Polaris®

Polaris basics

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Eligible users

Federal agencies

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Ceiling

No ceiling

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Contract type

Small business GWAC

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Task order types

Fixed-price, cost-reimbursement, labor-hour, and time-and-materials

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Ordering period

Five-year base with a five-year option

• HUBZone Pool base period- December 2, 2025 to December 1, 2030.

• Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Pool base period- December 2, 2025 to December 1, 2030.

• Women-Owned Small Business Pool base period- March 9, 2026 to March 8, 2031.

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NAICS

Primary NAICS-541512; other in-scope NAICS include, but are not limited to 541511, 541513, 541519 and 518210

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Features and benefits

Polaris is a small business governmentwide acquisition contract for acquiring customized information technology services and IT services-based solutions. Polaris has four unique set aside pools:

• Small Business
• Women-Owned Small Business (task orders may be issued)
• HUBZone Business (task orders may be issued)
• Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (task orders may be issued)

Scope

Federal agencies can use GWACs to order information technology services and IT services-based solutions, including:

Contracting officers may include ancillary services and equipment on orders, as long as the ancillary support is integral and necessary for the IT services-based solution. Ancillary support can include non-IT services/labor as well as IT and non-IT equipment (server racks, mounts, and the like) and software.

Free scope compatibility reviews

Did you know we offer free scope compatibility reviews? This unique benefit of working with GSA can help reduce the risk of protest and improve acquisition outcomes.

Buy through Polaris

• Review the Small Business GWAC Ordering Guide [DOCX - 4 MB] for information on Polaris scope and ordering procedures.
• Learn how to use our GWACs, including completing required DPA training.
• Review the applicable Polaris GWAC Contract:
  • Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Contract [PDF - 1 MB]
  • HUBZone Contract [PDF - 947 KB]
  • Women-Owned Small Business Contract [PDF - 1 MB]
• The Polaris industry partner spreadsheet [XLSX - 212 KB] provides contact information for each Polaris industry partner, organized by pool (WOSB information coming soon).
• GSA provides guidance on establishing blanket purchase agreements in the GWAC BPA Toolkit [DOCX - 1 MB].
• Issue task orders directly using your agency’s contracting personnel or work with GSA’s Assisted Acquisition Services for additional support.
• All contract holders must be provided a fair opportunity to be considered for all orders in accordance with FAR 16.5, unless an exception applies. Exceptions include an urgent need, only one capable awardee, and a logical follow-on to an order already issued under the contract. The full list of exceptions is in FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i). You must document exceptions. To provide a fair opportunity to be considered, we recommend issuing requests through GSA eBuy.

Polaris Pricing

Polaris maximum rates apply only to Time and Material and Labor Hour type orders. The maximum labor rates include direct labor cost, overhead, general and administrative expenses, fringe benefits, and profit. The Master Contract’s Maximum Rates are not typically the same as the fixed-price or ceiling labor rates established at the task order level.

The maximum rates for each contractor are available below:

• Polaris HUBZone Pool Pricing [XLSX - 1 MB]
• Polaris Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Pool Pricing [XLSX - 1 MB]
• Polaris Women-Owned Small Business Pool Pricing [XLSX - 2 MB]

The description for each Polaris labor category can be found within the Polaris Contract (attachment J-2). Reference B.6.4.1 of the Polaris contract for more information. GSA also offers a Pricing Intelligence Suite with multiple pricing resources including prices paid and the CALC+ IGCE tool.

Reporting

Current industry partners should report task orders and subcontracting in the Sales Reporting Portal.