GSA/FSS Services Acquisition and Management Services Centers

Industry Government Council

November 8, 2005 Meeting Notes

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**General Supply & Services, Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) Update**

**Dr. Joe Jeu, Assistant Commissioner, FAS**

General Supply and Services (GS&S) will be one of three business line
portfolios under the new FAS organization. Distinctions will be made
between National Program Office and Zonal/Regional responsibilities.
Assisted services and special order program will remain a Regional
responsibility. Regions will report to the National office, efforts will
be made to minimize duplication.

An implementation plan will be developed in the next 3-4 months, with
full roll out targeted for September 2006. The transition should be
transparent to the customer and the focus should remain on the customer
during this period.

Each business line portfolio will have an acquisition operations
component.

Double digit growth is not expected due to customer/ agency originated
initiatives like Navy's Seaport II, and strategic sourcing of
commodities.

Policy development will not be part of GS&S or other FAS components,
that function will reside in the Chief Acquisition Officer's
organization.

The combining of the IT Fund and General Supply fund is still on track
according to the GSA CFO.

**Industry Update**

**Skip Derick, IGC Industry Chair, Anteon**

Industry observes little movement in policy updates or guidance
regarding allowing G&A on ODCs for schedule contract purchases. Current
policy is not very helpful. A rewrite of the FAR may be required.

GWACS allow ODCs, maybe schedule contracts could be modified to
accommodate ODCs similarly.

Withholding G&A or not allowing, is currently a greater problem with GSA
assisted services procurements than agency/customer direct order direct
bill procurements. FTS is currently not allowing G&A on travel even when
G&A was originally negotiated on the task orders.

Assisted services function within FAS will reside in the Integrated
Technology Services portfolio.

There is a FAR case out on T&M task orders, non commercial, CASE
2004-015 (4 pages), commercial, CASE 2003-027 (43) pages.

Note: see slides on IGC website: www.gsa.gov/igc

**Agency Update**

**Katherine Valltos, Gov Works (DoI), and Mark Hoyland, Marine Corps
Systems Command**

Ms. Valltos perspective on her activity's use of GSA schedule contracts:

Would like better (quicker) access to GSA contracting officers, calls
not always

returned.

Would like easier access to clauses.

Schedule contract vendors do not always understand their contract,
clauses, or scope.

Schedule contract Vendors consistently submit non schedule contract
items.

Advantage and E-Buy are very useful "E" tools.

GovWorks is reorganizing within the Interior Department but will retain
the Gov

Works 'brand".

GovWorks processed nearly \$4 billion in business volume in FY2005 but
had to

decline nearly \$400 million due to resource issues.

Gov Works is anticipating a contraction in DoD business volume.

Mark Hoyland briefed the Council on the Marine Corps Systems Command's
Commercial Enterprise Omnibus Support Services (CEOss) business model.
Topics briefed were their new Council for Governance, CEOss performance,
business operations, contracting policies and practices, economic
situations, and political and statutory matters.

*Note: see slides on IGC website: www.gsa.gov/igc*

Mr. Hoyland offered his perspective on areas impacting continuing DoD
participation and use of schedules:

There are a lot of competing initiatives such as strategic sourcing as
well as skepticism

and any one "flash point" could end DoD participation. The IGC should be
proactive

in promoting the positive examples of schedules utilization. He offered
his assistance.

Industry is concerned about GSA relations, any increase in GSA policy
guidance and

dissemination, even if it's not 100% of what industry needs, will be
reassuring.

Navy has not mandated SEAPORT II. SEAPORT II has its advantages and

disadvantages. Its basically Navy's version of GSA Schedules.

Suggests the need for GSA to reach out to the rank and file.
Relationship building with

leadership is good, but greater and lasting impact will be made at the
rank and file

level.

GSA is still under a lot of scrutiny within DoD, but should be able to
defend itself;

however, there are a lot of differing opinions about GSA. Dee Lee's
joining GSA may

be beneficial.

Mark Hoyland's activity is getting a push to do more work in the "black
world".

**E-Tools Update**

**Rick Figard, GSA**

Development of GSA Preferred is ongoing. Phase one should be completed
in mid November. ITSS is still operational.

There have been updates to E-Buy, the latest version incorporates mostly
behind the scene changes.

GSA Advantage will be rolling out version 9, changes will affect
agencies more than industry.

GSA has updated its website again, however, this time there are no major
changes.

The SBA is deploying a new online subcontractor reporting system called
Electronic Subcontractor Reporting System (ESRS). The Office of Federal
Procurement Policy (OFPP) will disseminate policy regards ESRS. See
website: [www.esrs.gov/](http://www.ersr.gov/)

Plans are unfolding for centralized repository of statistical data and
trends different from sales; industry will have access to their
company's data only.

Feedback was solicited from IGC members who recently participated in
GSA's Vendor Advisory Board's first meeting. IGC feedback will be
forwarded to the Board. .

**GSA Update**

**Jeff Koses, Acting Assistant Commissioner, Acquisition Management**

Mr. Koses briefed the IGC on the function and structure of the new
Office of Acquisition Management (QV) within FAS. The contract
management role will be broadened into a contractor supplier role.

The office will consist of four functional areas:

**Workforce**- a small office focusing on training and development for
the acquisition

professional (broader than just the 1102 job series).

**Supplier Management**-from both a pre-award and post award sense, more
focus on

managing, measuring and allocating resources to manage existing
contracts versus new

awards.

**Integrity & Review**-organize and deploy a standardized review
process. Overriding

message will be acquisition excellence.

**Program Management**-schedule contracts will be treated more as a
program with a

common set of standards and expectations and operational consistency
across all

locations. Will have responsibility to ensure consistency in MASs and
GWACS across

the organization. Program Management will utilize a Contract Review
Board to avoid

creating duplicative contracts. Any duplication will have to be
deliberate and the

reasons for understood.

Acquisition systems, e.g., e-Buy, Advantage, e-offer and e-mods will now
be under the CIO office (QI).

Acquisition policy is the reserve of the Office of the Chief Acquisition
Officer and the Chief Acquisition Officer, Emily Murphy. Pure policy is
not an FAS function, so FAS will no longer establish this type of
guidance. Policy will be handed to FAS to deploy.

There are many issues that concern all schedules not just a specific
schedule; this ties in well with the CAO Office. Acquisition Management
should develop a service level agreement with the CAO's office.

Jeff Koses suggests the IGC should identify, flesh out and prioritize
what the CAO's office should focus on. The ideas should not come solely
from the Acquisition Management Office.

Jeff Koses also suggests the IGC could play a role in getting Industry
to utilize the new Gateway for more up to date information.

Contracts Online-November 30^th^ is still the target for phase 2 release
to put vendor price lists online.

Eighty four percent (84%) of schedule vendors currently have Terms &
Conditions (T&Cs) online with "I accept Latest T&Cs" Identifier.
Currently do not have capability to address unique sets of exceptions.
There are only a few, mostly in the IT Center.

Suggest inviting CAOs office to next IGC meeting to discuss policy and
rule making.

**Strategic Sourcing**

**Pamela Mines, GSA**

OMB requires agencies to submit three commodities by November 1^st^ and
report progress by January 1, 2006.

Primary responsibility for implementation will be Agency CAOs with
support of their CIO, CFO and small business utilization offices.

GSA's value proposition for strategic sourcing is to provide spend
analysis, procurement assistance, E-Tools, training and education.

GSA exploring how it can receive data from its contractors. A possible
solution would be an E-Tool to submit data, one that could capture data
across all commodities/services.

GSA will meet shortly with senior government procurement community on
strategic sourcing. Currently do not know small business concerns, but
want to ensure opportunities for small businesses.

IGC comment- it may be hard for small businesses to provide data to
surveys that GSA wants. Reporting social economic goals is probably
doable.

**Future Schedules Business Model**

**Gerri Watson, Director, Management Services Center, GSA**

GSA has established internal "IPT", used a contractor to ask questions
to GSA, customers, and industry.

Project is no longer referred to as one GSA Schedule, but there is a
realization that there should be less than 43 different GSA schedules.

**CY 2006 IGC Initiatives-Jeff Manthos, GSA**

Discussion postponed until next meeting.

**Open Session-IGC**

New contractor orientation beta test was very effective. Many positive
comments regarding the process.

IGC still needs to recruit new agency representation into its
membership.

**Adjourn.**