Jane Edwards
The General Services Administration’s IT Vendor Management Office, or ITVMO, and Microsoft have finalized an agreement to streamline IT acquisition processes and improve cybersecurity standards across federal agencies.
“Microsoft is proud to partner with GSA to identify key areas of efficiency in contracting and technology procurement to ensure federal agencies and taxpayers alike are getting maximum value from their industry partners,” Candice Ling, senior vice president for Microsoft’s federal business and a previous Wash100 awardee, said in a statement published Wednesday.
“Microsoft has been a key technology partner to the U.S. government for more than 40 years and this landmark agreement is a testament to the relationship and trust our two organizations have established in that time,” Ling added.
What Is GMAS?
According to GSA, the agreement is part of the Governmentwide Microsoft Acquisition Strategy, or GMAS, led by ITVMO.
Through GMAS, ITVMO brings together the 24 CFO Act agencies to discuss and establish standard terms and conditions and cost reduction strategies when contracting for Microsoft software or services.
The initiative also seeks to address critical risks to government IT systems through improved cybersecurity measures and advance the development of enhanced governmentwide support and education capabilities.
Governmentwide Workshops
Under the agreement, Microsoft will conduct a series of governmentwide workshops, which will focus on governance, cost management, cross-tenant access and conditional access controls to help agencies improve their collaboration capabilities and security posture.
ITVMO will provide training sessions and guides for contracting officers and IT acquisition professionals and offer assistance to agencies through the Contract Review Service to support individual requests for implementing acquisition strategies.
“The GMAS program exemplifies how collaboration with industry can drive innovation and deliver significant value to government and taxpayers alike,” said Laura Stanton, assistant commissioner for the Office of IT Category at GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service.
In December, Stanton offered updates on GMAS as part of advancing priority 2 of the Better Contracting Initiative to transform the government IT procurement process.
