Federal Acquisition Service

U.S. General Services Administration

EXPO Government Industry Meeting

April 22, 2008

EXPO Government Industry Meeting

April 22, 2008

One Country, One Mission, One Source

Federal Acquisition Service

U.S. General Services Administration

Advantage 11.0 Implemented April 14, 2008 – the EXPO release Improved Search –“Did you mean …” Environmental

EPEAT symbols indicate the environmental performance criteria met for certain computer desktops, laptops, and computer monitors. Implementation of EPEAT environmental designations as required by Executive Order 13423

EPACT to follow State & Locals

State and local customers can browse and order using a state or local government issued credit card. Orders placed will be passed to the GSA contractor who will ship and/or perform service, then bill your

card. State and local government entities that may use GSA Advantage include: States, counties,

municipalities, cities, towns, townships, tribal governments, public authorities, school districts, colleges and other institutions of higher education, council of governments, regional or interstate government entities, or any agency or instrumentality of the preceding entities, and including legislative and judicial departments.

Federal Acquisition Service

U.S. General Services Administration

Advantage 11.1 Schedule for Release July 2008 PO Portal

A single site that allows vendors to view or download POs from the web Formats include xml, Excel & text Vendor scan report line item status Eventually, no more fax

EPACT Section 104 of the Energy Policy Act requires federal buyers to purchase only Energy Star or FEMP (energy

efficient) items for product categories covered by these two programs. eTools changes will include:

– Map MAS SINs to Energy Star and FEMP product categories.

– Notified MAS contractors of new section 104 requirements urging contractors to update their catalogs to indicate those product that are FEMP compliant.

– Implemented software changes that restrict contractors from indicating catalog items as FEMP that are outside of approved product categories.

– Working with Energy Star to setup a web service to automatically identify Energy Star qualified products in eTools.

Federal Acquisition Service

U.S. General Services Administration

Future Relevant Releases eLibrary 9.0 - June 08

The FAS eLibrary – includes GWAS,MAC etc Additional descriptive data at the contract level

RBA 4.0 – August 08 System modernization from Domino to Java, JBoss, Oracle Minimal functional upgrades Integration within FAS

Advantage 11.2/eBuy 8.0 – October 08 Services/Product categorization Additional descriptive fields for services Improved search for services

SIPCOP Replace the current Schedules Input Program (SIP) with an outsourced catalog data management solution

including all processes and management of catalog data. Sources sought issued 11/07 Industry day help 12/07 eBuy notices issued 4/08 Planned implementation 10/08

Federal Acquisition Service

U.S. General Services Administration

E-TOOLS COMMITTEE WHITE PAPER INITITIVES

No.Typ

eIssue Recommendation Release

1 P The e-Tools tend to be cumbersome, lag industry standards, and lack continuity from one to the other. These tools need to be more intuitive to encourage use by Agency Customers, GSA personnel, and Industry Partners.

Improve overall user experience and ease of use by integrating the current stove-pipe systems (E-Buy, Advantage, E-Library, ITSS, etc.) into a single entry portal that logically guides the user to the information or correct web page (schedules – market research – search for products or services, retrieve vendor information, retrieve contract information: placing an order - ordering products, ordering services, etc.)

We agree. This is a FAS strategic initiative

2 P The direction, speed, and consistency by which e-Tools have and continue to change are sporadic, inefficient, and costly to all stakeholders.

Extend continuous improvement principles to include E-Tools by providing online customer feedback capability, and conducting periodic system improvement surveys to include end user customer agencies, GSA, and vendors. Also, the IT governance by FAS should include a formalized User Advisory Board. The Advisory Board membership should include ordering agencies, vendors, and GSA system users.

IT Governance.You will hear from Keith Machen.

Federal Acquisition Service

U.S. General Services Administration

E-TOOLS COMMITTEE WHITE PAPER INITITIVESNo.

Type

Issue Recommendation Release

4 E The SIP program used to upload vendor information to GSA advantage is inefficient and difficult to use. Many vendors must hire outside firms to manage the SIP process for them.

Overhaul the tool to improve user interface and increase efficiency of upload process. In the meantime, the acquisition centers need better communication with FAS CIO so they can better assist vendors. The centers need to be able to view the most current software so they can guide the vendor through the process.

SIPCOP

5 E The confusion of files (catalog and text). The information in the SIP Electronic Text File posts on GSA Advantage as the “Catalog File”. The information contained in the SIP Electronic File is the company name, address, telephone number, etc. This is confusing. A problem that seems rather innocuous takes hours of staff time to deal with.

A simple fix would be to rename the “SIP Electronic Catalog File” to the “SIP Electronic Administrative File”. In a more general sense, this problem points out that communication between the system owner and the system users (acquisition centers) is not taking place.

SIPCOP

6 E Acquisition centers cannot see where there’s a problem with a file submission (pending, rejected, online status). Centers monitor the CORS, but must then tell the vendor to contact the VSC to find out what the problem is.

The acquisition centers need more information to help the vendors correct the problems. It is very inefficient and unprofessional to tell a vendor their submission cannot be processed but unable to tell them why.

SIPCOP

7 P The SIP program does not allow more than one DUNS number to be uploaded.

Allow upload of both a contract DUNS and a separate DUNS for contract administration facility/POC location.

TBD

Federal Acquisition Service

U.S. General Services Administration

E-TOOLS COMMITTEE WHITE PAPER INITITIVES

No.Typ

eIssue Recommendation Release

8 P Vendor information database relies on the DUNS as the unique or key data field for record input, not allowing large corporations with the ability to identify contract specific office and POC information.

Change the key data field in the vendor information database from the DUNS to the contract number field.

TBD

9 P Standard COTS firewall application SW used by vendors prohibit/block SIP file uploads requiring GSA VSC to provide a complex workaround.

Modify SIP to allow uploads by vendors using standard COTS firewalls

SIPCOP

10 E The GSA CO sees a version of the Contractor’s SIP data that is not visible to the Contractor leading to problems and wasted time when discussing content. Personnel in the acquisition centers who work CORS are not told when changes/enhancements are made. They do not see the same thing the contractor sees making it very difficult to help the contractor.

Provide a common data window to COs and vendors

SIPCOP

11 E No instructions provided on the individual E-Library schedule page as to how to get a list of awarded contractors by schedule (need to click on SIN). The list returned contains those contractors awarded that specific SIN. See Enclosure 2 for examples.

Provide instructions and link to return a list of all awarded contractors for each schedule and corresponding SINs awarded.

eLibrary 9.0June 08

Federal Acquisition Service

U.S. General Services Administration

E-TOOLS COMMITTEE WHITE PAPER INITITIVESNo.

Type

Issue Recommendation Release

12 E Multi-SIN, Multi-Schedule Search Capability: GSA has Agency customers who ask for assistance finding a contractor who has the capability to perform multiple tasks that cross Schedules. Unless GSA points them to the Consolidated Schedule, it is very difficult to provide assistance. See Enclosure 2 for examples.

Develop the capability to conduct searches that have multiple criteria and present a single list to the user.

TBD

13 E Currently, GSA’s systems do not offer the capability for a user to select which Schedule to use by identifying the NAICS code as a parameter. Many of the contracting officers using Schedules begin their procurement with an Acquisition Plan that identifies the services or products being bought by a NAICS code.

Add the ability to search by NAICS code eLibrary 9.0June 08

14 P GSA employees in the acquisition centers and other offices that work with customer agencies are not able to view the RFQs that have been posted to E-Buy.

Allow “read-only” access to GSA. If there is a reason why they can’t have access to E-Buy postings, communicate that.

eBuy 8.0October 08

15 C Open market items cannot be added to an RFQ in E-Buy. The E-Buy instructions for not including OMIs are not consistent with FAR 8.402 (f) or with GSA guidance posted in the FAQs at www.gsa.gov/Schedules

Allow the contractor to annotate (via a check box) if any open market or incidental items are included as part of the response, which will then flag the procuring office to review the Open Market requirements of the FAR.

TBD

Federal Acquisition Service

U.S. General Services Administration

E-TOOLS COMMITTEE WHITE PAPER INITITIVES

No.Typ

eIssue Recommendation Release

16 P Government users often have a difficult time in how to make a mod to an existing eBuy RFQ, such as extending the date due or updating the record for changes to a SOW, often requiring assistance from GSA.

Modify the system to make a modification to an RFQ posting easier or provide pop-up windows that clearly explains in a “how to” help window to assist Government users

eBuy 8.0October 08

17 E E-Buy does not provide archiving capability to enable the retrieval of historical data on RFQs that have closed.

Provide archiving of closed RFQs TBD

18 P Recent changes to E-Buy have made RFQ attachments difficult to open, view, and save.

Improve how attachments are opened and saved by returning to the version prior to the changes to E-Buy.

eBuy 8.0October 08 or earlier as emergency fix

19 E Recent changes to E-Buy provide a consolidated email notification to vendors when selected by the ordering agency. The frequency and time when the consolidated notice is sent is not determined by the vendor which often causes a loss of time in responding.

Allow vendors to select frequency and the times of the day when consolidated email notices are sent.

TBD

20 P Vendors interested in responding to an RFQ posting do not receive notification of modifications/revisions to the posting if they were not originally selected by the ordering agency to receive notification of the RFQ posting.

Provide a means to allow vendors to register to receive notification of modifications to RFQs for which they were not originally notified.

TBD

Federal Acquisition Service

U.S. General Services Administration

E-TOOLS COMMITTEE WHITE PAPER INITITIVES

No.Typ

eIssue Recommendation Release

21 P RFQs posted under the Consolidated Services Schedule Contract are not visible or accessible to schedule holders with the corresponding Schedule and SIN, eliminating potential qualified vendors from the competition.

Provide qualified vendors awarded the corresponding schedule/SIN the visibility and opportunity to bid on RFQs posted under the Consolidated Services schedule.

TBD

22 E Locating an opportunity posting by the RFQ number when the schedule number is unknown requires logging on to each individual schedule.

Provide a search capability across all schedule contracts to locate an RFQ using only the RFQ number.

Advantage 11.2October 08

23 E Currently, it is very difficult to find vendors who provide specific services by using the GSA Advantage! search engine. The results are not consistent nor are they accurate. See Enclosure 2 for specific examples.

Improve advance search capabilities by allowing the search domain to be limited to services only.

Advantage 11.2October 08

24 P Quick Order Status – ability to search on partial order ID like the other search functions. Quick Order search requires an exact match; otherwise it takes you to the beginning of the vendor’s task order list.

All order search functions need to operate the same way, i.e., take you to the closest order with the data entered.

RBA 4.0August 08

25 P The ‘Guide Me’ window paragraph titles do not match very well with the actual titles on the Welcome page. This can get confusing for new people.

Make new users guides more efficient. Review the ‘Guide Me’ windows and titles to ensure all match and can be followed.

RBA 4.0August 08

Federal Acquisition Service

U.S. General Services Administration

E-TOOLS COMMITTEE WHITE PAPER INITITIVES

No.Typ

eIssue Recommendation Release

27 P Adding contract authorizations to an individual Primary registration should be confirmed by the Vendor Principal, not by the Registration Desk.

Allow the Vendor Principal to make contract additions for approved registered users and do not require it to be paper based.

TBD

28 E Capability to search for specific invoices Enhance the task order/invoice search capability. For example, provide the ability to type in date range of invoices instead of selecting a date from the calendar.

RBA 4.0August 08

29 E Changing corporate profile Limit the ability to modify the Corporate Profile to the Primary contact, or institute another class of user with the specific authority to modify the Corporate Profile.

TBD

30 E File size limitation is too small. Increase the file size limitation RBA 4.0August 08

31 E Criteria for designating users to receive automated notifications of actions are not clear.

Enhance user guides to include more detail about setting up notifications.

RBA 4.0August 08

33 P The FPDS system in its current condition does not allow for the types of teaming agreements or participating dealer agreements allowed under the Schedules.

Expand the flexibility of the FPDS system to accommodate various types of teaming agreements or dealer agreements which the Schedules program already allows.