Opening AI Access Across Government: Inside Perplexity’s New GSA Partnership

On November 19, 2025, Perplexity unveiled a groundbreaking partnership with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) aimed at simplifying the adoption of enterprise-grade AI across federal agencies. This innovative OneGov agreement allows agencies to access Perplexity’s Enterprise Pro for Government at virtually no cost over the next 18 months, creating a streamlined pathway to incorporate advanced AI into daily operations.

In this post, we will explore the significance of this partnership, its operational framework, the safeguards established, and the importance of model selection and cited answers for public sector missions.

The Big Picture

• Direct OneGov Agreement: Agencies can now procure Perplexity Enterprise Pro directly through GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule in the IT category.
• Near-Zero Cost: The GSA has set a price of just $0.25 per agency for an 18-month term.
• Multi-Model Flexibility: Perplexity offers access to several leading models within a single platform, helping prevent vendor lock-in and ensuring continuity should any model become temporarily unavailable.
• Security and Compliance: Perplexity’s enterprise solution is fast-tracked on the FedRAMP 20x pathway, and only two AI services qualified for AI Prioritization by GSA as of the announcement.
• Secure-By-Default for Federal Users: Perplexity ensures strong security for individual users of its public site, with zero data tracking and no contractual obligations.

What This Partnership Includes

Perplexity Enterprise Pro for Government provides a unified AI research and drafting platform specifically tailored for federal usage. According to both GSA and Perplexity, this platform facilitates:

• Real-Time Answers with Cited Sources: The platform integrates internet-scale knowledge with potential connections to agency systems such as SharePoint, OneDrive, and Outlook.
• Choice of Multiple Frontier Models: Users can select from various leading models within a single interface.
• Enterprise Controls: Administrators will have access to data protection, compliance, and policy enforcement features that adhere to federal regulations.

With these tools, public servants can pose complex inquiries, receive verifiable answers, and proceed with drafting or analysis using the most appropriate model for their tasks.

Why the OneGov Path Matters

The GSA’s OneGov strategy consolidates government demand and enables direct purchases from technology providers to minimize redundancy, simplify procurement, and foster better pricing and security. Within AI, OneGov has facilitated notable partnerships with companies like Anthropic, xAI, Google, Microsoft, AWS, and Elastic. Perplexity’s agreement is positioned uniquely as it provides a multi-model, citation-first AI platform directly accessible across the government.

For agencies, the advantages of the OneGov pathway include:

• A standardized approach to swiftly acquire and deploy AI technology
• Transparent pricing that is broadly applicable after initial negotiation
• Reduced administrative burdens with fewer one-off contracts

Pricing, Term, and Eligibility

The GSA’s announcement indicates that Perplexity Enterprise Pro is available for an accessible rate of $0.25 per agency for an 18-month term through a direct contract on the GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule. This government-wide agreement applies across any federal agencies opting to participate, adhering to standard agency procedures.

Security and Compliance: FedRAMP 20x and AI Prioritization

Security and compliance play crucial roles in this partnership. As noted by the GSA, Perplexity’s enterprise offering is positioned for AI Prioritization, expediting the FedRAMP authorization process via the 20x pathway—a government initiative aimed at hastily getting critical AI and cloud services into the hands of federal employees while maintaining strict security standards.

Key Points:

• AI Prioritization signifies compliance with GSA’s established criteria for urgent review.
• FedRAMP 20x accelerates authorizations for essential AI services often required for government missions.

Secure-By-Default for Federal Users

Perplexity emphasizes secure-by-default measures for individuals using its public platform, ensuring automatic zero data usage and access to powerful models without necessitating a contract or subscription. While the enterprise offerings target agency-wide deployment, this secure approach prioritizes the protection of individual federal users, aligning with governmental objectives for safe AI access.

Why Model Choice Matters in Government

Diverse government missions require varied AI capabilities. A model adept at long-form drafting may not perform well for research or specific domain reasoning. By providing a multi-model environment, the Perplexity platform enables teams to select the optimal model for tasks such as research, summarization, or planning, all without disrupting workflows. This flexibility is critical for maintaining operational continuity during unexpected circumstances.

How Users Can Experience the Platform

Consider the following scenarios demonstrating how various roles might leverage the platform:

• Policy Analysts: Pose policy-related queries and obtain answers with citations from relevant legislation or communications. Subsequently, they can generate drafts of issue briefs with links for verification.
• Contracting Officers: Effectively summarize past performance and draft statements of work with a clear audit trail of sources.
• IT and Cybersecurity Teams: Assess security protocols and draft necessary compliance documentation while safeguarding sensitive information.
• Program Managers: Quickly produce stakeholder updates and executive summaries from extensive program data using cited references.

These examples are illustrative; agencies retain responsibility for applying their governance and review processes prior to using any AI-generated outputs in operational contexts.

Comparison to Other OneGov AI Agreements

The Perplexity agreement emerges amid a wave of AI-centered OneGov collaborations, indicating a federal shift toward broadening access to advanced AI at minimal costs while simplifying acquisition processes:

• Anthropic: Offers Claude for Enterprise and Government across all federal branches for a nominal fee.
• xAI: Provides access to Grok models at $0.42 per organization for an 18-month term.
• Google: Proposes Gemini for Government with competitive pricing and significant discounts across its range of services.
• Microsoft and AWS: Established large-scale OneGov agreements focused on cloud and AI modernization, delivering substantial savings.

Perplexity differentiates itself by prioritizing cited answers, integrating with common federal systems, and providing multi-model access through a single interface.

How to Buy and Deploy

The GSA announcement delineates the pathway, but practical implementation for agencies typically entails:

1. Verify eligibility and scope under the GSA OneGov agreement.
2. Collaborate with agency CIOs, privacy teams, and security offices to synchronize data management and security protocols.
3. Pinpoint initial use cases and pilot teams, then expand to additional programs with clear governance and training.
4. Standardize prompts and review processes to ensure consistent, high-quality results.

Practical Tips for Early Adopters

• Focus on high-impact areas: research, drafting, and summarizing large document collections.
• Emphasize citations: Encourage the model to provide sources and verify information before acting on results.
• Treat AI outputs as drafts: Combine AI with human oversight, especially for sensitive topics such as policy or public communication.
• Use the optimal model for each task: Experiment with various models within the platform to assess accuracy and efficiency.
• Monitor performance: Track time savings and user satisfaction to guide broader implementation.

Data Security and Privacy Considerations

According to GSA and Perplexity, the enterprise offering boasts federal-grade security and will progress through the FedRAMP 20x pathway alongside AI Prioritization. The public secure-by-default stance reduces risks for individual federal users not part of enterprise agreements. Agencies should apply existing regulations for sensitive data handling and adhere to internal instructions on the data permissible for AI use.

Timeline and Next Steps

• November 19, 2025: GSA and Perplexity announce the partnership, enabling direct access to Perplexity Enterprise Pro for $0.25 per agency over 18 months through the Multiple Award Schedule.
• Post-Announcement: Agencies may proceed through the OneGov framework, leveraging FedRAMP 20x prioritization to expedite authorization processes that commonly delay deployment.

As OneGov expands to include more AI and cloud services, continuous guidance on governance and best practices will emerge, aimed at minimizing duplicate efforts across various agencies.

Why This Matters Now

Federal operations hinge on timely, reliable information. A platform that unites multiple advanced models, ensures citation integrity, and integrates with known systems can empower public servants to make faster, better-informed decisions. By favoring direct OneGov partnerships and employing the FedRAMP 20x process, the government signals its commitment to providing secure AI capabilities to workers promptly, facilitating effective mission execution in real time.

Key Takeaways

• The Perplexity-GSA partnership signifies a pioneering OneGov agreement, offering a swift, low-cost pathway to a multi-model, citation-first AI platform for agencies.
• Pricing is established at $0.25 per agency for an 18-month term through the GSA Multiple Award Schedule.
• FedRAMP 20x and AI Prioritization aim to streamline secure adoption government-wide.
• The platform integrates seamlessly with common federal workplace applications, emphasizing the provision of verifiable, cited information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this really available to every federal agency?

Yes! The agreement encompasses a government-wide OneGov initiative, accessible via the GSA Multiple Award Schedule for all participating federal agencies.

What does the $0.25 per agency fee cover?

GSA’s announcement specifies the access provided to Perplexity Enterprise Pro for Government at $0.25 per agency for an 18-month term under a direct contract. Verify with your acquisition office for detailed scope and additional costs.

How does FedRAMP 20x alter the authorization process?

FedRAMP 20x accelerates the authorization of AI cloud services that federal employees commonly use, reducing time to implement while maintaining security rigor. AI Prioritization signals that a service has met expedient review criteria established by GSA.

Which AI models are included?

Per GSA and Perplexity, the platform supports a range of leading models through a single interface, allowing agencies the flexibility to choose the best-suited model for various tasks.

What if our agency needs to connect SharePoint or email?

Agencies can optionally link systems like SharePoint, OneDrive, and Outlook, combining institutional knowledge with real-time, cited responses available within Perplexity’s platform.

Conclusion

The Perplexity-GSA partnership marks a significant milestone in advancing practical, secure AI for government use. This innovative OneGov pathway, combined with minimal per-agency pricing, model flexibility, and a focus on cited information, lowers barriers to thoughtful AI adoption for federal teams. The FedRAMP 20x prioritization and AI Prioritization status are designed to expedite the transition from pilot programs to production, while secure-by-default protections ensure added safety for individual federal users.

As public servants face the challenge of achieving more with fewer resources, access to reliable,迅速的 answers, coupled with the ability to document rationales, makes this partnership timely and impactful. The coming 18 months will serve as a critical period for agencies to leverage these capabilities to drive meaningful outcomes.