# IAE QUARTERLY

**August 2006**

# WELCOME

Welcome to the redesigned IAE (Integrated Acquisition Environment)
newsletter "**IAE Quarterly"** --- your source for information about the
IAE E-Gov initiative. This edition includes updates on all systems,
current regulatory changes, an article on IAE's visit to the Senior
Procurement Executives of most of the major agencies, and the latest on
other developments in IAE.

As reporter Trudy Walsh wrote in the November 2005 issue of *Government
Leader*, "E-Government...that is transforming government from a
wart-covered frog trapped in a stovepipe into a handsome,
service-delivering prince, is no fairy tale." Since its inception, IAE
has been delivering improved services to the acquisition workforce,
helping them to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively. Through
the work of a dedicated team of acquisition professionals from across
the federal enterprise, IAE is achieving its goal of streamlining the
intricate processes that are needed to buy and track \$350 billion in
goods and services annually.

We invite comments and suggestions. E-mails, remarks and contributions
from readers are welcome. Contact us at integrated.acquisition@gsa.gov.

# ABCs OF IAE

CCR - Central Contractor Registration

EPLS - Excluded Parties List System

eSRS - Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System

FBO - Federal Business Opportunities (Fedbizopps)

FedReg - Federal Agency Registration

FedTeDS - Federal Technical Data Solutions

FPDS-NG - Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation

ORCA - Online Representations and Certifications Application

PPIRS - Past Performance Information Retrieval System

WDOL - Wage Determinations Online

# ACQUISITION CENTRAL

The website www.acquisition.gov- Acquisition Central - is a website
dedicated to providing the acquisition community with the tools and
information it needs to do its job efficiently. It contains resources
for government buyers as well as government vendors. If you are a
government buyer looking for a supplier, you can go to the CCR. If you
are a vendor looking to provide the government with needed goods or
services, you can go to FedBizOpps after registering in CCR. The drop
down menus under Acquisition Workforce and AcqNet give you instant
access to the FAR, the GSAM, Defense Acquisition University, links to
assist small businesses and more. The Acquisition Advisory Panel's
website is accessible from the Acquisition Workforce dropdown and you
can read more about the Panel on page 3.

# IAE Talks to Senior Procurement Executives

One of the best ways to assess a program is to talk to the end user
-which is exactly what the directors of IAE have done over the past six
months. Since the beginning of the year, Teresa Sorrenti and Earl
Warrington have met with the Senior Procurement Executives (SPEs) of 21
of the 24 Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act agencies. These agencies
are not only users but also fund IAE. Many sent representatives to the
initial planning meetings and subsequent work groups so that their
agencies' specific requirements would be included in the development of
IAE.

IAE was always intended to help facilitate acquisition government-wide
in every phase of the acquisition lifecycle. User involvement was a key
component when defining the strategy and new directions. Everyone's
voice was heard. As goals were refined and objectives set, every agency
had the opportunity to provide input. Now that all the systems are up
and running, the IAE directors wanted to ask the users "How is IAE doing
and is it helping you do your job better?" They wanted to hear it
directly from the collective expertise of the acquisition community
represented by the

SPEs.

The SPE meetings were held at each agency. In many cases, the agency
representatives involved in the initial IAE planning attended. Other
interested parties were diligently on the IAE planning teams, and Teresa
and Earl singled each one of them out to thank them or thank the SPE for
their work. Several of the systems have POCs who act as administrators
in each agency. This was an opportunity to touch base with them and also
to let the SPE know if a POC needed to be designated. There was lively
dialogue throughout the meetings, and Teresa and Earl found it
interesting to observe the high level of interest from everyone.

Before each of the agency meetings, the IAE system project managers were
asked if they had anything to report to the SPE specific to their
system. Then the SPEs were asked if they had any issue with any of the
IAE systems. By facilitating dialogue, important information was
exchanged that will be used to guide IAE's future direction.

Each agency has distinctive aspects to their acquisition functions. Some
examples are the level of contracting centralization, integrated
contract writing systems versus stand-alone systems, and varying dollar
amounts of acquisitions. Only by looking at each agency on an individual
basis is it possible to optimize IAE's service to them. All of the
agencies reported taking advantage of the current IAE functionality and
agreed that it is enhancing the way they work. Many are suggesting
changes that would be helpful to meet their specific needs, whether it
is for additional training, information, or system changes. The feedback
substantiates that IAE is enabling agencies to complete acquisition
functions more efficiently and quickly than before. Teresa and Earl
intend to continue this dialogue so they can help the acquisition
workforce utilize the IAE environment in specific ways to assist them
with localized business needs.

**SYSTEM UPDATES**

ACQUISITION REQUIREMENTS TEAM

• Received over 1,600 comments on "Internal Draft of the Acquisition
System Requirements"

CCR AND FEDREG

• Final rule published adding the process of the IRS validating a CCR
registrant's TIN to improve the quality of data in the CCR

EPLS

• Requirements for new EPLS completed as scheduled, including use of
DUNS numbers to share CCR data

• ISC on schedule with 4th

quarter release

**E**SRS

• eSRS continues to offer training to government and industry

-- Presentation to Department of Interior OSDBU Directors

-- On-line training for Congressional staffers

• FAR Council discussing change to FAR Clause 52.219-9 Small Business
Subcontracting Plan

• Training HHS OSDBUs and agency coordinators

• Loading 2004 legacy data from FPDC (1999-2003), GSA and NASA

**FBO**

• Awaiting protest resolution

• Richard Clark announced as new Program Manager

**FedTeDS**

• Mike Dalida named new Program Manager

• Grown to over 3,300 Government Users and over 28,200 Vendor Users

• Training at USDA and DISA

• FBI recently brought onboard

**FPDS-NG**

• Migration of DoD data progressing at a high success rate

-- Batch 1 migrated at 99%

-- Batch 2 migrated at 98%

-- Batch 3 migrated at 99%

-- Batch 4 migrating at 97% and when complete, may be even higher

• Air Force test data migration successful with a migration rate of 97%

• FY 2005 Small Business

Goaling Report completed and

received accolades from SBA Administrator, Hector Barreto

• Reports converted to new

software that adds:

-- Visibility of governmentwide reports logically grouped by general
categories

-- Drill down capability to the contracting office or transaction

**ORCA**

• Implemented web services that allow contract writing system authorized
users to obtain real-time data using XML to query a DUNS number,
bringing the data to their desktop

• Finalized requirements for DFARS provisions to be implemented Dec 2006

**Performance Data**

• Final revisions made to best practices guide for "Contractor
Performance in the Acquisition Process"

• FAR case to be published on acquisition.gov with proposed rules and
draft guide. Public comments will be solicited

**WDOL**

• FAR interim rule published in the Federal Acquisition Circular, June
28, 2006. Contracting agencies are already using the program under the
Department of Labor's 8/05 memorandum authorizing use

• Planned XML interface for contract writing systems targeted 4th
quarter

**FAR CHANGES**

FedTeDS (FEDERAL TECHNICAL DATA SOLUTIONS)

Effective May 19, 2006, FAR Part 5 was changed to support the use of
FedTeDS. The final rule amends the FAR and requires contracting officers
to use FedTeDS to securely distribute sensitive acquisition related
information. This eliminates the need to create and distribute CDs or
paper documents. As a rule of thumb, sensitive data is any piece of
information that should not be available to *anyone* in the world to
access and maintain on file such as construction drawings of federal
buildings; drawings of bridges and dams; command and control system
specifications; Continuity of Operations Plans; schedules, work hours,
or security clearance requirements. To comply with this new ruling,
follow these steps:

1\) define what you consider to be sensitive information

2\) evaluate whether any business opportunities require vendors to
access such sensitive information and, if so

3\) register to obtain a FedTeDS Username and Password.

These actions will give you a head start on incorporating FedTeDS into
the acquisition process and protecting sensitive data. For information
go to www.fedteds.com.

WDOL (WAGE DETERMINATIONS

ONLINE)

Effective June 28, 2006, an interim rule was published that amends FAR
Part 22 (FAR case 2005-033). This rule implements www.WDOL.gov as the
source for contracting officers to obtain wage determinations issued by
DOL for service contracts that are subject to the McNamara-O'Hara
Service Contract Act (SCA) and for construction contracts subject to the
Davis-Bacon Act (DBA). In August 2005, DOL issued a final rule that
permitted contracting officers to use WDOL.gov in place of paper form
SF-98. The new FAR interim rule is requesting comments on whether the
FAR policy that implements this ruling is clear. The public can submit
comments on or before August 28.

As with other IAE systems, the government is taking advantage of current
electronic communication and information sharing technologies to
streamline the federal procurement process. Rather than waiting for a
response from a paper request, contracting officers, as well as the
public, can go directly to WDOL.gov and access the appropriate wage
determination for a contract action. WDOL also provides guidance on how
to select the correct wage determination. For information go to
www.wdol.gov.

CCR (CENTRAL CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION)

Since October 2005, the IRS has been validating the TIN (Taxpayer
Identification Number and Taxpayer Name) for each new and updating CCR
registrant. Effective June 28, 2006 FAR parts 2, 4, and 52 were changed
to include the validation process as part of the contractor's
registration. Once the contractor enters their TIN, the IRS ensures that
it agrees with the one that is in their database. Every contractor is
required to register in the CCR if they want to get a contract with the
federal government.

Some of the data is used by other electronic acquisition systems
included in IAE. IAE's goal is to improve the quality of data and avoid
duplication. Adding this additional validation has been made possible
due to a joint effort between the GSA, DoD, and the IRS.

For information go to www.ccr.gov.

**NEW PROJECT MANAGER BRINGS**

**HIS EXPERTISE TO FEDBIZOPPS**

Rick Clark was recently named the new Project Manager of FedBizOpps. He
was formerly the Program Manager of FedTeDS. In addition to moving from
DoD to GSA, Rick has moved to the IAE PMO office in Crystal City,
Virginia.

Since 1981, Rick has been dedicated to government work as a Contracting
Officer with the Air Force on F-111, A-10, and KC-10 Aircraft, Program
Manager of Department of Defense Business Opportunities (DoDBusOpps),
Department of Defense Technical Data Solutions (DoDTeDS), Federal
Technical Data Solutions (FedTeDS) and Past

Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS). He pioneered the
procurement systems DoDBusOpps and DoDTeDS, and was instrumental in the
transformation of these programs into the governmentwide FedBizOpps and
FedTeDS. He was also influential in pushing the adoption of wireless
technology within DoD. In the DoD E-Business Program Office, Rick worked
with homeland defense issues to bring products used for defense of
weapon systems to other federal agencies to protect assets at home and
abroad. While with FedTeDS, Rick delivered E-Gov systems to the NewYork
Transit Authority demonstrating how adoption at the state and local
level can help support our national defense efforts. The procurement
process has become Rick's specialty, and IAE welcomes him as its newest
project manager.

**BEST PRACTICES GUIDE FOR "CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE**

**IN THE ACQUISITION PROCESS"**

Applying the latest technology and streamlining processes is typically
the goal of web applications. Under the auspices of IAE, a
representative group from the acquisition community has been studying
how to apply this concept to collecting contractor performance
information. By increasing the types of reports, expanding the number
and content of reviews, and providing a broader range of tools to
accomplish this, the ability to access, review, collect and share
performance information on contracts across many agencies can be
improved. When performance information is collected, it provides
oversight and enhances confidence to support source selection decisions.
The federal government is committed to achieving this in the most
effective way possible.

Watch acquisition.gov for the FAR case with proposed rules and new draft
guide. Public comments will be solicited.

**ACQUISITION ADVISORY PANEL RECOMMENDS IMPROVEMENTS TO ACQUISITION
POLICY**

As the end of summer approaches, the Acquisition Advisory Panel nears
the finish line for recommendations to improve acquisition laws,
regulations, and policies in a number of key areas. Some of the topics
the Panel is examining include the use of commercial practices in
federal contracting, performance-based contracting, performance of
acquisition functions across agency lines of responsibility,
governmentwide contracts, small business access to government contracts,
acquisition workforces, and the appropriate role of contractors
supporting the government. The Panel, which has been meeting publicly
since February 2005, has heard testimony from over 100 witnesses on
acquisition related matters. The Panel's statutory charter is to review
and recommend any necessary changes to acquisition laws and regulations
as well as governmentwide acquisition policies with a view toward
ensuring effective and appropriate use of commercial practices and
performance-based contracting. While work remains, the Panel has already
adopted recommendations in four areas under their charter with a view
toward:

-- improving small business access to government contracts

-- increasing accountability and transparency in interagency contracting

-- providing improved guidance to agencies on the use of
performance-based acquisition

-- improving the management of the government's acquisition workforce

See the Panel's web site (acquisition.gov/comp/aap/index.html) for
complete details of their recommendations and draft reports.

The Panel continued to meet publicly through July to address the other
procurement issues under their statutory charter including commercial
buying practices and the appropriate role of contractors in the federal
workplace.

The Panel was authorized by Section 1423 of the Services Acquisition
Reform Act of 2003, Section 843 of Title VIII of the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (Pub. L. No. 109-163). On
February 1, 2005, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) formally
announced the Panel's members, all recognized experts in government
acquisition law and policy who represent a wide variety of backgrounds
from both the public and private sectors.

**CONTRACTOR**

**PERFORMANCE**

**AT YOUR FINGERTIPS**

PPIRS (Past Performance Information Retrieval System) is a web-based
system that consolidates reports on how well government contractors do
their work. It consolidates contractor report cards collected from
across the federal government into a single searchable database. These
report cards offer federal source selection officials the performance
information they need to help them make sound best-value procurement
decisions. OMB has advocated the use of PPIRS since a July 2002 memo
announced the roll-out of the system and encouraged the acquisition
community to use it to access timely and pertinent contractor
performance information.

PPIRS has grown to contain 75,000 detailed report cards which provide
contractor performance ratings and supporting narratives for many
business sectors including major systems, information technology,
services, hardware, architect-engineer, and construction. Government
source selection personnel can search records by contract, contractor,
agency, dates of performance, dollar value, and other criteria. In
addition, contractors can see the information about themselves to ensure
that the government has accurate, up-to-date performance information for
them.

A statistical reporting module of PPIRS (PPIRS-SR) aimed at simplifying
past performance evaluation in low-dollar value procurements is
currently deployed on a pilot basis at several Department of Defense
(DoD) sites and has recently completed testing for a planned DoD-wide
deployment.

PPIRS is administered by the Naval Sea Logistics Center, Detachment
Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

For information go to www.ppirs.gov.

**BUSINESS SIZE DESIGNATIONS DIFFER**

**This a shortened version of an article from the next issue of Federal
Acquisition Institute's *Federal Acquisition Insight* on variance of
business size designations. Read full text at www.fai.gov.**

First, what is a Small Business Size Standard? SBA establishes numerical
definitions for all for-profit industries in the North American Industry
Classification System (NAICS), and this numerical definition is called a
"size standard." It is usually stated as the average number of employees
or average annual receipts of a business concern. Both figures are
evaluated for the ENTIRE enterprise, including all locations and
subsidiaries worldwide. For the electric utility industry the size
standard is measured in megawatt hours and for the banking industry, it
is measured in total assets.

Several of the IAE systems include business size: CCR, ORCA, and
FPDS-NG. This results in the business size for a particular vendor
differing, depending on the system being accessed*.*

**CCR** and ORCA share size data. Initially, the total revenues and
number of employees for the entire firm are entered in CCR by the
vendor. SBA's Size Logic then matches this information with the size
standards for all NAICS Codes listed in the vendor's profile. CCR then
indicates the vendor's small business size status for each NAICS code
listed. The vendor must keep this information up to date and is used for
informational and marketing purposes. (Note: At this time CCR does not
maintain archive files but it will add this functionality in the first
quarter of 2007). Because CCR only shows the most current information,
it is not for Certifications and Representations. This is ORCA's
function.

**ORCA**, or the Online Representations and Certifications Application,
is the electronic Section K of a solicitation. CCR populates much data
in ORCA, including Small Business Size information by NAICS. In order to
activate in ORCA any changes made to CCR into ORCA, a vendor must go
into ORCA and recertify by agreeing to the ORCA update. Because ORCA is
part of Section K of the solicitation, ORCA maintains archives. Current
and archived business size is available. For a contract, size is
determined at the time a firm submits its proposal with price or at bid
opening. It is not determined the date the contract is signed or the
date the contract information is entered into

FPDS-NG.

**FPDS-NG** is the data system that records each contractual action.
Some of the successful contractor's basic data is transferred from CCR
into FPDS-NG. However, CCR does not electronically share size data with
FPDS-NG. Contracting Officers manually enter the size information as of
the date the firm certified it size status (ORCA archive information)
for the particular solicitation. Once basic contract and contractor's
data is in FPDS-NG, it does not change. It is point-in-time information,
as it is tied to an existing contract.