RETA/eRETA Work Request Enhancements

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Submitting New 

Work Requests in 

RETA/eRETA

In this Quick Reference Guide, we will preview how GSA customer agencies can enter and submit new 

RWA Work Requests to GSA via RETA/eRETA. 

Revision 11/22/2019 – Updated screenshots, WR statuses, Sections 10, 12 due to system enhancements 

and eRETA requirement effective 10/01/2019

Revision: 08/10/2017 – Re-wrote Section 5 (pg 10) to outline improved workflow due to RETA 8.0

Summary of eRETA Work Request (WR) Enhancements

This User Guide introduces external customer agency eRETA users to new data entry rights that allow for 

customer agency users to submit new RWA work requests to GSA electronically. This user guide will 

provide instructions and screenshots to show external users how they can submit new work requests in 

eRETA. Definitions for various fields are also available in eRETA directly by clicking on the linked field title. 

Searchable fields can be drilled down through the magnifying glass symbol within eRETA.

External customers can access additional information at www.gsa.gov/ereta, and continue to email 

questions to eRETA@gsa.gov . Internal GSA customers should continue to access RETA information via 

the PBS Portal and email issues to RETAAdmin@gsa.gov. 

This Quick Reference Guide (QRG) contains the following topics:

1) Creating New Work Requests in eRETA ......................................................................................... 2

2) Customer Information Tab: Required and Optional Fields.......................................................... 3-6

3) Saving the Work Request and Generating a Tracking Number................................................... 7

4) Saving and Submitting the Work Request to GSA......................................................................... 8-9

5) Entering Remaining RWA Information and GSA Assigning WRs to a GSA PM/POC ................ 10

6) Locating Previously Entered Work Requests and/or RWAs......................................................... 11-12

7) Editing a Work Request and Entering the Full RWA (Page 1 of RWA 2957 Form).................... 13-14

8) Billing Information Tab: Required and Optional Fields................................................................. 15-19

9) Accounting Details Tab: Required and Optional Fields................................................................. 20-26

10) Customer Approval Tab (Including Digital Signatures)............................................................... 27-29

11) Other Helpful eRETA Tools and Tips.............................................................................................. 30

12) eRETA Data Entry Requirement effective October 1, 2019 ...................................................... 31

Need Access to eRETA?

Visit our website at www.gsa.gov/ereta and follow the three step application process outlined there. If 

you have access, you can launch eRETA in the PBS external portal.
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Submitting New 

Work Requests in 

RETA/eRETA

1) Creating New Work Requests in eRETA

Once logged into eRETA, you will be taken to the Welcome Screen. To initiate a new work request, move 

your cursor over the ‘Data Entry’ dropdown and click ‘Create Work Request’.

Sample eRETA Welcome Screen
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Submitting New 

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RETA/eRETA

2) Customer Information Tab

This takes the user to the ‘Customer Information’ tab of a new Work Request. The ‘Customer 

Information’ tab requires basic information about the requested RWA service or project, which 

correspond to fields on page 1 of the RWA 2957 Form.

Customer Information Tab
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2a) Customer Information Tab: Required Fields (those with a red asterisk (*))

HINT: Clicking on hyperlink labels on any eRETA search screen or data entry screen will launch the eRETA 

glossary, providing a definition and expanded information of the label selected.

a) Agency Bureau: Select the appropriate Agency Bureau Code and Name from the dropdown menu. The 

Agency Bureau Code (AB Code) is the combination of the three-digit Agency Code and the two-digit 

Bureau Code. NOTE: The available agency bureau code(s) listed in the dropdown menu represent AB 

codes which your eRETA user ID has access to. If you require access to an AB code not included in that 

dropdown, you must send an email to eRETA@gsa.gov requesting the new AB Code(s) to be added to

your eRETA user ID. A list of valid AB Codes, as recognized by eRETA, can be downloaded from 

www.gsa.gov/ereta under “Step 1” of the new eRETA user application process.

b1) Building Number (if known, otherwise see b2): Enter the eight-character code that uniquely identifies 

the GSA building or facility the RWA service or project is requested to be performed. The GSA Building 

Number is sometimes also referred to as the Primary Work Site. If the eight-character Building Number 

code is not known, you may also search for the building number by opening the Building Number search 

window (the magnifying glass icon next to the building number field ) and searching other search 

criteria such as building name, address, city, state, or zip. Once a valid GSA Building Number is entered or 

located, all remaining address related fields will automatically populate.

b2) Primary Building City, State, Address, Zip, and Name: If the GSA Building Number is not known or can 

not be located, enter the following information so GSA can assign the appropriate building number: 

i) Primary Building State (required): select the US State or Territory where the RWA service or 

project is requested to be performed.

ii) City (required): After selecting the appropriate state/territory, this field will autopopulate with a 

dropdown list of towns/cities in the chosen state/territory. Select the appropriate town/city where 

the RWA is to be performed. If the town/city is not included in the dropdown list, select ‘Other’ 

located at the bottom of the list.

iii) Address (optional): Enter an address or approximate location description where the RWA is to 

be performed.
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iv) Building Name (optional): Enter the Building Name where the RWA is to be performed.

v) Zip Code (optional): Enter the zip code where the RWA is to be performed.

c) Estimated Amount: Select the appropriate dollar range from the dropdown menu that corresponds to 

the estimated cost of the RWA project or service you are requesting. NOTE: This is used only to gauge the 

approximate size of the project or service being requested. 

d) Agency POC (point of contact): This will be the primary Customer individual that GSA will coordinate 

project specifics with. After selecting the appropriate Agency Bureau in step 1, suggested email addresses 

will auto-populate in the Agency POC dropdown menu. If the agency POC is not listed, select ‘Add New’ 

and click the magnifying glass icon next to the POC field. A new window will display. Enter the POC’s 

email address and click ‘Add’. If RETA/eRETA recognizes the email address, it will auto-populate the 

remaining contact information fields on its own. If no matching POC email is found, RETA/eRETA will 

require you to manually enter the missing information about the POC. Once done click on ‘Update’, at 

which point you will be redirected back to the ‘Customer Information’ tab.

e) Description of Requirements: Enter the narrative detail that clearly identifies the purpose and 

objectives of the request. This must identify the project outputs in a succinct manner that can be easily 

understood by someone unfamiliar with the request. At a minimum, a succinct scope of work shall depict 

the following: the purpose or objective of the project; required delivery time frame; any proposed space 

change (by square footage); and any other details clearly indicating this is an agency bona fide need. 

Since this field is limited to 500 characters, a more detailed scope of work and/or other supporting 

documents can be uploaded* and attached to the work request.

* In order to attach documents to a Work Request, the following steps should be taken:

1) Click the “Save” button to save the Work Request which will generate the unique tracking number.

2) Click the “Submit Request” button when ready to send the WR to GSA (you will upload documents right 

after this, they will be available to GSA in RETA/eRETA immediately after you upload them)

3) A yellow “Documentation” link will now appear in the lower left corner. Click on that link.

4) On the Documentation Detail page, you will have a button to “Upload New” documents

5) Follow the on-screen prompts to upload documents one at a time (similar to attaching documents to 

email)
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2b) Customer Information Tab: Optional Fields 

a) Related RWA Number: If this work request is related to a larger project represented by other existing 

RWAs or by other recently submitted RWA Work Requests, check this box and enter the Work Request 

and/or RWA numbers separated by a comma (e.g. N1234567,W7654321, etc)

b) GSA PM/POC (Project Manager or Point of Contact): If you have not discussed this request with GSA 

yet or have not been working with a GSA representative on this project already, leave this field blank. 

Otherwise, if you have already been working with a GSA associate (Project Manager, Building Manager, 

Asset Manager, Budget Analyst, etc.) who is knowledgeable about the requested project/service, select 

their name from this pull-down*. If the GSA PM/POC is not listed in the drop-down menu, select ‘Add 

New’ and click the magnifying glass icon next to the PM/POC field. A new window will display. Enter the 

GSA PM/POCs email address and click ‘Add’. If RETA/eRETA recognizes the email address, it will autopopulate the remaining contact information fields on its own. Click ‘Update’, which will then redirect you 

back to the ‘Customer Information’ tab. *Entry of a GSA POC in this field does not guarantee that this 

person will be the POC for the project. GSA will assign the appropriate individual to work on your request 

after the work request is submitted.

c) Additional Comments: Use this space to enter any additional information to GSA regarding the project 

or service.

d) Estimate Tracking No (ETN): If GSA has already provided a Summary Cost Estimate (SCE) or Overtime 

Utilities Estimate (OUE) to you, enter the appropriate Estimate Tracking Number. You may also search for 

the ETN by clicking Estimate Search magnifying glass icon to the right. If you do not have a GSA provided 

ETN or are unsure of what it is, leave this field blank. GSA will link the estimate to this Work Request 

before it becomes an accepted RWA.
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Submitting New 

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RETA/eRETA

3) Saving the Work Request and Generating a Tracking Number

Once all required fields are populated, click the ‘Save’ button located at the bottom of the screen. Saving 

the work request assigns a unique Work Request (WR) tracking number (W-type). The seven digit number 

will also serve as the future RWA number if the work request becomes an accepted RWA, the only 

difference is the RWA Type (the single letter) will change from a ‘W’ to the appropriate RWA Type (e.g. Ftype, N-type, R-type, etc).

NOTE: For WRs that become A- or B-type RWAs, a new seven digit number (starting with ‘5’) will be 

generated since another GSA system that tracks split-funded projects will generate a unique number used 

by that system and RETA. However, users can still locate such RWAs in RETA/eRETA by querying the 

original W-type number or the new A-/B-type number. The two numbers will be linked.

HINT: Please remember to Save this screen. Security measures require eRETA to automatically log you out 

after 10 minutes of inactivity. Any data entered but not saved will be lost. 

The Work Request has not been sent to GSA yet! Please see the next section.
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Submitting New 

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RETA/eRETA

4) Saving and Submitting the Work Request to GSA

After the ‘Save’ button is selected and the unique WR tracking number is generated, the buttons at the 

bottom of the screen will refresh. If you do not wish to route the Work Request to GSA yet, you can exit 

this screen by clicking the ‘Read Only View” link in the upper right corner and then navigating elsewhere 

in RETA. Otherwise, to submit the Work Request to GSA, click the ‘Submit Request’ button to begin the 

process of sending the work request to GSA.

Work Request Number generated and Submit Request button
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Submitting New 

Work Requests in 

RETA/eRETA

4a) Acknowledging the Recording Act (31 USC 1501) before Sending the WR to GSA

The ‘Submit Request’ button will then present the user with an ‘Acknowledgement’ message to confirm 

they understand that submitting this work request does not guarantee GSA acceptance of the RWA and 

therefore funds should not yet be obligated at this time. Once the ‘Acknowledgement’ message is 

accepted, the WR will be sent to GSA and the WR Status will change from ‘Pre-planning’ to ‘Unassigned’.

Acknowledgement message
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Submitting New 

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RETA/eRETA

5) Entering Remaining RWA Information and GSA Assigning WRs to a GSA PM/POC

Once an ‘Unassigned’ Work Request is sent to GSA, the customer eRETA user must wait for GSA to assign 

a Project Manager and change the WR status to ‘Planning/Estimate’ before they can begin to enter the 

remainder of the RWA information (the equivalent of page 1 of the RWA 2957 Form). The exception to 

this rule, is that if one of the following items is referenced on the Work Request, the customer eRETA user 

will have access to enter the rest of their RWA information immediately (if desired):

● the “Estimate Tracking Number” (starting with SC or OU) from a GSA provided estimate for this 

project/service, or

● the email of the GSA Project Manager they have already been working with on this project /service

If neither of these fields are populated the remaining data entry tabs will be disabled in eRETA until GSA 

assigns the work request to a Project Manager or other GSA POC. In order for GSA to mark the Work 

Request in ‘Planning/Estimate’ status GSA needs to:

● assign a GSA RETA Data Entry user who will complete the GSA specific fields of the RWA

● confirm or identify the GSA Building number that matches the worksite location provided

● confirm or identify the GSA Project Manager who will work on (or has been working on) this WR 

Once GSA completes these three selections and assigns the Work Request, the WR status will change 

from ‘Unassigned’ to ‘Planning/Estimate’. Additionally an automated email will be sent to:

● the customer agency eRETA user, 

● the customer agency POC identified on the work request, 

● the GSA Data Entry user assigned, and 

● the GSA PM/POC assigned by GSA (or confirmed from what the agency provided)

indicating that the Work Request is ‘Assigned’ and the Customer POC should be contacted by the GSA 

POC to clarify project details and develop a project estimate, if not done so already. 
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Submitting New 

Work Requests in 

RETA/eRETA

6) Locating Previously Entered Work Requests and/or RWAs 

The eRETA search tools allow for several ways to locate previously entered WRs and all RWAs for the 

user’s AB code. The most common way to pull up a WR or RWA is to navigate to the ‘Search’ screen and 

enter the WR tracking number (or RWA number) in the ‘WR/RWA Number’ block and then hit the ‘Search’ 

button in the bottom right.

Search for your work request using the associated tracking number.

Another way to search for your work request is by filling out any fields on the ‘Search’ screen that are tied 

to the work request. Since all work requests are assigned the letter ‘W’, you should first go to the 

‘WR/RWA Number dropdown’ list and select ‘W’. Then you can fill out additional search criteria in which 

you know the correct data. For example, if you know the building number, then fill in that field with the 
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Submitting New 

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correct building number. Then hit ‘Search’ at the bottom right, and any work requests tied to the 

information you provided in the search fields will appear at the bottom. All RETA/eRETA searches 

automatically use an AND operator so as you enter more search criteria, RETA/eRETA will limit the search 

to only WRs/RWAs that match all of those criteria.

6 cont.) Locating Previously Entered Work Requests and/or RWAs 

Lastly, if you forgot the WR tracking number or RWA number, but know it is tied to your name since you 

entered the initial WR in eRETA, you could enter your email address in the ‘User ID’ field, or simply click 

the icon next to the user ID field to auto-populate your user ID. Click ‘Search’ and that will return all Preplanning, Unassigned, or Planning/Estimate Work Requests tied to your name, as well as any WRs that 

have since become accepted RWAs. Over time it is recommended to add additional search criteria, to 

narrow down the number of results that are returned. 

Clicking on any of the results in the lower half of the search screen will open up the specific Work Request 

(to the Customer Information tab) or already accepted RWA (to the RWA Summary screen).

Searching for your work request using your User ID/email address
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Submitting New 

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7) Editing a Work Request and Entering the Full RWA (Page 1 of RWA 2957 Form)

Once you select a work request from the search results, it will open in ‘Read-Only View’. To enter the 

remainder of the RWA data or to change previously entered data, click the Pencil ‘Edit’ icon at the top 

right of the screen.

Move from ‘read-only’ mode to ‘edit’ mode by clicking the pencil icon
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7 cont.) Editing a Work Request and Entering the Full RWA (Page 1 of RWA 2957 Form)

Once in Edit mode and after the Work Request is in ‘Planning/Estimate’ status, customer agency eRETA 

users will notice that the remaining customer agency related data entry tabs are now enabled and 

editable. To navigate to one of the other three tabs, you can either click on the desired tab in the left 

pane or click on the ‘Save and Proceed’ button at the bottom which will take you to the next tab in 

sequential order.

Navigate to editable tabs by clicking on a tab in the left pane or clicking the ‘Save & Proceed’ button at the bottom
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Submitting New 

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RETA/eRETA

8) Billing Information Tab

The ‘Billing Information’ tab builds off the ‘Customer Information’ tab entered as part of the Work 

Request. The data captured on this tab also corresponds to information found on page 1 of the RWA 2957 

Form.

Billing Information tab
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8a) Billing Information Tab: Required Fields (those with a red asterisk (*))

HINT: Clicking on hyperlink labels on any eRETA search screen or data entry screen will launch the eRETA 

glossary, providing a definition and expanded information of the label selected.

a) Billing Type: Choose the appropriate selection as follows:

● N: Non-IPAC - GSA bills customer, then the customer either pushes payment via IPAC, pays by check, or 

pays by purchase card at www.pay.gov

● O:IPAC/IGTE - GSA bills and then automatically pulls payment from customers IPAC account at Treasury 

● I: Interfund - used by internal GSA customers only

b) Billing Term: Choose the frequency at which RWA billings are generated - M: Monthly or Q: Quarterly. 

NOTE: If there has been no financial activity on GSA’s side in the most recent month or quarter, no billing 

will be generated. Also, for non-IPAC billing, if the bill amount is less than $1000, a bill will not be 

generated until total billable amount exceeds $1000 or until the RWA Termination Date (aka Financial 

Closeout Date) is set.

c) Agency Location Code (ALC): Enter the eight-digit code assigned by the Department of Treasury for 

billing customer agencies via the IPAC system. The ALC is also referred to as the Treasury Pay-station 

Designator. Once entered, the Account Code/BOAC field (see next section) will limit available BOACs to 

only those that have the matching ALC. The ALC should be left blank if you are not being billed via IPAC 

where GSA “pulls” the payment from your account. 

d) Account Code/BOAC: The Account Code/BOAC (Billing Office Address Code) is a six character code that 

identifies a unique combination of Agency Bureau Code + ALC (when applicable for IPAC customers only) + 

Billing address. If you do not know your agency’s Account Code/BOAC, use the magnifying glass icon to 

the right to search for it. The pop-up window will automatically contain the Agency Bureau Code and the 

ALC (if entered) in the search to ensure only Account Codes/BOACs that match the existing criteria are 

returned. Enter any additional information (e.g. 123 Main Street) to locate Account Codes/BOACs that 

match the Agency Bureau Code + ALC (if applicable) + Billing Address. If only one match returns, eRETA 

will automatically close the search window and populate the Account Code/BOAC field with the matching 

result. If multiple results return, select the best match. If no results return, consider changing your 

search criteria (e.g. ‘123’ as the street number only) or see the ‘Request New BOAC’ instructions below. 
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8a cont.) Billing Information Tab: Required Fields (those with a red asterisk (*))

NOTE1: When searching for Account Codes/BOACs do not worry if the Billing Address does not 

match identically (e.g. you have ‘Room 502’, but the system returns ‘5th Floor’). Since RWA bills 

are no longer physically mailed, an exact billing address won’t result in the billing statement 

getting lost. All billing statements are electronically available in the Vendor and Customer SelfService (VCSS) Portal. See vcss.gsa.gov for more information.

NOTE2: The Account Code/BOAC is the primary code used to query RWA Billings when using the 

Vendor and Customer Self-Service (VCSS) Portal. Ensure your VCSS log-in is associated with the 

BOAC selected to ensure you have access to future billing statements.

NOTE3: Customer agency eRETA users will only have access to Account Code/BOACs associated 

with Agency Bureau Code(s) their eRETA user ID has permissions to. If you type in an Account 

Code/BOAC that you’ve used before in VCSS but eRETA indicates it does not exist, it suggests that 

the Agency Bureau Code cited on this WR may be wrong and not match the BOAC you are 

attempting to use. Ensure the correct Agency Bureau Code was selected on the prior tab or that 

the Account Code/BOAC being selected is the correct one to use with this Agency Bureau Code.

Requesting a new BOAC if no matches exist: If an Account Code/BOAC does not exist for the 

Agency Bureau Code + ALC + Billing address combination that represents your billing office, a new 

Account Code/BOAC can be created. Requests for new Account Code/BOACs can only be initiated 

by GSA. GSA associates can find those instructions on the RETA Portal page under the "FAQs" tab. 

e) Funding Authority: Choose Property Act (also known as Non-Economy Act) unless it is explicitly 

provided that the work is to be performed under the Economy Act. In that case, choose Economy Act 

(DoD) if a DoD customer, or choose Economy Act (non-DoD) if a non-DoD customer. If it is explicitly 

provided that the work is to be performed under an authority other than the Property Act or Economy Act, 

then choose Other. RETA/eRETA defaults this selection based on the customer agency entering the Work 

Request. Users would only need to change the default if they were sure the RWA was being funded under 

a different authority.

f) Customer Order Number: While this is not required by RETA/eRETA, 95% of GSA customer agencies use 

this field to provide a document number that references a specific transaction in their financial 

management system. The value entered in this field is also presented in the “PO Number” field on future
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billing statements and IPAC billing statements. This field is alphanumeric and is not to exceed 60 

characters. 

8b) Billing Information Tab: Optional Fields

a) Agency Certified Amount: If known, enter the dollar amount that the customer Agency is certifying as 

available to reimburse GSA for the scope of work specified on the RWA. This amount must match GSA’s 

cost estimate. If no estimate is provided by GSA yet, leave this value a $0. It will be updated once GSA 

links an estimate to the Work Request/RWA.

b) Agency Billing Contact: Select the appropriate Agency Billing Contact from the dropdown list. If the 

appropriate contact is not listed, select ‘Add New’ from the pull-down menu and can click the magnifying 

glass icon to the right. From there, enter the contact’s email address and click ‘Add’, which should auto 

populate the required Agency Billing Contact information fields. Then hit ‘Update’.

c) Funding Agency Code (FPDS): Enter a valid 4-digit code from the FPDS-NG Agency Code Table for the 

agency that is providing the majority of funds to be obligated by this transaction. Visit this Acquisitions

website or contact your Agency's FPDS Administrator and/or your agency Acquisition Community for 

assistance with identifying your agency specific code.

d) Funding Office Code (FPDS): Enter a valid alphanumeric code from the FPDS-NG Funding Office Code 

Table (maximum of 6 characters). This code identifies the office (or other organization entity) that 

provided the majority of funds. If the Funding Agency is a non-DoD agency, the code is the DoD Activity 

Address Code (DODAAC). Visit this Acquisitions website or contact your Agency's FPDS Administrator 

and/or your agency Acquisition Community for assistance with identifying your agency specific code.

e) Fiscal Station Number: Mandatory for Department of Defense IPAC Transactions, optional for others. 

DOD will provide their 6-8 position fiscal station symbol for IPAC transactions only. DOD has Agency 

Bureau Codes that begin with: 017, 021, 057, or 097. This data will be reflected on the GSA IPAC 

transaction set.

f) Requisition ID: Mandatory for Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Customers; optional for all others. Enter 

the appropriate agency requisition ID number. The field holds a maximum of 14 characters.
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8b cont.) Billing Information Tab: Optional Fields

g) Agency/Customer BPN/DUNS Number: If applicable, enter the Agency/Customer Business Partner 

Network/Data Universal Numbering System Number (BPN/DUNS). BPN = Business Partner Network 

Number. DUNS = Data Universal Numbering System Number. For civilian agencies, this is generally the 

DUNS number. For military agencies, this is generally the DOD Activity Address Code (DODAAC) number. 

The field is a nine-digit field, but may include an additional four positions, which is the user-defined suffix 

to the BPN number. This suffix is used to differentiate between multiple Agency Location 

Codes/Disbursing Office combinations associated with the specific BPN Number being used.

Once finished filling in 100% of the required fields and any relevant optional fields, click either the ‘Save’ 

or ‘Save and Proceed’ button at the bottom of the page. The ‘Save’ button will verify all the data entered 

on this tab is valid. If any data entered is invalid an error message will display at the top of the screen. If 

‘Save & Proceed’ is selected, eRETA will repeat the ‘Save’ function and assuming no errors, will also move 

the user forward to the ‘Accounting Details’ tab. 
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9) Accounting Details tab

The ‘Accounting Details’ tab builds off the ‘Customer Information’ tab and ‘Billing Information’ tab 

previously entered. The data captured on this tab also corresponds to information found on page 1 of the 

RWA 2957 Form. Click the ‘Add’ button to enter at least one accounting detail line.

Accounting Details screen

Adding Agency Accounting Detail Line
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9a) Accounting Details Tab: Required Fields (those with a red asterisk (*))

HINT: Clicking on hyperlink labels on any eRETA search screen or data entry screen will launch the eRETA 

glossary, providing a definition and expanded information of the label selected.

a) Agency Fund Year: Enter the fiscal year of the appropriation being used to fund this RWA. For annual 

funds this is likely the current year. For multi-year or no-year funds, enter the year the appropriation was 

initially authorized by Congress, which may be a prior year. The date format is YYYY.

b) Agency Fund Type: Enter the type of appropriation used by the customer agency to reimburse GSA for 

the RWA. Annual = funding provided for the RWA is limited to a specific one-year appropriation. Multiyear = the money appropriated is available to be obligated by the customer agency over a specified 

number of years; typically two years. No-year = the customer funding is not bound by any fiscal year 

limitations and can be used until the funding is exhausted or until Congress passes further legislation 

restricting the use of the funds.

c) Expiration Date of Obligational Authority: Enter the last date your agency can obligate funding using 

the appropriation cited in the Agency Fund Year + Agency Fund Type fields. For annual funds, this date is 

automatically populated by eRETA (e.g. 9/30/2020 for FY2020 funding). The obligational authority of 

multi-year funding expires on 9/30 of the last year of the multiple years the appropriation was valid for. 

For example, a two year FY2020-FY2021 appropriation, would have an expiration date of obligational 

authority equal to the final day of FY2021, or 9/30/2021. For no-year funds, leave this field blank. 

NOTE: The expiration date of obligational authority should NOT be confused with the five year liquidation 

period, which is the number of years allowed to expense/liquidate an obligation after the expiration date 

of obligational authority is met. 

d) Authorized Line Amount: Enter the amount of the RWA that this funding source will pay for. This 

amount cannot exceed 100% of the Agency Certified Amount entered on the ‘Billing Information’ tab. If 

multiple Agency Accounting Lines are added, the sum of all lines cannot exceed 100% of the Agency 

Certified Amount entered on the ‘Billing Information’ tab. If GSA has not yet provided a cost estimate, 

and the Agency Certified Amount on the ‘Billing Information’ tab is still $0, all Agency Accounting Lines 

must equal $0 for the time being until the Agency Certified Amount is known and updated in RETA/eRETA.
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9a cont.) Accounting Details Tab: Required Fields (those with a red asterisk (*))

e) Agency Accounting Data: Enter specific accounting string details that provide a reference to the 

funding source of this RWA in your internal financial management system. Since this information is 

printed on RWA billing statements in VCSS and IPAC billing statements, this information will help your 

Accounts Payable Finance Office locate the funding source and appropriately pay the bill. E.g. for 

DFAS/DoD customers, this field might contain the MIPR number. For US Courts, this field might contact 

the Courthouse number.

f) Treasury Symbol: Required for IPAC customers, optional for non-IPAC customers. Enter the appropriate 

Treasury Account Symbol (TAS) this RWA should be paid from. Treasury’s IPAC system and government 

wide accounting now use the Component TAS format. An example of a DHS component TAS is: 

07020202021 0112000. The “parts” are broken down as follows:

 three digit agency code (e.g 047)

 four digit "beginning" year of the appropriation (e.g. 2020 for annual or multi-year funds; 

or four empty spaces for no-year funds)

 a four digit "end" year of the appropriation (e.g. 2020 for annual funds; 2021 for multi-year 

funds; or four empty spaces for no-year funds)

 an empty space for annual or multi-year funds; an X for no-year funds

 four digit Agency Fund Code (e.g. 0544, 1106, 1234)

 three final positions for a sub-account, if no sub-account this will show as three zeros

The magnifying glass icon next to the Treasury Symbol field serves as a TAS lookup. In the example above, 

one might search on their valid TAS by typing in a TAS starting with 0702020 to represent DHS and 

appropriations with funding start in 2020. Then further added 0112 in the Account Code search window. 

Clicking search would return multiple results. Selecting the correct TAS code from the search results 

closes the pop-up screen and populates the Accounting Details tab with the selected TAS. 

NOTE: Screenshot example on next page.
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9a cont.) Accounting Details Tab: Required Fields (those with a red asterisk (*))

Searching for your Treasury symbol

Once finished filling in 100% of the required fields and any relevant optional fields, click either the ‘Save’ 

or ‘Save and Proceed’ button at the bottom of the page. The ‘Save’ button will verify all the data entered 

on this tab is valid. If any data entered is invalid an error message will display at the top of the screen. If 

‘Save & Proceed’ is selected, eRETA will repeat the ‘Save’ function and assuming no errors, will also move 

the user forward to the ‘Customer Approval’ tab.
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9b) Adding/Editing Accounting Detail Lines and Associated Warning Messages

After filling in the required fields and hitting ‘Save’, you will have a complete accounting detail line. Users 

can modify or delete an accounting line by clicking on the ‘X’ (delete) or the hand (edit) icons in the 

‘Modify Delete’. You may also add additional accounting lines by clicking ‘Add’ and repeating the steps.

Adding another accounting line or modifying/deleting an existing accounting line

While eRETA allows a customer to enter multiple accounting lines, GSA’s billing system can only reference 

one accounting detail line per billing statement. That’s where the ‘Line to Bill’ column comes into play. If 

multiple accounting lines are entered, select the radio button in the ‘Line to Bill’ column next to the 

accounting line that should be billed first. As that line is fully billed/liquidated the customer agency or 

GSA user can process an administrative amendment at any time in the future and select a different line so 

future bills now reference the next accounting line details.

NOTE: Screenshot example on next page.
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9b cont.) Adding/Editing Accounting Detail Lines and Associated Warning Messages

Choosing which accounting line to bill

Lastly, if multiple funding sources are mixed on the same RWA (e.g. partially funded with annual funds 

and partially funded with multi-year funds), RETA automatically flags such RWAs for additional review. An 

automated message will display informing you that citing two different funding sources on one RWA may 

be required to provide further documentation or justification to support the RWA before it can be 

accepted. 
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Automated message when RWA has multiple accounting lines citing different Fund Year/Fund Type combinations
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10) Customer Approval Tab (Including Digital Signatures)

HINT: Clicking on hyperlink labels on any eRETA search screen or data entry screen will launch the eRETA 

glossary, providing a definition and expanded information of the label selected.

The Customer Approval tab is the final tab requiring customer agency input. This tab captures information 

about who will or who has signed the RWA as the Customer Agency Fund Certifying Official. Fund 

Certifying Officials must use eRETA’s digital signature solution to sign RWAs.

Customer Approval tab

NOTE: If the dollar amount of the RWA is still listed as $0 on the ‘Billing Information’ tab and the 

‘Accounting Details’ tab, then do not follow the following steps until the amount entered in eRETA

matches a GSA provided estimate. Otherwise you will be signing a $0 RWA which GSA cannot accept.
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10a) Using Digital Signatures

RECOMMENDED: For more details on using eRETA’s Digital Signature Solution, see the “User Guide –

Requesting and Applying Digital Signatures” available at www.gsa.gov/ereta

Step 1) Select the “Electronic Signature Request” radio button on the left hand side of the screen. The 

“Signature of Fund Certifying Official” drop-down menu will default to “Not Yet Signed”

Step 2) Select the email address of the “Fund Certifying Official” who will be signing the RWA digitally. If 

the Funding Certifying Official’s name is not displayed in the list, select Add New and click the magnifying 

glass icon to the right to add his/her email address and name.

Step 3) If necessary, attach any relevant documents to the RWA by clicking the ‘Upload New’ button and 

upload the document(s) into eRETA (similar to attaching a document to an email). 

Step 4) Digital signatures are the final two pieces (customer signature and then GSA signature) of 

information captured before GSA accepts an RWA. Click the ‘Send to GSA’ button to send GSA all 

required information and to inform them that the Fund Certifying Official is ready to apply their signature 

once GSA also enters all of their information.

Sending Work Request/RWA to GSA so GSA can enter their information and route the RWA for signature
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10a con’t) Using Digital Signatures

Step 5) Once GSA enters all GSA specific data (the equivalent of page 2 of the RWA 2957 Form) in RETA, 

they will then route the RWA for digital signatures. The digital signature request will first be sent to the 

email address of the customer agency Fund Certifying Official provided in eRETA. 

Step 6) The email will contain a summary overview of the RWA to be signed along with a yellow button 

indicating to “Review Document”. Clicking this button will open a new tab/window launching the 

DocuSign website. No user ID or password is required to digitally sign the RWA.

Step 7) In DocuSign, the Fund Certifying Official will review the document and be brought to an electronic 

copy of the RWA 2957 Form with all information pre-populated in the appropriate blocks. To sign the 

RWA, the Fund Certifying Official would click on the yellow highlighted “Sign” button, which will apply 

their digital signature and capture the date and time of the signature.

RWA 2957 Form awaiting the Customer Agency Fund Certifying Official to apply his/her signature in DocuSign

Step 8) Once the customer fund certifying official applies their digital signature, DocuSign will 

automatically route the RWA to the GSA Approving Official for their signature. Once both signatures are 

captured, DocuSign will send an automatic email to both signers with a final copy of the RWA 2957 Form. 

Likewise the GSA RETA user will shortly thereafter send out the RWA Acceptance Letter.
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11) Other Helpful eRETA Tools and Tips

Section 6 above identifies how users can use the eRETA search screens to locate previously entered Work 

Requests or RWAs. In addition to using the search screens, eRETA includes yellow navigation hyperlinks 

throughout the application to quickly access related information to the Work Request, RWA, or Estimate 

you are currently viewing. The navigation links allow users to quickly access RWA Historical transactions, 

Financial Review Information, related Documents uploaded into RETA, the ad hoc Comments section for 

the RWA/estimate, as well as the linked Estimate to the RWA.

For Work Requests that have not yet become accepted RWAs, only the Documentation and Comments

links will exist. The Documentation link contains both manually uploaded documents (e.g. scopes of work, 

IGEs, etc.) as well as automatic documents created by RETA/eRETA (e.g. the automated communication 

when a WR is assigned, or automated RWA customer letters).

Users can click the ‘Documentation’ hyperlink to see important documents pertaining to their Work Request.
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12) eRETA Data Entry Requirement effective October 1, 2019

Effective October 1, 2019 federal customers are required to use eRETA to send all RWA and Work Request 

information to GSA. This user guide outlines how customers can create and edit work requests in eRETA 

and submit them to GSA for potential acceptance. Customers may find an additional user guide outlining

how to amend already accepted RWAs on www.gsa.gov/ereta.

Please note that the customer’s ability to electronically submit work requests to GSA does not change GSA 

nor the customer’s shared due diligence in developing requirements, creating estimates, and everything 

else required to get to a fully executable RWA for GSA Acceptance. GSA may refuse to accept an 

electronically submitted RWA via eRETA if all of these prerequisites are not first met. GSA and the 

customer are expected to work together to ensure there is a bona fide need for the request, a succinct 

scope of work is developed, funding provided is sufficient to accomplish the entirety of the scope of work, 

etc. For additional information on RWA policy and package requirements, please reference the RWA 

National Policy Document or consult the Regional RWA Manager, available through the RWA Website at 

www.gsa.gov/rwa.

For Additional Questions the following resources are available:

● Navigate to www.gsa.gov/ereta for eRETA user guides (including this one) and FAQs 

● Email the COPBSApp@gsa.gov with questions or issues about logging into the external Portal 

(effectively any part of the log-in process before getting into eRETA itself)

● Email us at eRETA@gsa.gov with questions about using or navigating eRETA (once inside the 

application itself)