Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 1 CARE & MAINTENANCE OF YOUR GSA MULTIPLE AWARD SCHEDULE (MAS) CONTRACT

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 2 Two key factors in your success  Maximizing Rewards - marketing yourself and getting task/delivery orders  Minimizing Risks - following the rules - often very different than the commercial marketplace

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 3 Contractor Assistance Visit (CAV)  Industrial Operations Analyst (IOA)  Liaison between Administrative Contracting Officer (ACO) / Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) and contractors  Conducts Contractor Assistance Visits (CAV)  Objectives of CAV  Explain the Terms and Conditions of your contract  Assist with your questions or concerns  Identify and correct potential problems  Gather contractor data

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 4 Who’s Who  Procurement Contracting Officer (PCO) negotiates and awards your contract  Administrative Contracting Officer (ACO) responsible for the 72A sales reporting and Industrial Funding Fee (IFF) payment

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 5 Administrative Report Card  A “snapshot” in time  To assess if you are following the terms and conditions of your contract  Used to determine whether or not to exercise option periods  Example Report Card at Vendor Support Center under Contract Administration –

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 6 Administrative Report Card Frequency  Mid-term Sometime in 3 rd year of each 5 year contract period primarily for your own edification leaves time to address any problems before renewal and potential audit.  Expiring between 6-12 months prior to 5 year contract period end one of many things the PCO will consider in evaluating the option

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 7 Administrative Report Card  Question Categories  Category 1 - Critical  Category 2 - Mandatory  Category 3 - Above and Beyond  Ratings  Exceptional  Very Good  Satisfactory  Marginal  Serious Concerns Exist

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 8 Key Report Card topic – Price lists  An authorized contract price list shows ordering agencies what you have to offer.  Potential customers rely on your price list when doing market research.  Always use your current approved price list  Update and distribute with each applicable modification  Keep copies of all versions throughout your contract term for at least 3 years after contract expiration

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 9 GSA e-Library  Online source for contract SIN and Schedules information  Keep your information current  Address: Update Central Contractor Registration (CCR)  Phone Number: Update GSA Advantage! file  Web address and Address: Update GSA Advantage! File  Market research tool  Ordering activities can find you  You can research your competition and find potential teaming partners or subcontractors

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Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 11  Online shopping and ordering system  Provides online access to thousands of customers  You are required to upload your price list to GSA Advantage! no later than 6 months after award  Pique the customer’s interest  Utilize images (photos, logos, etc.)  Write detailed product descriptions  Use generic terms that customers can understand  Provide a link to your company website GSA Advantage!

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 12  Keep your GSA Advantage! information up-to-date  Government can use GSA Advantage! to:  Search for items/services/suppliers  Perform market research  Compare features, prices, and delivery  Place orders  Contractors can use GSA Advantage! to:  Research competition  Sell to the federal marketplace GSA Advantage !

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Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 17 Key Report Card topic – Environmental icons  Critical Report Card question - Is the contractor accurately identifying products that have Environmental attributes? applies to icons loaded in GSA Advantage! by the contractor  Possess competent and reliable evidence to substantiate.  EPEAT and Energy Star icons are loaded directly into GSA Advantage! ® from EPA and Federal Electronics databases and don’t require contractor self-certification

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 18 eBuy  An electronic Request For Quote (RFQ) / Quote system  Notifies you of new government requirements  Increases sales potential  Not FedBizOpps

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 19 eBuy continued  Provides valuable information on the Federal marketplace  Saves you time since business opportunities may be sent directly to you via and quotes can be sent electronically  For more information about eBuy: “GSA eBuy for Vendors”, Session 6 Wednesday at 2:30pm or Session 9 on Thursday at 2:30pm.

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 20 Key Report Card topic - Scope  What is “Scope”? On an order referencing your GSA contract number  Services or products have been approved by the PCO and authorized under your GSA contract  Why is it important?  You must only sell those products and services awarded under your contract  To maintain the integrity of the schedules program  To protect you from any unintended consequences

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 21 Scope  Only sell products and services that have been approved by your PCO  If products and services are being sold, and they are not on your Schedules contract, do not represent them as such Identify those as Open Market or Non-Schedule

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 22 Key Report Card topic - Trade Agreements Act (TAA)  The TAA implements various international trade agreements and other trade initiatives  TAA is applicable to all Schedules contracts (including services)  Trade Agreements clause (FAR ) included in contracts via the standard commercial items clause (FAR (b)) (b)  TA Certificate (FAR (g)(4)) (g)(4)  Contractors must only provide U.S.-made or designated country end products  Refer to FAR , Definitions, for a complete list of designated countriesFAR , Definitions,

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 23 TAA – Your Responsibilities  Remain compliant!  Review your price list and GSA Advantage! file for accuracy and any possible noncompliant items  Notify your PCO to delete those items from your contract if noncompliance is uncovered  Ensure that you have a control system and/or process in place to track the country of origin of all products—it’s not required, but it’s a good idea!

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 24 TAA – Your Responsibilities  The IOA will evaluate your process review country of origin information during the CAV  Why is TAA compliance so important? Federal customers must follow the regulations They depend on GSA to help them be in compliance.

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 25  Decreases —The Price Reduction Clause :  Schedules contract prices are based upon a “Basis of Award” Category of Customer(s),  The negotiated discount ratio must be maintained throughout the contract term Key Report Card topic - Basis of Award

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 26  Contractors should have a system or process in place to monitor the discount relationship.  The IOA will be verifying the contractor has a system or procedures in place to ensure the discount relationship is maintained. Key Report Card topic - Basis of Award

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 27 What is a Schedules Sale?  When an order issued by an eligible user fits within the Schedules contract parameters, it is considered to be a Schedules sale unless the ordering activity indicates otherwise. Such as:  Contracts clearly awarded under FAR parts 12, 13, 14, or 15  Establish with your customer at time of order placement whether a sale is being conducted under or outside the Schedules contract  List your Schedules contract number on invoices

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 28 How do I know if it will be a GSA sale?  Ask the customer!  Document the conversation  No misunderstanding - you know, they know  Everyone is on the same path

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 29 Identifying Schedules Sales  The GSA contract number is stated on the purchase or task order  The ordering information and terms are the same as your GSA contract  The customer made contact with you through GSA Advantage! or e-Buy  The customer pays with the government purchase card for items on your contract  The pricing is at or below the contract price  The order is over $3000 and there is no indication of any other procurement vehicle being used

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 30 Seventh Inning Stretch

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 31 Key Report Card topic - Sales Tracking System  Identifies, tracks, and reports GSA sales accurately and completely  Reports all transactions within the proper period  Retrieves data easily  Separates Schedules sales from other federal sales and commercial sales

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 32 Key Report Card topic - Sales Tracking System  No “correct” sales tracking system  Need to isolate GSA Schedules sales  Automation is not required but may be necessary— complexity usually depends on the number of sales transactions

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 33 Sales Reporting  Report sales at the Vendor Support Center  All Schedules sales must be reported in U.S. dollars and rounded to the nearest whole dollar  Only GSA contract items and services should be reported  Open market (noncontract) items, travel, and Other Direct Costs should not be reported as GSA contract sales  Sales must be reported on a quarterly basis  January 1 to March 31  April 1 to June 30  July 1 to September 30  October 1 to December 31

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 34 Industrial Funding Fee (IFF)  The IFF of.75% is included in your awarded pricing  The contract prices you’ve been awarded and bill a customer already include the IFF  The IFF is submitted by you on a quarterly basis

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 35 Remitting the IFF  Payment must be received within 30 calendar days after the quarter ends  GSA encourages you to pay the IFF via credit card or electronic check (ePay). eliminates the expense and inconvenience of processing paper checks No delays or uncertainty of mail deliveries  Electronically “Pay Online Now” to pay immediately after reporting sales, or return at a later date to “Pay Online Later”

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 36  e-Library   GSA Advantage!  Go to then select “Tutorial”  e-Buy  Go to then select “eBuy Training”  More information (tutorials, statistics, etc.)  GSA - Power Up e-Tools GSA - Power Up e-Tools Marketing e-Tools

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 37 Vendor Support Center

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 38 Under the Publications tab

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 39  Research your competitors  Visit  Or at the Vendor Support Center under the Business Opportunities tab  Click Create Report Schedule Sales Query Report (SSQ)

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Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 41 USA Spending.gov  See what customers are buying from your competition  Visit  Go to the “Contracts” tab and click (Awards)  Enter the company you wish to research

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Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 43 USA Spending.gov

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 44  Armed Forces Network  A list of military installations worldwide   Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC)  Local resource available at no or nominal cost to help you market to the government  Other Resources

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 45  USAgov (formally FirstGov)  Wide array of general information   Federal Procurement Data Systems (FPDS-NG)  Detailed information on all federal contract actions over $25,000  Identifies who bought what, from whom, for how much, when, and where  Other Resources

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 46  FedBizOpps (FBO)  Single source for federal government procurement opportunities   DoD Procurement Gateway  Allows detailed RFQ searches  Other Resources

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 47  Office of Small Business Utilization (OSBU) Office of Small Business Utilization (OSBU)  Forecast of contracting opportunities  Training  Publications  National calendar of events  And so much more…  Federal Acquisition Jumpstation Federal Acquisition Jumpstation  Your link to a host of federal acquisition opportunities Small Business Resources

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 48 Advertising Opportunities  Military Times (  Armed Forces Journal (  Stars & Stripes (  Government Executive (  MWR Today (  Federal Computer Weekly ( )

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 49  GSA’s Office of Customer Accounts and Research provides news and information about shows, expos, and other marketing opportunities Expo – add’l. Steps to Success booklets available  Go to MarkeTips magazine  Vendor Support Center GSA Marketing Partnership

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 50  You’re encouraged to place the GSA identifier (logo) on your web site for those supplies or services covered by your contract  Visit GSA LogoGSA Logo  Or FAS Marketing Efforts Brand/Logo Guidance GSA “Logo” Identifiers

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 51 Summary  In review, we’ve talked about  Price lists and GSA Advantage!  Sales and reporting  Scope, Trade Agreements Act, and Environmental Products  Marketing resources and e-Tools  Other contractual requirements

Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration 52 Contacts  Vincent Romano Jr.   Supervisory Industrial Operations Analyst  GSA FAS Office of Acquisition Management  Supplier Management Division, Northeast Operations   Stefan O. Krajec   Industrial Operations Analyst  GSA FAS Office of Acquisition Management  Supplier Management Division, Midwest Operations 