Your Stairway to Success

1. Your Stairway to Success How to be a Successful Contractor

2. Welcome! • Congratulations! • You are GSA’s “Face” to Customer • Multiple Award Schedules • Over 11,000 contracts • Competition is fierce • Success is our mutual goal • Step-by-step Guide

3. 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!

4. STEP ONE

5. Understanding Contract Requirements • Important Contacts for Success… • 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)

6. 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

7. 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

8. Identifying Your Terms and Conditions YOUR FACE TO THE CUSTOMER

9. STEP TWO

10. Marketing Your Business • 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

11. 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

12. 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!

13. 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.

14. Benefits of GSA Advantage! • Government Uses GSA Advantage! to: • Search for Items/Services/Suppliers • Perform Market Research • Compare Features, Prices, and Delivery • Place Orders • Contractors Use GSA Advantage! to: • Research competition • Review Marketplace • Research valuable on-line information • Sell to the Federal marketplace

15. 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

16. 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

17. How to Find These Customers • Primary Tool – Market Research • 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 (Pro-Net)

18. 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

19. GSA “Logo” Identifiers • FSS Identifier • GSA Smart Pay • GSA Advantage! • Reference: GSAR 552.203-70, Restrictions on Advertising

20. Government Advertising Opportunities • 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)

21. STEP THREE

22. Teaming to Proposea 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)

23. STEP FOUR

24. Stepping Out From the Crowd • Ordering Procedures • Eligible Users of GSA Sources of Supplies and Services • Helpful Hints when selling to Federal agencies

25. 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”

26. 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”

27. STEP FIVE

28. Reporting Requirements • Required Reports • Reporting GSA Schedule Sales • Paying the Industrial Funding Fee • Technological Advances to Make Remitting Fees Easier • Reporting Subcontracting Progress

29. 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) PCO/ACO & SBA 4/30 & 10/30 Subcontracting (SF-295) PCO/ACO & SBA 10/30 VETS 100 Veterans Admin. Annually NLT 9/30

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

31. 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

32. 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

33. The BIG Question???Is it a Schedule Sale? When any one or more of the following common indicators is evident: • 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

34. If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck and looks like a duck…

35. Reporting Subcontracting Progress • Large business needs to report progress on their subcontracting goals: • Subcontracting Reports: • 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

36. STEP SIX

37. Caring for Your Contract • Important Definitions • Name Change/Novation • Address Change • Adding New Items and Price Adjustments • When GSA Requests Changes • Canceling Your Contract

38. 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

39. 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

40. 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

41. 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.

42. 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 Price Adjustments and Adding New Items

43. Changes • GSA periodically refreshes contracts • 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”)

44. Your Reasons: Change in corporate structure Change in business direction Low Annual sales Not profitable to your company to maintain 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 Cancellations Both you and the Government have the right to cancel your contract with 30 days notice and walk away free and clear.

45. STEP SEVEN

46. 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

47. STEP EIGHT

48. Reaping the Rewards! • How Do I Get Paid? • Establishing a Merchant Account to Accept the Government Purchase Card

49. 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

50. 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”