Earlier this summer, DLT announced that it had been awarded a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) by the Department of Defense (DoD) for Autodesk solutions. This Autodesk BPA will make it possible for the U.S. military to gain access to the advanced digital design solutions that they rely on for the entirety of the architecture, construction and product information management lifecycle, for up to ten years.
To learn more about the details of this agreement, and to hear about some of the ways the military can benefit from these applications, we recently sat down with Shaun Gaffrey, the Senior Sales Director for Autodesk Solutions at DLT.
During our discussion, we asked Shaun about which agencies can utilize the Autodesk BPA to acquire digital design solutions, some of the new technologies that this BPA makes available to the military, and why government agencies and contractors should utilize this BPA for their Autodesk acquisitions. Here is what he had to say:
GovDesignHub (GDH): What are the terms of this Autodesk BPA? What does it mean for the military?
Shaun Gaffrey: As Autodesk’s Master Government Aggregator and contract holder of the previous DoD Enterprise Software Initiative (ESI) contract, we are excited to receive this award. This 10 year BPA (N66001-19-A-0051), with a base year award and 9 one-year option periods with DoD ESI is the preferred method of IT procurement in accordance with DFARS Section 208.74 and will allow our DoD customers streamlined access to the latest computer-aided design, manufacturing, modeling, simulation and engineering software and solutions.
GovDesignHub (GDH): Autodesk makes software for people that make things. These software solutions are used in architecture and construction. They’re used in designing and manufacturing products. They’re even used in 3d animation and movie making. Are these really things that the military needs? What kinds of use cases does the military have for Autodesk solutions?
Shaun Gaffrey: Autodesk products are widely used by the U.S. military. The DoD owns and operates 800 military bases with more than 845,000 buildings on more than 30 million acres of land. The DoD uses Autodesk software to perform and manage building renovations and maintenance at nearly every base in the world.
Mandates and cost avoidance are driving the DoD to be more energy efficient with their buildings and they are using Autodesk solutions to perform their analysis. Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing is an area that allows our military to design and print needed parts in the field on demand, avoiding the cost and time to ship prefabricated parts.
The use cases are extensive, and the Autodesk products used vary greatly, so that is why DLT is so pleased to offer the entire Autodesk solution portfolio via our DoD ESI contract.
GDH: Autodesk is constantly upgrading and introducing new versions of their solutions. They’re also known for acquiring companies to introduce new applications and capabilities to their portfolio. Are there any new applications or capabilities in the Autodesk solution portfolio that would be of interest to the military?
Shaun Gaffrey: We are seeing an increase in interest from the DoD regarding additive manufacturing, and those products are a recently offered solution via the ESI BPA. As mentioned, this is enabling the DoD to print parts in the field and repair damaged assets much quicker and cheaper than before. It also is allowing the military to print on-demand and not ship extra parts or components that might never be needed.
GDH: You said that the BPA gives the military the ability to acquire Autodesk solutions through DLT. Is it really only for military organizations and agencies, or can the companies that do work on behalf of those organizations also get these solutions through this BPA?
Shaun Gaffrey: The BPA is open for ordering by all DoD Components, including the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Military Departments, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Unified Combatant Commands, the Inspector General of the Department of Defense (DoD IG), the Defense Agencies, the DoD Field Activities, the U. S. Coast Guard, NATO, and the Intelligence Community.
Government contractors can also purchase off of the BPA as long as they are performing work for a DoD end user on behalf of and for the benefit of the DoD entity.
GDH: What would be the benefit of acquiring Autodesk solutions through this BPA for AEC firms and other contractors that do work on behalf of the military? How does it benefit them? How does it benefit their military customers?
Shaun Gaffrey: By leveraging the impact of the overall DoD spend through ESI, the government is able to negotiate favorable pricing for the US military and the contractor community that supports them.
The licenses for the software can also be transferred from the contractor to the government entity that they’re doing work for once the project is complete. This is extremely beneficial to the government and saves taxpayer dollars since they don’t have to pay for the license twice.
GDH: If an organization wanted to utilize this BPA to acquire Autodesk solutions, what would they have to do? What’s their first step?
Shaun Gaffrey: Reach out to DLT and work with one of our experts to discuss your business needs. We have been working within our existing ESI BPA since late 2011 and are well versed in working with the government and the contractor community to provide the correct solution via ESI.
For additional information about the newly issued BPA, click HERE.
