EPLS - Excluded Parties List System
EPLS - Excluded Parties List System
 
NOTICE TO AGENCY DEBARMENT AND SUSPENSION CONTACT POINTS AND END USERS



Compliance with the Computer Matching and Privacy Act of 1988 (5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(o), et seq.)

Welcome to the General Services Administration's (GSA) "Excluded Parties List System" (EPLS). The EPLS is an electronic, web-based system that identifies parties suspended, debarred, proposed for debarment or otherwise excluded from receiving Federal contracts, certain subcontracts, and certain types of Federal financial and non-financial assistance and benefits. The EPLS makes its user community aware of administrative and statutory exclusions across the entire Federal government, and also provides information regarding individuals who are barred from entering the United States. The user is able to search, view, and save/download both current and archived exclusions.

The 2006 release of the new EPLS is designed to allow users the opportunity to create ad hoc reports through the "Advanced Reports" option. This option subsumes the prior multiple report options that previous EPLS versions offered. The available criteria for the Advanced Reports option are "Exact Name", "Partial Name", "Action Dates", "Termination Dates", "Create Dates", "Modify Dates", "DUNS", "Classification", "Exclusion Type", "CT Code", "Agency", "U.S. State", "Country", and "Cage Code." The user can select any one criterion or a combination of the available criteria to tailor a report to their specific or desired needs. These reports further require users to select an exclusion type, either "Reciprocal," "Procurement," "Nonprocurement," or the combined "All" option for the purpose of saving/downloading data into another computer system.

To ensure that the use of these reports is consistent with the Computer Matching and Privacy Act of 1988 (Act), your use of the EPLS will represent your acceptance of and agreement to adhere to the limitations summarized below. The EPLS will allow users immediate access to information and permit the saving/downloading of that information. Users are reminded of their legal responsibilities under this Act and all other applicable statutes and regulations in regards to accessing protected information that is not in the public domain. For instance, before saving/downloaded is accomplished, users must have a matching agreement with GSA, if the Act applies.

Procurement only data may be saved/downloaded without regard to the limitations noted below.

The Act applies when the following four elements are present:
  1. Computerized comparison of data: If a computerized comparison is made using two or more automated systems of agency records subject to the Privacy Act. EPLS is such a system of records. Therefore, a state or local government's use of a Federal agency's automated system of records in conjunction with an automated system maintained by the state or local government for the purpose of determining eligibility for Federal benefits may also require compliance with the Act. Similarly, a contractor of a Federal agency or state or local government may use a Federal agency's automated database for the purpose of determining eligibility for Federal benefits in a manner which triggers the Act.
  2. Categories of subjects covered: Applicants for Federal benefit programs, current or former program beneficiaries, and providers of services to support Federal benefit programs are covered.
  3. Types of Programs covered: Only Federal benefit programs providing cash or in-kind assistance to individuals, as defined by 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(2), are covered.
  4. Matching Purpose: The match must be for the purpose of: (a) establishing or verifying eligibility for Federal benefit programs; (b) verifying the statutory or regulatory compliance of such programs; or (c) recouping payments or delinquent debts under Federal benefit programs.
Detailed information concerning compliance with the Act is contained in the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) "Final Guidance Interpreting the Provisions of Public Law 100-503, the Computer Matching and Privacy Act of 1988" published at 54 Fed. Reg. 25818, June 19, 1989 (OMB Matching Guidelines). Some of the provisions of the OMB Matching Guidelines applicable to the use of data saved/downloaded from the "Reciprocal", "Nonprocurement", and "All" exclusion options of the Reports are summarized below.
  1. GSA is the "Source Agency" for the purposes of complying with the Act. If a Federal agency uses data from the Reports to conduct computer matches covered by the Act, then the agency is a "Recipient Agency". Recipient agencies are responsible for publishing matching notices in the Federal Register, performing and reporting the results of cost benefit analyses, and submitting matching program reports to Congress and OMB.
  2. If a state or local government, or a contractor, uses data from the Reports in a manner that triggers the Act, then GSA is responsible for meeting the requirements of the "Source Agency" set forth in the OMB Matching Guidelines. Please inform state and local officials responsible for administering your agency's program, if appropriate.
The OMB Matching Guidelines should be reviewed to determine whether the Act applies to your program's use of the "Reciprocal", "Nonprocurement" and "All" exclusion options of the Reports.

In summary, access to the "Reciprocal", "Nonprocurement" and "All" exclusion options of the Reports is restricted to users who accept the limitations of the Act, some of which are described above. As noted earlier, your use of the EPLS will represent your acceptance of and agreement to adhere to the limitations above and therefore makes you or your organization subject to the requirements and penalties contained in the Computer Matching and Privacy Act. Please contact Ms. Priscilla Owens on (703) 605-3408 if you have any questions.