Your Stairway
to Success
How to be a Successful Contractor
Welcome!
• Congratulations!
• You are GSA’s “Face” to Customer
• Multiple Award Schedules
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Over 11,000 contracts
Competition is fierce
Success is our mutual goal
Step-by-step Guide
The Steps to Success
• Step One: Understanding Contract
Requirements
• Step Two: Marketing Your Business
• Step Three: Teaming to Propose a Total
Solution
• Step Four: Stepping Out From the Crowd
• Step Five: Reporting Required Information
• Step Six: Caring for Your Contract
• Step Seven: Getting the Support You Need
• Step Eight: Reaping the Rewards!
STEP ONE
Understanding Contract
Requirements
• Important Contacts for Success…
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Procurement Contracting Officer (PCO)
Administrative Contracting Officer (ACO)
Industrial Operations Analyst (IOA)
Vendor Support Center (http://vsc.gsa.gov)
MAS Helpdesk (MAS Helpdesk@gsa.gov)
U-MAS Virtual Campus
(http://apps.fss.gsa.gov/umas)
Your Passport to
Government Agencies
• GSA’s Strength
– Identifying Customer Needs
– Satisfying those needs through industry
partners
• Contract Price Lists
– Your catalog
– Customers rely on it
– Mandatory IAW Clause I-FSS-600
Price List Format
• Contract items awarded and associated pricing
• Labor categories and descriptions
• Geographic coverage (delivery area)
• Points of production
• Discounts from the list prices or statement of net prices
• Volume Discounts
• Prompt Payment Terms
• Acceptance of the Government commercial credit card
• Foreign items offered
• Delivery terms
• Expedited delivery
Reference: Clause I-FSS-600 of your contract
Identifying Your Terms and
Conditions
YOUR FACE TO THE CUSTOMER
STEP TWO
Marketing Your Business
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Distributing Your Price List
Maximize Your Web Presence
GSA Advantage! and e-Buy Benefit
How to Identify Customers
How to Find Government Customers
Small Business Opportunities
GSA Marketing Partnership
GSA “Logo” Identifiers
Government Advertising
Opportunities
• MarkeTips
Distributing Your Price List
• Print and Widely Distribute
• GSA Provided Mailing List of Customers
– Send Out Contract Price List…or
– Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelope
• Make sure…Price List conveys
– You are Interested in their Business
– Convenient Ways to Contact You.
• Familiarize Yourself with Peak Buying Times
Maximize Your Web Presence
• Your web site address on the Front of you
price list.
• Web Address that sends customer to GSA
contract information
• Provide Links through GSA Advantage!
• “WOW” your customers.
• Make the most of your contract!
The GSA Advantage! Benefit
• Post your Price List to GSA Advantage!
• Provides online access to thousands of
customers
• Official Federal source for government
purchasing.
• Link your company web site so that customers
can easily toggle back and forth to your site.
• Your responsibility to keep GSA Advantage!
information current, accurate and complete.
• Make customers feel welcome.
Benefits of GSA Advantage!
• Government Uses GSA Advantage! to:
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Search for Items/Services/Suppliers
Perform Market Research
Compare Features, Prices, and Delivery
Place Orders
• Contractors Use GSA Advantage! to:
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Research competition
Review Marketplace
Research valuable on-line information
Sell to the Federal marketplace
Benefits of e-Buy…
• Program dedicated to bringing customer and
contractor together
• Allows customer agencies to maximize buying
power
• Allows customer to leverage power of Internet
• Assists customer in making “best value”
purchase decisions
• RFQs visible to all schedule contractors
• Great market research tool
Identifying Customers by Name
• Procurement Contracting Officers
(PCOs) – key part of process ensuring
proper implementation and formulation
of task order
• End Users – actual recipient of product
or services
• Program Managers – typically the
visionary
How to Find These Customers
• Primary Tool – Market Research
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Federal Procurement Data systems (FPDS)
FedBizOpps (FBO)
DoD Business Opportunities (DoDBusOpps)
Federal Yellow Book Mailing List
Military Installations
Professional Housing Management Association
(PHMA)
• Small Business Opportunities
– Procurement Marketing and Access Network (ProNet)
GSA Marketing Partnership
• Offered by Office of Marketing and Business
Development
• Help strengthen the success of FSS Schedule
contractors
• Provides news/information aout FSS Program
Enhancements, Shows, Expos and other
opportunities
• Marketing web site provides volumes of
valuable information
GSA “Logo” Identifiers
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FSS Identifier
GSA Smart Pay
GSA Advantage!
Reference: GSAR 552.203-70,
Restrictions on Advertising
Government Advertising
Opportunities
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Military Times (www.militarycity.com)
Armed Forces Journal (www.afji.com)
Stars & Stripes (www.stripes.osd.mil)
Government Executive (www.govexec.com)
MWR Today (www.imcea.com)
MarkeTips
(http://apps.fss.gsa.gov/pub/marketips.cfm)
STEP THREE
Teaming to Propose
a Total Solution
• What if the job is too big for me?
• What is a GSA Contractor Team
Arrangement?
• What are the Benefits of a GSA
Contractor Team Arrangements?
• Website: (http://www.gsaelibrary.gsa)
STEP FOUR
Stepping Out From the Crowd
• Ordering Procedures
• Eligible Users of GSA Sources
of Supplies and Services
• Helpful Hints when selling
to Federal agencies
Ordering Procedures
• Who is eligible to use GSA sources of
supplies and services?
• Authorized Users ADM 4800.2E
– www.fss.gsa.gov/schedules
– Click on “Ordering From GSA Schedules”
– Go “Eligibility to use GSA Schedules”
A Few Helpful Hints
• Obliged to Accept Orders Below Maximum Order.
– Maximum Order Threshold identified in schedule
– Not a ceiling. Can accept order above
– Allows additional discounting
• Clause 52.216-19 for more info on Maximum Orders
• Not obliged to sell to agencies outside of Executive
Branch…encouraged to do so
• Obliged to accept purchase card orders up to $2,500.
• Allowed to offer one-time spot discounts to be more
competitive – exclusive of “most favored customer”
STEP FIVE
Reporting Requirements
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Required Reports
Reporting GSA Schedule Sales
Paying the Industrial Funding Fee
Technological Advances to Make
Remitting Fees Easier
• Reporting Subcontracting Progress
What? Where? When?
Affirmative Action (EEO-1)
Contracting Agency
Annually
NLT 3/31
IFF (Indust. Fund. Fee)
GSA
Quarterly
Sales
GSA
Quarterly
Subcontracting (SF-294)
Subcontracting (SF-295)
PCO/ACO & SBA
PCO/ACO & SBA
4/30 & 10/30
10/30
VETS 100
Veterans Admin.Annually
NLT 9/30
Reporting GSA Schedule Sales
• Critical Piece of Relationship
• Contractor Assistance Visits (CAV)
– Aimed at making sure you succeed
– Verifies establishment and maintenance of a good system
to isolate and track GSA sales
• Makes reporting easier
• Secure web site for reporting MAS sales
• http://vsc.gsa.gov Click on 72A Online System
• Sales Reports must be submitted quarterly by the end of
April, July, October and January
• If no sales occur on your contract, you are still responsible to
report zeros
Paying Industrial Funding Fee
• Fee is included in the purchase price of the product or service
procured
• Extremely important…
– Proper identification be provided on check
– Assure proper credit is given for payment
• Must follow instructions in IFF clause and provide the following:
– Contract Number(s)
– Report Amount(s)
– Report Period(s)
• Multiple Contracts or Report Periods
– Specific amounts to be allocated must be included on the check
• Check out the Vendor Support Center web site at http://vsc.sa.gov
or call (877)495-4849 or (703)305-6235
Technological Advances for
Remitting the FEE
• “IFF Online” – New electronic payment mechanism
• Became available October 2002
• Eliminates the expense and inconvenience of
processing paper checks
• Eliminates delays and uncertainty of mail deliveries
• Eliminates the post-payment stress of incorrect
payment amounts or incorrect allocation of payments
• Register with GSA Vendor Support Center
http://vsc.fss.gsa.gov
The BIG Question???
Is it a Schedule Sale?
When any one or more of the following common
indicators is evident:
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The GSA Contract Number is on the PO or Task Order
The ordering info and terms are the same as your GSA contract
The customer contacted you through GSA Advantage! or e-Buy
The good or service is on your GSA Contract
The customer pays with the Government purchase card
The pricing is at or below the schedule price
The order is over the micro-purchase level ($2,500) and there is no
indication of any other procurement vehicle being used
If it walks like a duck, talks like a
duck and looks like a duck…
Reporting Subcontracting
Progress
• Large business needs to report progress on their
subcontracting goals:
• Subcontracting Reports:
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SF 294, due 4/30 and 10/30
SF 295, due 10/30
Originals go to PCO (or ACO, if delegated)
Copies to SBA
Vendor Support Center web site for future Online IFF
Reporting
• Commercial Products Plan
• Individual Contract Plan
• Individual Contract Plan Incorporating Master Plan
STEP SIX
Caring for Your Contract
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Important Definitions
Name Change/Novation
Address Change
Adding New Items and Price
Adjustments
• When GSA Requests Changes
• Canceling Your Contract
Important Definitions
• Solicitation
– Any request to submit offer or quotes to the
Government
• Amendment
– Any change to the terms and conditions of a
solicitation or Request for Quotes
• Modification
– Any written change in the terms and conditions
of a contract, either unilateral or bilateral
Name Change/Novation
• Undergoing a name change/novation
• Company being bought or sold
• Notify your PCO immediately for
guidance and required paperwork
• FAR Part 42.12, Change of Name
and Novation Agreement
Documentation
Address Change
• Every Contractor has a Dun and Bradstreet number
(DUNS) to participate under GSA Schedules
• The DUNS number is tied to your address
• If you move, you must notify your PCO and Dun and
Bradstreet for proper contract administration, or you
may get lost in the system
• Go to www.dnb.com for more information
• Regular maintenance of your DUNS info is very
important.
• Check Every 30 days
Price Adjustments and
Adding New Items
• Bone up on the requirements of Clause
522.216-70, Economic Price Adjustment
and 552.243-72, Modifications
• You will have to negotiate these
modifications with your PCO
• Check the Economic Price Adjustment
Clause for pricing caps, time limitations
and procedures.
Price Adjustments and
Adding New Items
• For Products:
– Copy of new commercial
catalog
– Relevant invoices,
purchase orders,
contracts, or other
substantiating documents
for new price
– Effective date for
commercial customers
– The most favored
customer
– Product testing
• For Services:
– Copy of new commercial
catalog or pricelist or…
– Relevant invoices,
purchase orders,
contracts, or other
substantiating documents
for new pricing.
– New labor categories
(including definitions and
qualifications)
– The most favored
customer
Changes
• GSA periodically refreshes contracts
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To update terms and conditions
New clauses may be required
Old clauses may be obsolete
No limit on number of amendments or modifications
Allows everybody to compete on same terms and
conditions
– May be exercising our option to renew your contract
– Read all documentation and comply with timing requests
– Talk directly with the person initiating the change for
clarifications and questions.
• Ask us about CAsI (“Contractor Assessment
Initiative”)
Cancellations
Both you and the Government have the right to
cancel your contract with 30 days notice
and walk away free and clear.
Government Reasons:
• Violations of contract
terms and conditions
• Non-compliance with
contract deliverables
• Government no longer
has a need for
products/services
• Low Annual Sales
Your Reasons:
• Change in corporate
structure
• Change in business
direction
• Low Annual sales
• Not profitable to your
company to maintain
STEP SEVEN
Getting the Support You Need
• Your Rights in the Face of a Disagreement
– First Step should be…
• Try to iron-out your differences with agency CO
– If that doesn’t work…
• Use Alternative Disputes Resolution (ADR), as provided in
FAR 33.214 (www.arnet.gov/far)
• Schedules E-Library (www.gsaelibrary.gsa.gov)
– Complete Federal Supply Schedule information
– Updated daily to ensure access to latest schedule and
contract information
– Great tool for researching competition or finding
Teaming Partners
STEP EIGHT
Reaping the Rewards!
• How Do I Get Paid?
• Establishing a Merchant Account to
Accept the Government Purchase Card
How Do I Get Paid?
• Payment on a MAS contract is similar to your
commercial invoicing practices
– Depends on actual task order BPA terms
• DoD – Payments are made by the Defense
Finance and Account System (DFAS)
– Must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration
(CCR) system www.ccr.gov
– Provides links for helpful information
– Registration is good for one year
– Must update this registration at lease once every 365 days
– DFAS will only pay you if your registration is current
– DFAS Homepage www.dfas.mil
How Do I Get Paid?
• Civilian Agencies
– Best Bet…Vendor Express
• An electronic funds transfer program to make direct deposits to
your bank
• Eliminates potential loss of paper checks
• Much faster ……!
– Department of Treasury web site http://www.treas.gov
• Re: your rights when offering prompt payment discounts
• Re: charging interest if a payment is late
• Lots of other helpful information
– Electronic funds Transfer (EFT) or Vendor Express
• www.fss.gsa.gov “Selling to the Government”, then “Vendor
Express”
Establishing a Merchant Account
to Accept the Government
Purchase Card
• What is a merchant account?
• Provides greater assurance that you’ll get paid
• Merchant account costs vary depending on:
– Type of business and product/service sold
– Credit worthiness of the applicant
– How business is transacted (number, type, and size of
transactions
• Fees include discount between 1.45% and 4%
• Enables you to process credit card transactions
• Shop Around! Bank charges vary.