Contracts Overview

VarnerMiller uses a variety of contract vehicles in order to provide specific services to a wide range of federal organizations.

The 8(a) program was developed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to allow socially and economically disadvantaged firms with expert capabilities equal access to business opportunities. The SBA enters into contracts with federal procuring agencies as the prime contractor, subcontracting the actual performance of the work to 8(a) companies. The 8(a) procurement cycle is significantly faster than any other means of contracting. When using the 8(a) contracting method, a program manager may simply select a firm as a suggested source and request that the procurement be pursued under the 8(a) program. The often lengthy, expensive, and tedious process of justifying source selection is thereby avoided. Because 8(a) companies may subcontract portions of the work to other firms, a perfect team can be assembled for a particular project.

General Services Administration (GSA) Contract Vehicles provide professional services to federal government agencies using various contractor labor categories to meet specific contract requirements at the appropriate level. If this type of contract is being used, it means that the GSA has reviewed the contractor's qualifications based on performance, and has determined that the rates are fair and reasonable. These types of contracts are open to all federal agencies, and are used to streamline the ordering process because they reduce the time from initial contact to commencement of work.