New York, NY | March 20, 2026 – Ariel Partners announced today that it has been awarded a position on the General Services Administration’s POLARIS Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) through its joint venture, Ariel-BCT Partners, LLC, with Ariel Partners serving as the managing member.
POLARIS is one of the federal government’s most significant next-generation contract vehicles, designed to provide agencies with streamlined access to advanced information technology and professional services. The contract is structured as a multiple-award, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity vehicle with a ceiling value of up to $1 trillion and a ten-year performance period extending through 2036, making it one of the largest IT services procurement vehicles in the federal marketplace.
The award was made within the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) pool, a highly competitive category that received hundreds of proposals and resulted in a limited number of selected vendors across the country. Ariel-BCT Partners JV is one of only 47 WOSB awardees and 102 total awardees across the WOSB, HUBZone, SDVOSB, and small business pools
Through this award, Ariel-BCT Partners is now eligible to compete for task orders across the federal government, enabling agencies to rapidly procure services in areas such as:
- Digital transformation and cloud solutions
- Artificial intelligence and data analytics
- Cybersecurity and zero-trust architectures
- Systems engineering and software development
- Program management and enterprise IT modernization
The Ariel–BCP Partners Joint Venture brings together BCT Partners and Ariel Partners, formalized on July 26, 2022, to deliver a comprehensive portfolio of services spanning IT solutions, grants management, social services, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). BCT Partners contributes deep expertise in grants management, housing and social services, records management, and DEI training, while Ariel Partners offers strengths in legacy modernization, cloud migration, software development, agile governance, coaching, training and government transformation. Together, Ariel–BCP Partners represents a highly capable and experienced supplier within the POLARIS ecosystem, well-positioned to support complex, mission-critical initiatives across both DOD and civilian agencies.
“POLARIS represents a critical gateway for delivering next-generation technology solutions across the federal government,” said Craeg Strong, CTO of Ariel Partners. “This award reflects the strength of our joint venture and our ability to compete and deliver at the highest levels of federal contracting.”
The POLARIS GWAC is designed to simplify procurement and expand access to emerging technologies, allowing agencies to issue task orders quickly without launching new full and open competitions. This enables faster delivery of capabilities in support of evolving federal priorities, including modernization, cybersecurity, and data-driven decision-making.
For Ariel Partners, this award significantly expands its federal contracting footprint and reinforces its position as a trusted partner for delivering high-impact technology solutions at scale.