General Services Administration officials have created a buzz with the release of documents related to two new governmentwide acquisition contracts.

Because the new contracts, known as Alliant and Alliant SB, will replace widely used but older contracts, interest in the Alliant draft requests for proposals is high, industry officials say. Alliant and its small-business companion, Alliant SB, will replace older GWACs, including Millennia and Applications 'N' Support for Widely Diverse End-User Requirements (ANSWER).

The RFPs are open for public comment until June 3, and some procurement experts have predicted that GSA officials will receive plenty of feedback from industry.

GSA officials expect to award up to 20 Alliant and up to 40 Alliant SB contracts in mid-2006, said Neal Fox, GSA’s assistant commissioner for commercial acquisition.

Although GSA officials have worked on the contract requirements for more than a year, some parts of the RFPs remain unclear, said Phil Kiviat, a consultant at Guerra, Kiviat, Flyzik and Associates. "I anticipate GSA receiving a large number of comments and questions from potential offerors," he said.

"We invite comment on these important acquisition efforts because GSA wants to provide our government customers with the best information technology services available," Fox said.

Some industry observers have said the $2,500 guaranteed minimum revenue under both Alliant contracts is too small to be significant for most companies. But the small-business subcontracting goal for the larger Alliant contract is unusually ambitious, said Karen Wilson, vice president of consulting at Federal Sources. The goal is for small businesses to win 50 percent of the subcontract awards. Accordingly, company officials should have a plan, but they do not need a team of small-business subcontractors in place when they bid.

"This is something [GSA officials] want to happen over the life of the contract," Wilson said. "That raises a lot of questions. How on earth can they guarantee that?" Wilson said the subcontracting provision will be hard to audit and could put an unwelcome burden on agency and company officials.

"The incumbent vehicles certainly prove that there is a market there," Wilson said. "But if they make Alliant too burdensome for the agencies, they will look elsewhere."