OASIS+ 8(a) is a specialized pool within the General Services Administration’s (GSA) OASIS+ multiple-award contract vehicle. GSA designed this pool to facilitate the procurement of professional services from firms that hold or have held Small Business Administration 8(a) Business Development Program certification. In addition, OASIS+ 8(a) offers contracting officers a powerful, streamlined pathway to meet 8(a) set-aside requirements while accessing pre-qualified professional services contractors.
What Makes OASIS+ 8(a) Different?
The 8(a) pool within OASIS+ serves a distinct purpose from the Total Small Business or unrestricted pools. It is specifically reserved for task orders that are set aside for 8(a) firms. As a result, contracting officers can direct awards to 8(a) contractors while leveraging the full scope and flexibility of the OASIS+ vehicle. This dual benefit—streamlined acquisition combined with targeted small business participation—makes OASIS+ 8(a) an essential tool in the federal acquisition toolkit.
Importantly, contractors holding OASIS+ 8(a) contracts may include firms currently in the 8(a) program as well as firms that have graduated from the program. Under OASIS+ rules, once GSA awards a contract to an 8(a) pool holder, that firm remains eligible to compete for 8(a) task orders throughout the life of the contract. This holds true regardless of the firm’s current 8(a) certification status. As a result, the government and the contractor workforce both gain continuity and stability.
Contract Scope and Service Domains
OASIS+ 8(a) covers the same broad scope of professional services as other OASIS+ pools. Service domains include management and advisory services, technical and engineering services, research and development, intelligence services, environmental services, facilities services, logistics services, and enterprise solutions. Therefore, agencies can fulfill virtually any professional services requirement through OASIS+ 8(a). The only condition is that the requirement aligns with the covered NAICS codes and service domains.
The contract ceiling is essentially unlimited, and the period of performance extends through 2034 with option periods. In addition, individual task orders can span multiple years and incorporate various contract types. This provides maximum flexibility for complex, evolving requirements.
Ordering Procedures for Contracting Officers
Contracting officers follow a structured process when issuing task orders under OASIS+ 8(a):
Delegation of Procurement Authority (DPA): Before issuing a task order, the ordering agency must obtain a DPA from GSA. This is a streamlined process that confirms the ordering activity’s authority to use the OASIS+ vehicle and ensures compliance with vehicle-specific ordering procedures.
Fair Opportunity: All OASIS+ 8(a) pool holders must receive fair opportunity to compete for each task order, consistent with FAR 16.505. The ordering contracting officer posts the requirement, establishes evaluation criteria, evaluates proposals, and awards the task order. The process mirrors standard IDIQ ordering procedures but operates within the pre-competed OASIS+ framework. As a result, acquisition lead time drops significantly.
Sole Source Considerations: For 8(a) sole source task orders, contracting officers should be aware that the standard 8(a) sole source thresholds apply. Contracting officers must compete requirements exceeding $4.5 million for services among the 8(a) pool holders rather than directing them to a single firm. Therefore, this threshold makes OASIS+ 8(a) particularly well-suited for larger professional services requirements that might otherwise be difficult to sole-source.
Task Order Types: OASIS+ 8(a) supports firm-fixed-price, time-and-materials, labor-hour, cost-reimbursement, and hybrid contract types at the task order level. As a result, contracting officers can select the appropriate contract type based on the nature of each requirement.
Advantages for Federal Agencies
OASIS+ 8(a) delivers several distinct advantages over standalone 8(a) competitive procurements. Reduced acquisition timeline: Because the contract holders are pre-qualified, the task order competition can focus solely on technical approach, staffing, and pricing for the specific requirement. Lower protest risk: Task order awards under $25 million are generally not subject to GAO bid protests, providing greater acquisition certainty.
In addition, agencies benefit in two more ways. Simplified compliance: GSA manages the contract-level administration, including contractor eligibility and compliance monitoring, reducing the administrative burden on ordering activities. Pre-vetted contractors: All pool holders have demonstrated relevant experience, past performance, and financial stability during the OASIS+ on-ramping process.
Zapata Technology’s OASIS+ 8(a) Contract
Zapata Technology holds OASIS+ 8(a) Contract 47QRCA25DA204, providing contracting officers access to our full range of professional services through the 8(a) pool. Zapata Technology has graduated from the 8(a) program. However, our OASIS+ 8(a) contract vehicle remains fully active and available for task order competition throughout the life of the contract.
Our core capabilities align with the Department of War’s highest-priority mission areas: artificial intelligence and machine learning, data engineering, cybersecurity and CMMC compliance, DevSecOps, and intelligence analysis support. Zapata brings over 17 years of performance supporting Army intelligence and cyber operations—primarily at the classified level. Moreover, contracting officers can verify this proven past performance through CPARS and our OASIS+ contractor profile.
How to Find OASIS+ 8(a) Contractors
GSA maintains the OASIS+ marketplace where contracting officers can search for pool holders by service domain, NAICS code, geographic location, and other criteria. For additional information about Zapata Technology’s OASIS+ capabilities and to explore potential requirements, visit our contracts page. In addition, you can review our federal contracting FAQ for common questions about working with small business contractors through GSA vehicles.
You may be a contracting officer exploring acquisition strategies or a program manager seeking qualified 8(a) contractors for professional services. Either way, OASIS+ 8(a) provides a best-in-class vehicle that combines the benefits of small business participation with the efficiency and flexibility of a pre-competed GWAC. The result is faster procurement, reduced risk, and access to contractors with demonstrated capability in the most demanding professional services domains.