Your Stairway to Success

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Your Stairway to Success

• How to be a Successful Contractor

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Welcome!

• Congratulations!
• You are GSAs Face to Customer
• Multiple Award Schedules
• Over 11,000 contracts
• Competition is fierce
• Success is our mutual goal
• Step-by-step Guide

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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!

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STEP ONE
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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_at_gsa.gov)
• U-MAS Virtual Campus
• (http//apps.fss.gsa.gov/umas)

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Your Passport to Government Agencies

• GSAs 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

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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

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Identifying Your Terms and Conditions
YOUR FACE TO THE CUSTOMER
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STEP TWO
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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

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Distributing Your Price List

• Print and Widely Distribute
• GSA Provided Mailing List of Customers
• Send Out Contract Price Listor
• Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelope
• Make surePrice List conveys
• You are Interested in their Business
• Convenient Ways to Contact You.
• Familiarize Yourself with Peak Buying Times

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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!

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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)

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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

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GSA Logo Identifiers

• FSS Identifier
• GSA Smart Pay
• GSA Advantage!
• Reference GSAR 552.203-70, Restrictions on
  Advertising

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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.c
  fm)

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STEP THREE
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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)

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STEP FOUR
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Stepping Out From the Crowd

• Ordering Procedures
• Eligible Users of GSA Sources of Supplies and
  Services
• Helpful Hints when selling to Federal
  agencies

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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

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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 Branchencouraged 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

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STEP FIVE
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Reporting Requirements

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

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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

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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

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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 [phone] or
  [phone]

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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

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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

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If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck and
looks like a duck
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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

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STEP SIX
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Caring for Your Contract

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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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)

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Cancellations
Both you and the Government have the right to
cancel your contract with 30 days notice and
walk away free and clear.

• 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

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STEP SEVEN
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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 doesnt 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

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STEP EIGHT
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Reaping the Rewards!

• How Do I Get Paid?
• Establishing a Merchant Account to Accept the
  Government Purchase Card

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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

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How Do I Get Paid?

• Civilian Agencies
• Best BetVendor 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

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Establishing a Merchant Account to Accept the
Government Purchase Card

• What is a merchant account?
• Provides greater assurance that youll 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.

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Enjoy Your Success!