The General Services Administration (GSA) is preparing GSA ASCEND, a major new multiple-award Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) designed to support federal agencies’ rapidly expanding demand for cloud capabilities. As cloud adoption accelerates across civilian and defense agencies, ASCEND is expected to become a central governmentwide buying channel for Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), and cloud-related professional services.
For small businesses specializing in cloud delivery, migration, cybersecurity, operations, or managed services, GSA ASCEND represents a significant opportunity to be on a vehicle built specifically for modern, cloud-first acquisition.
OPPORTUNITY SNAPSHOT
- Opportunity: GSA ASCEND
- Agency: General Services Administration (GSA)
- Estimated Value: $5B (GSA estimate)
- Status: Pre-RFP
- Final Draft Released for Pool 1
- Estimated RFP Release:
- Pool 1 (IaaS / PaaS): Q2 FY 2026
- Pools 2–3 (SaaS / Cloud Professional Services): TBD
- Award Pools:
- Pool 1: IaaS and PaaS
- Estimated Award: Q3 FY 2026
- Pool 2: SaaS
- Pool 3: Cloud-related IT professional services
- Pool 1: IaaS and PaaS
- Contract Type: Multiple-award BPA
- Duration: Up to 8 years
Required GSA MAS SINs include:
- 518210C – Cloud Computing & Cloud-Related IT Services (Pools 1 & 2)
- 54151S – IT Professional Services (Pool 3)
WHY GSA ASCEND MATTERS
Federal cloud demand is expanding faster than ever, with publicly available forecasts showing continued multi-billion-dollar growth across civilian and defense agencies. In FY25, civilian agencies alone allocated over $8B for cloud investments (Bloomberg Government), and both spending and adoption trends point toward sustained momentum.
As agencies advance Zero Trust, modernization, and AI/ML initiatives, they increasingly require integrated cloud infrastructure, SaaS solutions, and cloud-focused professional services.
GSA ASCEND is being built to meet that need, offering a unified schedule-based pathway for acquiring secure, scalable, and multi-cloud-ready solutions across the federal enterprise.
WHAT GSA IS SIGNALING
GSA’s draft solicitations and industry sessions indicate:
- A multi-pool structure to align with vendor strengths
- Potentially broad award eligibility for Pool 1, lowering entry barriers
- Strong emphasis on cloud security, SCRM, Zero Trust, and NIST compliance
- Support for multi-cloud, modernization, and orchestration needs
WHO SHOULD CONSIDER GSA ASCEND
GSA ASCEND is a strong fit for firms that provide:
- Cloud infrastructure or platform services
- SaaS solutions or mission-aligned applications
- Cloud migration, modernization, deployment, or optimization
- Cloud cybersecurity and compliance services
- Cloud operations, DevOps, or managed services
- AI/ML and data-driven cloud solutions
- Multi-cloud or hybrid cloud engineering
WHAT IT TAKES TO COMPETE SUCCESSFULLY
Competitive vendors will demonstrate:
- Cloud security and FedRAMP alignment
- Strong partnerships with AWS, Azure, Google, Oracle, etc.
- Proven cloud migration and modernization experience
- Scalable pricing and ordering processes
- Enterprise-level support capabilities
- Full GSA MAS eligibility and SIN alignment
HOW OST CAN HELP
For firms that are not yet on the GSA MAS, the GSA ASCEND is an opportunity to evaluate whether you can increase your organizational revenue via this BPA. OST can help you review your current GSA Schedule and SIN coverage, confirm your eligibility with GSA ASCEND, and identify opportunities to expand or optimize your SINs so they align with this BPA.
OST works with small and mid-sized cloud and IT firms to prepare for GSA ASCEND by focusing on readiness, positioning, and eligibility — well before solicitations are released.
OST supports cloud and IT firms preparing for ASCEND by providing:
- GSA Schedule and SIN eligibility reviews
- Schedule acquisition and SIN expansion
- Capability and compliance gap analyses
- Cloud-focused capture and win theme development
- Teaming strategy support across ASCEND pools
- Proposal development and compliance reviews
- Market intelligence and competitive insights
FINAL THOUGHT
ASCEND represents a transformative opportunity for cloud providers and IT modernization firms. Early preparation is critical. Organizations that align their capabilities, compliance posture, and GSA Schedule coverage now will be best positioned to secure a place on this foundational government cloud contract.
This is a contract where eligibility and readiness matter. If you’re unsure whether you can qualify for ASCEND, or if you need assistance getting on GSA MAS or adding SINS, we’re happy to help you with your solutioning delivery.
