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Federal agencies have used different approaches to procure cloud computing products and services and many have indicated they face difficulties when they structure cloud contracts, ASI Government‘s Kymm McCabe, Frank McNally and Anne Laurent say.
In a guest post published Tuesday on FCW, the authors point to ASI Government’s cloud acquisition guides, where the company highlighted parts 12 and 39 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation as relevant policies to shape agencies’ procurement practices.
The first guide stated that cloud is purchased as a service that is paid based on consumption and shares cost as well as risks across users, similar to water service purchases
The report says that while third parties operate and maintain the equipment and applications and provide services on demand, agencies should note that cloud is a commercial service and has impact on operations, compliance and costs.
McCabe and company also recommend agencies avoid fixed-price contracts due to variable consumption and also use short-term, single-award contracts to manage financial risk.
Other choices include governmentwide multiple-award contracts, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts, requirements contracts and cloud brokerage.
