliance matrix creation, proposal initialization, proposal outlining, template development, and detailed planning to ensure a well-structured and compliant proposal.

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Full Proposal Development:‍

Our dedicated proposal managers, along with supplementary resources such as writers, graphic designers, and desktop publishers, work to develop a top-notch high-scoring proposal. We will also actively monitor for RFP amendments and Q+A releases, and adjust your strategy as needed.

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Reviewing and Auditing:‍

We conduct thorough reviews, including compliance, color reviews, and QC checks, to optimize your proposal and enhance its competitiveness.

Success Stories

Hear from our satisfied clients who have benefited from our expert proposal support and secured significant federal contracts.

Game-Changing Win

"Partnering with Summit Strategy was a crucial strategic decision for us. Their extensive experience in assisting companies like ours pursue large, complex opportunities was instrumental in managing our team and the phased approach for this proposal effort. Winning this contract is incredibly impactful for our small firm, serving as a launch pad to pursue similar large contract opportunities. We look forward to relying on Summit for all our future proposal efforts, big or small, as our go-to proposal management team."

- CEO,
GovCon IT Consulting Firm

Elite Team

"It has been wonderful partnering with Summit Strategy. I highly recommend this elite team to any organization looking to take your performance to the next level.”

- Chief Growth Officer,
GovCon Intelligence + Security Solutions Firm

Exceeded Expectations

“My previous experiences with companies that do this type of work led me to have very low expectations, and you blew us out of the water! Everyone assigned to the [proposal] was professional, calm, helpful, thorough, and a pleasure to work with. You provided expertise and guidance to us throughout, and we really appreciated all you and your staff did. Thank you!

- Director of Contracts,
GovCon IT Consulting Firm

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Ready to maximize your chances of securing a position on MAPS?

Contact us for more details and inquiries about our proposal support services.