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SharpMinds, Inc., provider of innovative government contracting services and solutions, recently completed the successful negotiation of the second-ever SmartBUY contract between Manugistics, Inc. and the General Service Administration (GSA). Manugistics, a leading global provider of demand and supply chain management and analysis software, formerly offered software products to the government through its IT schedule contract. The SmartBUY initiative, originally launched in June 2003, allows government agencies to purchase software directly from contractors. Each individual SmartBUY contract is tailored to fit with the business model of the vendor, thus making SmartBUY the most innovative IT and software solution offered by GSA; both contractors and government agencies stand to benefit from this flexibility.
Manugistics’ SmartBUY contract, only the second to be awarded under the new initiative, is the result of negotiation between SharpMinds, Manugistics, and GSA. “We are delighted that Manugistics is an early-stage participant in the SmartBUY initiative,” said Jeff Holmes, President, Government, Aerospace and Defense, Manugistics. “The program’s direct selling framework should extend and strengthen our already considerable presence in the government sector, as well as make our industry-leading solutions more widely and readily available to government agencies, providing them with significant business benefits and cost savings.”
In working with the government and the contractor, SharpMinds has created a procurement contract that is predicted to save the government millions of dollars in software licenses and bring more business to Manugistics, based on an intelligent tiered-discount structure. The discount structure is based upon the size of the individual order and whether the order is for a solution bundle of multiple products, as well as total government purchases by dollar volume. Under this framework, agencies have greater incentive to purchase software bundles rather than individual products, and the total buying power of the federal government can be harnessed to obtain discounts for all agencies. This contract is the first of its kind in the federal marketplace, and it marks a major accomplishment for Sharp Minds. In negotiating such attractive terms and conditions for both the government and Manugistics, Sharp Minds again proves itself adept at creating workable and innovative contract solutions.
Sharp Minds, Inc., located in Old Town Alexandria, is the provider of contracting services and solutions for a wide and ever-expanding array of clients and companies of all sizes and proficiencies, from IT services to professional consulting to defense support solutions and homeland defense. Its team of experienced consultants offers a range of services, including initial creation and negotiation of GSA schedule contracts, contract modifications, and post-award support and training, among others. For more information, visit www.sharpmindsinc.com.