Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. awarded $11.9M for strategic planning and analytical support services

Contract Overview

Contract Amount: $11,939,388 ($11.9M)

Contractor: Booz Allen Hamilton Inc

Awarding Agency: General Services Administration

Start Date: 2004-04-30

End Date: 2009-04-30

Contract Duration: 1,826 days

Daily Burn Rate: $6.5K/day

Competition Type: COMPETITIVE DELIVERY ORDER

Number of Offers Received: 1

Pricing Type: TIME AND MATERIALS

Sector: Other

Official Description: STRATEGIC PLANNING TECHNICAL AND ANALYTICAL SUPPORT

Place of Performance

Location: WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA County, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 20330

State: District of Columbia Government Spending

Plain-Language Summary

General Services Administration obligated $11.9 million to BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC for work described as: STRATEGIC PLANNING TECHNICAL AND ANALYTICAL SUPPORT Key points: 1. Contract awarded through a competitive delivery order, suggesting a degree of market vetting. 2. Services encompass strategic planning, technical, and analytical support, indicating a need for specialized expertise. 3. The contract duration of approximately five years suggests a long-term requirement for these services. 4. Awarded by the General Services Administration (GSA), a common contracting vehicle for federal agencies. 5. The Time and Materials pricing structure may present cost control challenges if not closely managed. 6. The absence of small business set-aside flags indicates this was not specifically targeted for small business participation.

Value Assessment

Rating: fair

The contract value of $11.9 million over five years averages to approximately $2.38 million annually. Benchmarking this against similar strategic planning and analytical support contracts is challenging without more specific service details. However, given the contractor's size and the nature of the services, the overall value appears within a reasonable range for a large federal contract. The Time and Materials (T&M) pricing model, while flexible, can sometimes lead to higher costs compared to fixed-price contracts if not meticulously monitored for efficiency and necessity of hours billed.

Cost Per Unit: N/A

Competition Analysis

Competition Level: unknown

This contract was awarded as a 'COMPETITIVE DELIVERY ORDER,' indicating it was likely placed against an existing indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract or a similar pre-competed vehicle. The term 'competitive' suggests that multiple offerors had the opportunity to bid or were considered. However, the specifics of the competition, such as the number of bids received and the evaluation process, are not detailed in the provided data. A competitive award generally implies a better opportunity for price discovery and value for the government.

Taxpayer Impact: A competitive award process, even for a delivery order, suggests that taxpayers benefited from a degree of market pressure, potentially leading to more favorable pricing than a sole-source award.

Public Impact

Federal agencies requiring specialized expertise in strategic planning and technical analysis are the primary beneficiaries. The services delivered likely support informed decision-making, policy development, and program management within the government. The contract's location in the District of Columbia suggests a focus on agencies operating within the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. The contract may indirectly support a workforce skilled in strategic consulting and analytical services, primarily through the contractor's personnel.

Waste & Efficiency Indicators

Waste Risk Score: 50 / 10

Warning Flags

The Time and Materials (T&M) contract type can lead to cost overruns if not strictly managed, as it reimburses the contractor for direct labor hours and costs plus a fee.
Lack of specific details on the competitive process makes it difficult to fully assess the extent of price discovery and potential savings achieved.
The broad nature of 'strategic planning, technical, and analytical support' could lead to scope creep if not clearly defined and monitored.

Positive Signals

Awarded via a competitive delivery order, indicating some level of market vetting and potential for value.
The contractor, Booz Allen Hamilton, is a large, established firm with significant experience in government contracting, suggesting a lower risk of performance failure.
The contract duration of five years implies a stable, ongoing need for these critical support services.

Sector Analysis

This contract falls within the professional, scientific, and technical services sector, specifically engineering services (NAICS 541330). This broad category includes firms providing expertise in planning, design, and consulting across various technical domains. The federal government is a major consumer of these services, utilizing them for everything from infrastructure design to complex policy analysis and IT strategy. Spending in this sector is highly competitive, with numerous large and small businesses vying for contracts. The $11.9 million award is moderate within the context of large federal IT and engineering service contracts.

Small Business Impact

The data indicates that this contract was not set aside for small businesses (ss: false, sb: false). This suggests that the competition was likely open to all eligible contractors, including large businesses. While this specific award may not directly benefit small businesses through a set-aside, large prime contractors like Booz Allen Hamilton often engage small businesses as subcontractors. However, without subcontracting plan details, the extent of small business participation remains unknown.

Oversight & Accountability

Oversight for this contract would primarily reside with the contracting agency, the General Services Administration (GSA), and the specific program office that benefited from the services. The contract type (Time and Materials) necessitates robust oversight to ensure that billable hours and costs are reasonable, allocable, and necessary. Transparency is facilitated through contract reporting mechanisms, but detailed public access to performance metrics or specific deliverables is often limited for such support services. Inspector General jurisdiction would apply if fraud, waste, or abuse were suspected.

Related Government Programs

Strategic Planning Services
Technical Consulting
Analytical Support Services
Engineering Services
Management and Financial Consulting, Scientific and Technical Consulting Services
Federal Acquisition Service Contracts

Risk Flags

Potential for cost overruns due to T&M contract type.
Limited transparency on specific performance metrics and competition details.
Broad service description could lead to scope creep if not tightly managed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this federal contract paying for?

General Services Administration awarded $11.9 million to BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC. STRATEGIC PLANNING TECHNICAL AND ANALYTICAL SUPPORT

Who is the contractor on this award?

The obligated recipient is BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC.

Which agency awarded this contract?

Awarding agency: General Services Administration (Federal Acquisition Service).

What is the total obligated amount?

The obligated amount is $11.9 million.

What is the period of performance?

Start: 2004-04-30. End: 2009-04-30.

What is the track record of Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. in delivering similar strategic planning and analytical support services to the federal government?

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. is a well-established government contractor with extensive experience across numerous federal agencies. They consistently win large contracts for strategic planning, management consulting, IT services, and technical support. Their track record generally indicates a capacity to handle complex requirements and deliver professional services. However, like any large contractor, they have faced scrutiny and occasional performance issues on specific contracts, which are often detailed in contract performance reports (e.g., CPARS) that are not publicly available in this dataset. Their size and experience suggest a lower risk profile for performance compared to smaller, less experienced firms.

How does the awarded amount of $11.9 million compare to other federal contracts for strategic planning and analytical support?

The $11.9 million award over approximately five years, averaging around $2.38 million annually, is a moderate-sized contract within the federal professional services landscape. Large federal agencies frequently award contracts in the tens or hundreds of millions for comprehensive strategic planning, IT modernization, and complex analytical support. Smaller, more focused engagements might be in the hundreds of thousands or low millions. This contract appears to represent a significant but not exceptionally large investment for the specific services procured, placing it in the mid-range for such support contracts.

What are the primary risks associated with a Time and Materials (T&M) contract for these types of services?

The primary risk with a T&M contract for strategic planning and analytical support is the potential for cost overruns. Unlike fixed-price contracts, T&M agreements reimburse the contractor for the actual hours worked by their personnel (at pre-negotiated rates) plus the cost of materials, along with a fee or profit. This structure provides flexibility but can incentivize longer project durations or less efficient work if not rigorously monitored. Effective oversight, clear task orders, and strong performance metrics are crucial to mitigate the risk of inflated costs and ensure value for taxpayer money.

What does the 'COMPETITIVE DELIVERY ORDER' designation imply about the procurement process and potential value for money?

A 'COMPETITIVE DELIVERY ORDER' implies that this task order was issued under a pre-existing contract vehicle (like an IDIQ) where multiple vendors competed. The 'competitive' aspect suggests that more than one offer was solicited or considered, and a selection was made based on defined criteria. This process generally leads to better price discovery and value for money compared to a sole-source award, as it introduces market forces. However, the degree of competition (number of bidders, evaluation rigor) is not specified, so the full extent of the value realized cannot be determined solely from this designation.

How does the General Services Administration (GSA) typically oversee contracts like this one?

The GSA, through its Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), often manages large contract vehicles and issues delivery orders against them. Oversight typically involves ensuring compliance with contract terms, monitoring contractor performance, and managing payments. For T&M contracts, GSA contracting officers and program managers are expected to closely scrutinize invoices, verify labor hours, and ensure that the work performed is necessary and within the scope of the order. They rely on performance metrics and regular communication with the requiring agency to ensure the services meet objectives.

What is the significance of the NAICS code 541330 (Engineering Services) for this contract?

The NAICS code 541330, 'Engineering Services,' indicates that the primary nature of the services procured involves the application of engineering principles and knowledge to provide consulting, design, and technical support. While the contract description mentions 'strategic planning, technical, and analytical support,' the engineering classification suggests that these activities likely have a strong technical or design component, potentially related to infrastructure, systems, or complex problem-solving where engineering expertise is paramount. This classification helps categorize the contract within the broader federal spending landscape and informs comparisons with similar procurements.

Industry Classification

NAICS: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services › Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services › Engineering Services

Product/Service Code: SUPPORT SVCS (PROF, ADMIN, MGMT) › PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Competition & Pricing

Extent Competed: COMPETITIVE DELIVERY ORDER

Offers Received: 1

Pricing Type: TIME AND MATERIALS (Y)

Contractor Details

Parent Company: Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation (UEI: 964725688)

Address: 8283 GREENSBORO DR # 700, MC LEAN, VA, 90

Business Categories: Category Business, Not Designated a Small Business

Financial Breakdown

Contract Ceiling: $25,756,189

Exercised Options: $17,325,495

Current Obligation: $11,939,388

Parent Contract

Parent Award PIID: GS23F0025K

IDV Type: FSS

Timeline