U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
How to Prepare a
Quality GSA Offer
July 2010
U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
GSA Offer Preparation
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Accessing the Solicitations
 FedBizOpps (www.fbo.gov)
 Search by Keyword
 “financial and business solutions” for FABS
 Search by Solicitation Number
 FCXB-F4-020002-B for FABS
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
www.fbo.gov
Link to solicitation
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Links to solicitation files
Solicitation files
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Offer Instructions
 READ THE ENTIRE SOLICITATION
 SCP-FSS-002 Specific Proposal Submission Instructions
(JUN 2009)
 Located on Cover Page of Attachment 2 – Solicitation
(page “iv”)
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Required Method for Submitting Offer
 e-Offer
 Digital Certificate (eoffer.gsa.gov)
 Information submitted electronically
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Offer Sections
 Section I – Administrative / Contract Data
 Section II – Technical Proposal
 Section III – Price Proposal
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Section I – Administrative / Contract Data
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Pathway to Success Certificate
Standard Form 1449; Attachment 4 (paper offer only)
Vendor Response Document; Attachment 3 (paper offer only)
Agent Authorization Letter; Attachment 12 (if applicable)
Summary of Offer; Attachment 10
Copy of CCR Record; www.ccr.gov
Copy of ORCA Record; www.orca.bpn.gov
Past two years of company’s financial statements
Small Business Subcontracting Plan; Attachment 7 (if large business)
Previous Cancellation/Rejection Letters
Other GSA contract numbers
Pending offer(s) and contact information of Contract Specialist(s)
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Section I – Administrative / Contract Data
 Pathway to Success Certificate: vsc.gsa.gov
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Standard Form 1449 (Paper Offer Only); Attachment 4
Fill in boxes 17(a), 30(a), (b), (c)
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Administrative / Contract Data Cont…
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Vendor Response Document (Paper Offer Only); Attachment 3
Agent Authorization Letter; Attachment 12 (if applicable)
Summary of Offer; Attachment 10
Copy of CCR Record; www.ccr.gov
Copy of ORCA Record; www.orca.bpn.gov
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Administrative / Contract Data Cont…
 Past two years of company’s financial statements
 Small Business Subcontracting Plan; Attachment 7
(if large business)
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Administrative / Contract Data Cont…
 Previous Cancellation/Rejection Letters
 Other GSA contract numbers
 Pending offer(s) and contact information of Contract
Specialist(s)
 No brochures, newsletters, elaborate artwork,
expensive bindings or other visual presentation aids
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Small Business Subcontracting Plan Goals
GSA’s Internal Subcontracting Goals
37%
- Small Businesses
5%
- Women-Owned Businesses
6%
- Small Disadvantaged Businesses
5%
- Veteran-Owned Businesses
3%
- Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business
3%
- HUBZone Businesses
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Section II – Technical Proposal
 Technical Proposal is comprised of four factors:
 Factor One – Corporate Experience
 Factor Two – Relevant Project Experience
 Factor Three – Past Performance
 Factor Four – Quality Control
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Factor One – Corporate Experience
 Narrative describing applicable corporate experience (must
have provided service for two years)
 Two-page maximum
 Number of years providing service(s)
– Need at least 2 years for FABS
 Organization’s size, experience, and resources
 Brief history of activities
 Internal controls (organizational and accounting)
 Staffing capabilities
 Proposed federal marketing plan
 Discuss subcontractors
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Factor Two – Relevant Project Experience
 Two project descriptions for EACH Special Item Number
(SIN) proposed
 Four-page maximum per project description
 Completed within the last two years or base year
completed, if on-going
 Demonstrate performed work is similar to solicited work
 Customer reference information for each project
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Relevant Project Experience Cont…
 Narrative shall include:
 Detailed description of SIN-relevant work
 Methodology, tools, and/or processes used
 Demonstration of compliance with laws, regs., etc.
 Project schedule
 Similar in scope and complexity
 Specific experience and/or qualifications
 Special SIN Requirements
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Project Description Example – Customer Reference Information
Section II - Technical Proposal
ABC Company, Inc.
SIN 520 5 – Loan Servicing & Asset Management
Project 1 – Department of Veterans Affairs – Loan Resolution Project
Customer/Client Name:
Project Name/Contract Number:
Point of Contact:
Point of Contact Phone Number:
Point of Contact Email:
Performance Period:
Dollar Value of Project:
Dollar Value of SIN-Relevant Work:
Department of Veterans Affairs
LRP-1 / VA-04-1224-A
Jane Smith
(555) 555-5555
jane.smith@va.gov
10/1/06 – 9/30/07
$5,000,000.00
$4,425,000.00
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Project Description Sample – Narrative
Section II – Technical Proposal
ABC Company, Inc.
Brief Summary of Project
The VA contracted with ABC Company, Inc. to provide an end- to-end
solution, from loan origination through the fulfillment of borrower
obligations to increase the effectiveness of its loan servicing program.
Detailed Description of SIN-Relevant Work
Explain in detail the elements of the project which relate directly to the
Schedule’s Statement of Work.
Methodology, Tools, and/or Processes Utilized
Explain how your firm performed the work.
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Project Description Sample – Narrative Cont…
Section II – Technical Proposal
ABC Company, Inc.
Demonstration of compliance with any applicable laws, regulations,
Executive Orders, OMB Circulars, professional standards, etc.
ABC Company demonstrated compliance with….
Project schedule (i.e., major milestones, tasks, deliverables), including an
explanation of any delays
- October 2006 – Began preliminary assessment…
- December 2007 – Presented findings….
- January 2007 – Developed implementation strategy….
And so on, and so on…
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Substitution for Corporate Experience
 If project experience does not exist, the offeror may
substitute relevant projects of predecessor
companies or key personnel that will be performing
major aspects of the work
 Must provide a project description which clearly
identifies the entity or personnel that performed the
services
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Factor Three – Past Performance
 Offerors must order and obtain a Past Performance
Evaluation (PPE) from Open Ratings, Inc. (Dun &
Bradstreet)
 Offerors are responsible for payment to Open
Ratings ($175.00)
 Submit completed Past Performance Evaluation AND
order form with GSA offer
 Address Negative Feedback
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Open Ratings Evaluations Cont…
 Requires at least 4 references (Maximum: 20)
 Open Ratings will not release a report until it receives
at least 4 complete surveys
 Open Ratings estimates the process to take 20 to 35
days
 Reports are good for 1 year
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Factor Four – Quality Control
 One narrative, regardless of number of SINs offered (2-page
maximum)
 Describe internal review procedures
 Identifies individuals reviewing projects
 Identifies if subcontractors are used and how offeror ensures
acceptable performance
 Identifies potential problems and solutions
 Contains procedures for meeting urgent requirements
 Assures and describes how multiple task orders from the
Government can be handled
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Section III – Price Proposal
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
GSA’s Pricing Goal
 Obtain Most Favored Customer (MFC) pricing
“The price analysis GSA does to establish the
Government’s MAS negotiation objective should start
with the best discount given to any of the vendor’s
customers.” – GAO
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Section III – Price Proposal
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Proposal Pricelist Preparation; Attachment 8
Commercial Sales Practices (CSP); Attachment 9
Price Narrative
Proposed Escalation (if applicable)
Supporting Pricing Documentation
Labor Category Descriptions
Professional Compensation Plan
Uncompensated Overtime
Service Contract Act (SCA) Documentation
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Commercial Price List vs. Market Price
(FAR 2.101)
 Commercial Price List: Price included in a catalog, price list,
schedule, or other form that is regularly maintained by the
manufacturer or vendor, is either published or otherwise
available for inspection by customers, and states prices at which
sales are currently, or were last, made to a significant number of
buyers constituting the general public
 Commercial Market Price: Current prices that are established
in the course of ordinary trade between buyers and sellers free
to bargain and that can be substantiated through competition or
from sources independent of the offerors
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Proposal Price List Preparation
(Attachment 8)
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SIN(s) proposed
Service/Product proposed
MFC/Best commercial customer
MFC/Best commercial customer price
Discount % offered to MFC/Best commercial customer
Discount % offered to GSA
Prices offered to GSA, excluding Industrial Funding Fee (IFF)
Prices offered to GSA, including IFF
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Proposal Price List Preparation Example
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Proposal Price List Preparation Example Cont…
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Commercial Sales Practices Format
(Attachment 9)
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Previous sales information
Estimated sales per SIN
Discounting policies
Deviations from standard commercial practices
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Commercial Sales Practices Format Example
ABC Company, Inc.
520-1, 520-2, 520-4
10/1/07
520-1
520-2
520-4
100,000
100,000
100,000
5,000,000
9/30/08
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Commercial Sales Practices Format (Attachment 9) Cont…
If “No,” explain in Price Narrative
If “Yes,” explain in Price Narrative
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Price Narrative
 Provide information for the Contracting Officer to
determine offered prices are fair and reasonable for
each offered service
 Deviations from CSP
 State whether prices proposed are based on
Commercial Price List or Market Prices
 Proposed economic price adjustment
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Economic Price Adjustment
 Based on Commercial Price List:
 552.216-70 ECONOMIC PRICE ADJUSTMENT – FSS
MULTIPLE AWARD SCHEDULE CONTRACTS (SEP 1999)
(ALTERNATE I – SEP 1999)
– Based on changes in Commercial Price List
 Based on Market Price:
 I-FSS-969 ECONOMIC PRICE ADJUSTMENT – FSS
MULTIPLE AWARD SCHEDULE (JAN 2002)
– Negotiate fixed escalation rate
– Based on market indicator
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Price Narrative Example
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Supporting Pricing Documentation
 Support for EACH proposed service
 Invoices
 Contracts
 Quote sheets
 Clear and relevant relationship
between document and price
 Document labeled with
corresponding labor category or
service
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Supporting Documentation Example
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Supporting Documentation Example
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Other Elements of Price Proposal
 Labor category descriptions
 Functional responsibilities
 Minimum years of experience
 Minimum educational/degree requirements
 Applicable training/certification requirements
 Professional Compensation Plan – Clause 52.222-46
 Uncompensated Overtime – Clause 52.237-10
 Services Contract Act documentation
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
GSA Offer Evaluation
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
When We Receive Your Proposal…
 Offer assigned to Contract Specialist
 Offers with deficiencies will be rejected
 Contract Specialist will contact offereror to request clarifications
or correction of minor deficiencies
 Timeframe for response is established
 Negotiations
 Final Proposal Revision
 Award
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Contract Administration
 Ongoing Process
 5-Year Contract with THREE 5Year Option Periods
 IFF Sales Reporting
 Modification Requests
 Small Business Reporting (eSRS)
 Contractor Assist Visits
 Minimum Sales Criteria
 $25,000 / 1st 2 years
 $25,000 / year
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
Submitting Your Offer
E - Offer
http://eoffer.gsa.gov/
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U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
For Further Assistance
 Financial and Business Solutions (520)
 Hotline: (703) 605-9500
 Email: fabs@gsa.gov
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