Only two vendors bid on Recovery.gov RFP, sources say

Industry sources say only two companies bid on the request for proposals to upgrade Recovery.gov issued by the Recovery Accountability and Transparency (RAT) Board.

Sources say SRA International and Accenture were the only two contractors on the Alliant vehicle to submit proposals, which were due June 26.

The General Services Administration, which runs Alliant, issued the RFP June 15. The board has indicated an award could be made next week.

Vendor sources, who did not want to be identified because the procurement still is ongoing, say there were several factors about the RFP that turned off potential bidders.

One source, from a company that did not bid, says the fact the board wants the contract to be firm fixed price, but wants innovation and flexibility. The source adds that usually that type of contract is better as time and materials.

"One vendor told me they were not bidding because the RFP was setting the company up to fail," the source says.

Another vendor source was surprised so few companies bid.

Sources say SRA's team includes REI Systems, which developed the current Recovery.gov site.

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