GSA GSA Specialist Technology & IT Procurement 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of GSA's Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) contract?
- To provide cloud storage services exclusively for civilian agencies
- To provide a comprehensive telecommunications and IT infrastructure contract for federal agencies transitioning from older networks (Correct answer)
- To manage federal agency IT helpdesk services government-wide
- To procure cybersecurity tools and monitoring services for the Department of Homeland Security
Correct answer: To provide a comprehensive telecommunications and IT infrastructure contract for federal agencies transitioning from older networks
EIS is a government-wide contract vehicle providing telecommunications and network infrastructure services, replacing the legacy Networx contracts and providing agencies with modern connectivity solutions.
Question 2: What does the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) authorize?
- The use of commercial off-the-shelf software in classified environments
- The security authorization of cloud service offerings for use by federal agencies (Correct answer)
- Risk waivers for IT procurements that cannot meet FISMA standards
- The procurement of foreign-made IT hardware for non-sensitive agency use
Correct answer: The security authorization of cloud service offerings for use by federal agencies
FedRAMP provides a standardized approach to security authorization for cloud services, allowing agencies to leverage a 'do once, use many times' framework to authorize cloud providers for government use.
Question 3: What is the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) and what does it require?
- An act requiring all federal IT to be sourced from domestic manufacturers
- An act strengthening the authority of agency CIOs over IT acquisition decisions and requiring transparency in IT spending (Correct answer)
- A law mandating all federal IT systems migrate to cloud by 2025
- An act establishing minimum cybersecurity standards for federal IT contractors
Correct answer: An act strengthening the authority of agency CIOs over IT acquisition decisions and requiring transparency in IT spending
FITARA strengthens federal CIO authority over IT investments, improves transparency through the IT Dashboard, and requires enhanced CIO review and approval of major IT acquisitions.
Question 4: Under Section 889 of the FY2019 NDAA, what is prohibited in federal IT procurements?
- Purchasing any IT hardware manufactured outside the United States
- Procuring or using telecommunications equipment from certain Chinese companies including Huawei and ZTE (Correct answer)
- Acquiring cloud services from foreign-owned providers
- Using open-source software in mission-critical federal systems
Correct answer: Procuring or using telecommunications equipment from certain Chinese companies including Huawei and ZTE
Section 889 prohibits federal agencies from procuring or using telecommunications equipment and services from specific Chinese companies (Huawei, ZTE, and others) deemed national security risks.
Question 5: What is the purpose of the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF)?
- To provide grants to state governments for IT infrastructure upgrades
- To provide federal agencies with loans or transfers to modernize legacy IT systems, with repayment over time (Correct answer)
- To fund cybersecurity incident response across all federal agencies
- To finance the development of new government-wide software platforms
Correct answer: To provide federal agencies with loans or transfers to modernize legacy IT systems, with repayment over time
The TMF provides federal agencies with funding to modernize IT systems, with agencies repaying the fund from savings generated by the modernization, creating a revolving fund for continuous improvement.
Question 6: What is the significance of the Federal Acquisition Regulation's 'Section 508' requirements for IT procurement?
- All federal IT must be procured through GSA-approved contracts
- Federal agencies must ensure IT and electronic information technology is accessible to people with disabilities (Correct answer)
- IT contracts must include mandatory cybersecurity clauses from NIST SP 800-53
- Agencies must conduct market research before initiating any IT acquisition
Correct answer: Federal agencies must ensure IT and electronic information technology is accessible to people with disabilities
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal agencies to ensure that electronic and information technology they develop, procure, maintain, or use is accessible to people with disabilities.
GSA GSA Specialist Technology & IT Procurement 1
What is the primary purpose of GSA's Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) contract?