Contact Center Services

Answering the Public's Call

FirstContact: The Procurement Toolkit

We can issue a request for quotation to our five vendors, receive their responses, award a task order, and be operational in weeks rather than months.

The Procurement Tool Kit is designed to help agencies prepare the necessary documents to help speed their FirstContact procurement process. A full and open competition can sometimes take a year and a half to award. You can have a contract in place in approximately 60 days, once we have a signed Interagency Agreement and an approved Statement of Work (SOW).

  1. FirstContact Procurement Process – We use this process for the twelve task orders we have successfully awarded under our FirstContact contract vehicle.
  2. List of Key Essential Contacts and Signature Authority – Both GSA and your agency should know and document who needs to be involved in the procurement process, their roles and responsibilities, and their contact information. Also, we need to know who can obligate funds and who has signature authority to bind organizations together by a contract.
  3. Interagency Agreement (IA) – The first step is for your agency to sign an agreement with GSA to work together. The IA describes the services you wish to acquire through GSA and obligates the necessary funding.
  4. Statement of Work (SOW) – The SOW is the road map for your procurement. It provides background information about the organization, defines the purpose of the work to be performed, spells out specific task requirements and services that are required, hours of coverage, length of performance period, proposed work flow, staff to be provided and what training is needed, strategy for maintaining quality assurance, technology requirements, contract deliverables, performance standards.
  5. Limited Acquisition Plan – This document expands on the SOW and provides specific details about the task order. Limited Acquisition Plans are required for acquisitions in excess of $100,000, including options, and covers the acquisition purchase.
  6. Determination and Findings – This document is a prerequisite to taking certain contract actions. It provides written approval by an authorized official and is required either by statute or regulation. The “determination” is a conclusion or decision supported by the “findings.’’ The findings are statements of fact or rationale essential to support the determination and must cover each requirement of the statute or regulation.
  7. Source Selection Plan – The source selection plan explains how you will evaluate the offerors. It is a strategy that best reflects the specific requirements, the results of market research, and the risks associated with the acquisition. The plan also describes the evaluation factors and sub-factors, their relative importance, and the methodology used to evaluate proposals.
  8. Instructions to Offerors – This document provides guidance to the vendors for how they should submit their responses to the Request For Quotations.
  9. Task Order - This is an example of how your task order might look. We will review your task order to help ensure it is complete before issuing the request for quote.
  10. IDIQ SOW and Terms & Conditions – These documents are the final statement of work for the FirstContact contract awarded to the five solution partners; it also lists the terms and conditions that apply to the contract and questions and answers from them.
    - Contract Statement of Work - Section C
    - Packing and Marking - Section D
    - Inspection and Acceptance - Section E
    - Deliveries or Performance - Section F
    - Contract Administration Data - Section G
    - Special Contract Requirements - Section H
    - Contract Clauses - Section I
    - List of Documents, Exhibits and Other Attachments - Section J
    - Representations and Instructions - Section K
    - Questions and Answers from Offerors
  11. FirstContact Case Studies – Four short stories about how FirstContact helped other agencies respond to citizens.
    -  FEMA Case Study
    -  HHS Human Trafficking Case Study
    -  HHS Program Support Case Study
    -  VA Case Study
  12. FirstContact IDIQ Contracts
    FEMA Disaster Assistance - DHS Awarded October 2004
    National Contact Center - GSA Awarded November 2004
    Human Trafficking Hotline - HHS Awarded June 2005
    Program Support Center (includes Grants.gov) - HHS Awarded August 2005
    FEMA National Processing Service Center - DHS Two Awarded September 2005
    FEMA Donations Hotline - DHS Awarded October 2005
    FEMA Referral Hotline - DHS Awarded October 2005
    VA Special Event - Two Awarded May 2006
    VA Special Event - Awarded February 2007

We are ready to help!

» Contact us, if you have any questions or need additional information about FirstContact.