General Services Administration
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF ACQUISITION OFFICER
GSA ACQUISITION WORKFORCE FORUM
--Informing the GSA acquisition workforce on the latest acquisition news and events!
2005 Winter Edition
CAO Corner
Fielder To Be Acting Chief of Staff and Interim CAO
Chief of Staff and Interim Chief Acquisition Officer (CAO) Karl Reichelt left GSA effective December 31, 2004. In submitting his resignation, Reichelt said, "After 13 great years of service in government at the local, state and federal levels, I am leaving to pursue an exciting new job opportunity beyond government." Administrator Perry selected Edwin Fielder to be Acting Chief of Staff and Interim CAO. Fielder served as Regional Administrator for the Southeast Sunbelt Region of GSA. He was on the team that developed and implemented GSA's "Get It Right!" Program. Fielder was previously employed by CB Richard Ellis, Inc. where he managed a diverse facility management portfolio for Delta Air Lines. Prior to 2000, Fielder was a Director of Property Management for Carter and Associates and a General Manager for COMPASS Management and Leasing, Inc. In 1997, he retired from active duty as a Lieutenant Colonel with the U.S. Marine Corps. Fielder holds a bachelor's degree from Georgia Institute of Technology and a master's degree from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, California. Another appointment of note is the confirmation by the Senate of former GSA Chief of Staff David Safavian to be Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. During a confirmation hearing in April, Safavian said that improving recruitment and retention in the federal workforce would be one of his priorities in that role.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
From the Desk of the Editor
Enhancements to the APW
Report from the Procurement Conference of the Americas
OFPP Launches ACE for Services!
Acquisition Letter regarding Purchases for Other Agencies
Getting It Right at GSA!
It's a "RAAP" for "Get It Right!"
Mid-Atlantic PBS Getting It Right!
GSA Outreach Europe 2004 Focuses on "Get It Right!"
Greater Southwest Region Hosts "Get It Right!" Events
Rocky Mountain Region Town Hall Meeting "Gets It Right!"
Competitive Sourcing Video Available Soon from FAI
Mark Your Calendar for FACE 2005!
Report from the 2004 NCMA Conference
Nominations Due for 2005 Elmer B. Staats Award
Contracting Award Presented by ESI
U-group e-Newsletter
What is STEP508?
Green Cleaning in Detroit, Michigan
NCR and EPA Join Forces to "Green"EPA HQ
PBS and NISH Hold Annual Strategic Alliance Review
Online GSA Business Cards Available from JWOD
Nominations Due for E.R. "Dick" Alley Career Achievement Award
Did You Know?
Check It Out!
Opening Doors for America's Heroes
SPE Corner
From the Desk of the Editor by Judy Steele
Winter gives us pause to reflect upon the accomplishments of the past year while gearing up to meet the challenges of 2005. It's been a very good year to "Get It Right! " at GSA and this edition of the "Forum" contains articles on "Get It Right" efforts from several of the Regions and PBS, FSS and FTS. Unfortunately, recent Inspector General audits at GSA indicate there is still much to do to "Get It Right!" at GSA-this is a major challenge for the new CAO and for all of us in 2005.
The acquisition of services by the government has increased 46% over the last three years. The Services Acquisition Reform Act (SARA), Section 1431(b), recently initiated by Representative Tom Davis (R-Virginia), is focused on the need to buy services smarter. To meet the requirements of SARA, OFPP recently launched ACE for Services, an online database of best practices and other information. Robert Burton, Associate Administrator, OFPP, and Congressman Davis spoke about ACE and SARA at the recent launch at GSA and at the NCMA Contract Management Conference. See the articles about these events for more information. Also note the new Acquisition Letter which provides advice on how to properly acquire and administer purchases on behalf of other agencies. I'm sure acquiring services and contract administration will continue to be a major topic of discussion at the Federal Acquisition Conference and Exhibition (FACE 2005), which will be held next June at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center.
A frequent topic of discussion at the NCMA Conference was competitive sourcing. A new video from FAI will soon be available to help guide agencies through the competitive sourcing process. Many speakers at NCMA addressed the need to recognize stand-outs in the acquisition field. Please see the articles and note that nominations are due soon for the Elmer B. Staats Award for young professionals, the ESI, International Award, and the JWOD sponsored E.R. "Dick" Alley Career Achievement Award. The "Forum" also contains two other articles concerning news at NISH and JWOD, as well as articles on green cleaning in Detroit and the "greening" of EPA Headquarters.
Following up from topics in the last edition, this edition of the "Forum" has an article concerning updates to the Acquisition Planning Wizard and a report from the Procurement Conference of the Americas. A new online newsletter, U-group, is available from GSA's Usability Solutions Group, which is also in the process of enhancing the STEP508 software tool. And be sure to check out our regular columns, "Did You Know?," "Check it Out!," and David Drabkin's message in his SPE column.
We welcome any comments, suggestions and articles for the newsletter. The "Forum" is here to meet the needs of the GSA acquisition community and we can't do that without your input! We also welcome any individually authored articles on acquisition issues that would be of interest to the GSA acquisition audience. Please contact the Editor, Judy Steele, at judy.steele@gsa.gov or 202-501-4994 with comments or suggestions.
…and Happy New Year everyone, from all of us at the Office of the CAO!
Enhancements to the Acquisition Planning Wizard (APW)
The Office of the Chief Acquisition Officer is in the process of enhancing the Acquisition Planning Wizard (APW). Four additions have already been put into place:
In coming weeks more enhancements will be added, such as improved formatting for Word documents; ability to print Word documents from the acquisition plan screen; giving a user the option of creating a limited or comprehensive plan without having to navigate through the preliminary screens; and allowing a user to change assumptions based on reviewer comments (i.e., move from a limited to a comprehensive plan, or vice versa, without having to create a new plan). We will keep you posted as enhancements become available. If you would like a demonstration of the Acquisition Planning Wizard, please contact Jerry Zaffos at Gerald.zaffos@gsa.gov or 202-208-6091.
Report from the Procurement Conference of the Americas
GSA and the Canadian Commercial Corporation co-sponsored the first "Federal Government Procurement Conference of the Americas" November 15-17, 2004. Held in Vancouver, the conference served as a forum to bring together federal government procurement executives and suppliers from Canada, the U.S., Mexico and other countries of Latin America. More than 30 speakers represented the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Chile and Uruguay and prime contractors that deal in these markets. The conference sought to foster cooperative alliances aimed at sharing best practices and lessons learned concerning government procurement and to promote access to Government marketplaces throughout the Americas. Industry attendees were able to arrange one-on-one meetings between representatives from the various governments and prime contractors to explore expanded procurement opportunities. The representatives attending agreed to meet in May 2005 and to form an informal Council that would continue to pursue common objectives. These objectives included:
Felipe Medoza, Associate Administrator for Small Business, represented the Administrator of GSA. David Drabkin, Deputy Chief Acquisition Officer, served as co-chair. GSA is hosting the 2nd Annual Conference of the Americas in Atlanta in November 2005. Organizations that are interested in participating in the 2005 conference or have suggestions for topics or presenters should contact Edward Loeb at Edward.loeb@gsa.gov or 202-501-0650.
OFPP Launches ACE for Services!
On November 18, 2004, the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP), the Defense Acquisition University (DAU), and the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) launched the Acquisition Center of Excellence (ACE) for Services. ACE is an online central clearinghouse for public and private sector service contracting best practices, policy and guidance, e-tools, as well as education and training opportunities. The site is housed at www.acqnet.gov/ace. This was one of the initiatives required by SARA to help agencies and vendors set up and manage services contracts-an area agencies spent $186 billion on last year.
120 attendees were welcomed to the launch ceremony by Robert Burton, Associate Administrator, OFPP; Karl Reichelt, Chief Acquisition Officer, GSA; Alan Chvotkin, Senior Vice President & Counsel of the Professional Services Council (PSC); and Frank Anderson, President, DAU. Julia Wise of GSA, who was detailed to OFPP to serve as project coordinator for ACE, and Jeffrey Birch, Knowledge Project Officer, DAU, then gave a detailed explanation of how the site works. Following this introduction to the site, a panel of ACE participants spoke about their agency best practices which can be reviewed on the website. This panel included Dani Wildason, Chief Contracts Plans, U.S. Coast Guard; Suzanne Balog, HP Consulting and Integration; and Michael Cameron, Booz Allen Hamilton.
Mr. Burton noted that spending for services has increased 46% in the last three years. He said that ACE will put contracting officers in a better position to make better business decisions. Mr. Anderson stated that the launch of ACE was a "success story for all the federal government." He said the power of today's event was that "we had started" and that the website represents the "power of knowledge sharing." Julia Wise encouraged agencies and private sector companies to submit papers, presentations, and any other information on best practices to the ACE for Services points of contact. After a vetting process, links to the papers will appear on the appropriate sections of the site to be shared with the acquisition community.
The site currently focuses on the five areas where agencies spent the most money in 2003: IT and telecommunications, equipment maintenance, support services, government-owned and contractor-operated offices, and utilities services. The portal will continue to evolve and over the next six months the project office will release Version 2, which will include architecture and engineering services. For more information on ACE for Services, contact Julia Wise at julia.wise@gsa.gov or 202-208-1168. Best practices should be submitted to Jeffrey Birch at Jeffrey.birch@dau.mil.
Acquisition Letter regarding Purchases for Other Agencies
On October 1, 2004, the Office of the CAO issued Acquisition Letter V 04-04, "Purchases on Behalf of Other Agencies." This letter provides policy for GSA contracting activities that award contracts and place orders on behalf of other agencies (requiring agencies) under GSA and non-GSA contracts. The letter stresses the importance of continuous dialogue with the requiring agency during the acquisition planning phase for any order placed or contract awarded to ensure that all unique statutes and regulations applicable to the requiring agency are addressed. For more information, contact Linda Nelson at Linda.nelson@gsa.gov or 202-501-1900.
Getting It Right at GSA!
There are
a number of efforts underway to "Get It Right!" at GSA-we list several of them
below. If your organization wishes to publicize a GSA "Get It Right!" event
or initiative, please forward the information to the Editor, judy.steele@gsa.gov.
It's a "RAAP" for "Get It Right!"
The Northeast & Caribbean Region's 145 acquisition associates have a new team on their side as the Regional Acquisition Advisory Panel (RAAP) gets underway. The RAAP was launched on October 15, 2004 during the region's special training session on the "Get It Right!" program.
Regional Administrator Eileen Long-Chelales welcomed the entire regional acquisition workforce, regional heads of service and staff offices, and representatives of the Office of the Chief Acquisition Officer to the "Get It Right!" training and took the opportunity to announce the establishment of the RAAP. Joseph A. Neurauter, Director, Office of Acquisition Integrity, OCAO, and Edward C. Loeb, Policy Advisor, Office of the Chief Acquisition Officer, joined regional associates Jack Wachsstock, Chairperson, RAAP; Robert Woodside, Director, Office Products Acquisition Division, FSS Acquisition Center; and Ashley Cohen, PBS representative to the RAAP in making presentations to the group.
The RAAP is a regional, cross-service, multi-disciplined group that will assist the region's acquisition workforce in the proper application of regulatory policy and procedures. In conjunction with regional management and the Office of the Chief Acquisition Officer, the group will also further facilitate compliance with the five major objectives of "Get It Right!" The RAAP will serve in an advisory capacity to provide advice and guidance concerning acquisition policies, procedures and regulations; promote consistency and enhance communication between the regional services and staff offices; identify and promote business opportunities suitable for inter-service cooperation; and provide recommendations for implementing acquisition related initiatives, acquisition related training, developmental activities and customer awareness programs.
All three of GSA's business lines - FSS, FTS, and PBS - follow the same basic rules in terms of acquisition. Credit card purchases, open market acquisition, and use of multiple award schedules are among the commonalities. RAAP will serve as a conduit for sharing information between the regional services. The RAAP team members include Jack Wachsstock, Robert Streeter and David Lopez from FSS; Ashley Cohen and Warren Hall from PBS; David Monahan, Joe Urbanik and Lori Sakalos from FTS; and Colleen Pappas from the Office of Program Support. John McCarthy will represent the Regional Administrator's office on the panel. Acquisition associates with questions for the Regional Acquisition Advisory Panel may direct them by e-mail to R2RAAP@GSA.GOV.
The Northeast & Caribbean Region continued to enhance the skills of the regional acquisition workforce with a second "Get It Right!" training forum November 23. Regional Administrator Eileen Long-Chelales welcomed approximately 350 acquisition associates and, via teleconference, the regional associates in Boston, the Caribbean, and upstate New York. Long-Chelales stressed the importance of implementing the program and providing our customers with quality goods and services in accordance with regulations. For more information on RAAP and other "Get It Right!" efforts, contact Jack Wachsstock at jack.wachsstock@gsa.gov. For more information on this article, contact Renee Miscione, Public Affairs Officer at renee.miscione@gsa.gov or 212-264-0424.
Mid-Atlantic PBS Getting It Right!
The Mid-Atlantic Region's PBS office recently held a training session for all contract specialists in the regional and field offices to introduce the region's "Get It Right!" initiative. A subgroup of the region's long-standing Procurement Implementation Committee has been established to roll out the "Get It Right!" initiative. Over the next several months, the subgroup will be providing refresher training on a multitude of topics, and sharing best practices and lessons learned from recent projects. The training will be focused on the contracting process, and will stress the importance of adding value to the process, using better judgement in defining the business problem, and taking greater strides to elevate the region's contracting program. The group has developed an initial list of training topics and has also received suggestions from contract specialists throughout the region on areas they feel refresher training is needed. All resulting training documents and best practice samples will be posted to the region's intranet web site. For more information, contact Bob Waring at Robert.waring@gsa.gov or 215- 446-4553.
GSA Outreach Europe 2004 Focuses on "Get It Right!"
GSA's Mid-Atlantic Region hosted the Outreach Europe 2004 Expo in Heidelberg, Germany, October 18-21, 2004, where the emphasis was on delivering the "Get It Right!" message. Arthur Hackney, Director of Procurement Operations for GSA's National Furniture Center, led a roundtable discussion which focused on getting federal acquisition right. Joining him at this session were Mary Davie, FTS Assistant Commissioner for Customer Relationship Management and Sales; Kacie Haberly, GSA Senior Assistant General Attorney; Jack Williams, FSS Assistant Regional Administrator, Mid-Atlantic Region; and contracting command representatives from the U.S. Army Europe, U.S. Navy Europe, and U.S. Air Forces Europe. The GSA Multiple Award Schedules Program, GSA's e-Buy and enhancing competition in government acquisition were also discussed.
GSA's "Get It Right!" message was also delivered during multiple training courses including Best Value Source Selection, How to Use Multiple Award Schedules, GSA e-Buy, as well as a contractor forum with representatives from the major contracting commands emphasizing acquisition excellence. The National Furniture Center's Quality Partnership Council, comprised of GSA associates, customers and corporate partners, dedicated its meeting to discussing strategies agencies can use to obtain best value when acquiring products and services needed to accomplish their missions.
Guest speakers emphasized GSA's "Get It Right!" program and addressed competition requirements, best value determinations and sole source justifications. With over 2600 registered attendees, Outreach Europe 2004 featured 177 GSA exhibitors and 60 hours of training that covered 29 topics, 24 of which were CEU certified. For more information, contact Caroline Wenstrup at caroline.wenstrup@gsa.gov or 703-305-7628.
Greater Southwest Region Hosts "Get It Right!" Events
The Greater Southwest Region's FTS hosted a "Get It Right" acquisition Conference November 8-9, 2004. Regional Administrator Scott Armey addressed the conference both days. Keith Sandridge, FTS Assistant Commissioner for Acquisition, and Joseph Neurauter, Office of the Chief Acquisition Officer, participated in a panel discussion. Topics included in the conference were determinations of scope, the Region's Small Business Utilization Office, legal issues and best practices on various acquisition topics. For more information, contact Jill LaDuca or Bobby Davis at 817-978-3240 or 817-978-0107.
The Greater Southwest Region's Deputy Administrator George Prochaska presented the Region's "Get It Right!" program to the North Texas Chapter of the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) on November 16, 2004. Prochaska; Pat Loomis, FSS Supervisory Contract Specialist; Willie Heath, Office of Small Business Utilization Supervisory Business Specialist; and Jimmy Ferracci, Director of the PBS Real Property Disposal Division, answered questions concerning GSA contracting. For more information, contact George Prochaska at george.prochaska@gsa.gov or 817-978-4235.
Rocky Mountain Region Town Hall Meeting "Gets It Right!"
The Rocky Mountain Region held a Town Hall Meeting October 28 to discuss the "Get It Right!" Plan. David Drabkin, Deputy Chief Acquisition Officer, outlined the key action items of the plan: make policies clear, improve training, ensure compliance, and communicate with the acquisition community. The meeting concluded with a question and answer session. Following Drabkin's presentation, Regional Administrator Larry Trujillo announced the new Regional Acquisition Executive, Dannie Crowder. For more information, contact Cara Hoevet at cara.hoevet@gsa.gov or 303-236-7478.
Competitive Sourcing Video Available Soon from FAI
This winter, the Chief Acquisition Officers' Council (CAOC) will launch a one-hour video on competitive sourcing. The video's purpose is to share best practices and review the basic building blocks of public-private competition. Competitive sourcing has shown improvement in job performance and lower costs to date. Over $1 billion has been saved in competitions, and over 85% of the time the government has won those competitions. The following topics will be addressed throughout the video:
In the video, a number of agencies which received "green" ratings on the Management Agenda scorecard share their challenges and successes throughout the competition process. Agencies that participated in the video include:
The video is sponsored by the CAOC's Competitive Sourcing Working Group and produced by FAI. A notice will be posted on www.faionline.com when the video goes live and a notice will also be placed in the "What's New" box of www.fai.gov. For more information on the video, please contact Rita Bartholomew at rita.bartholomew@gsa.gov or 703-558-4081.
Mark Your Calendar for FACE 2005!
The 2005 Federal Acquisition Conference and Exposition (FACE 2005) is scheduled for June 7 and 8, 2005 at the Washington D.C. Convention Center. The conference provides the opportunity to learn about important issues and emerging trends in acquisition. Stay tuned to http://www.fai.gov/face in the coming months for more information on the conference.
Report from the 2004 NCMA Conference
The 23rd annual National Contract Management Association (NCMA) Government Contract Management Conference, "Riding the Wave: The Future of Government Contracting in a Fluid Environment" was held December 6-7, 2004 in Vienna, Virginia. With 560 government and private industry contracting personnel attending, it was a good opportunity to hear from industry and government leaders on acquisition, legislation, and industry trends. Highlights from the conference included a General Session Panel on ethics which was moderated by Nancy Higgins, Executive Vice President, Ethics and Business Conduct, MCI. Panelists Steve Epstein, Office of the Secretary of Defense; Steven Schooner, Associate Professor of Law, George Washington University; and Robert Parker, Partner, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP, addressed a number of issues concerning recent procurement scandals. The first day's breakout sessions included excellent discussions of Performance Based Contracting by Chip Mather, Co-Founder, Acquisition Solutions (ASI); the new Acquisition Center of Excellence (ACE) for Services by project leaders Julia Wise of GSA, Jeff Birch of DAU, and Greg MacFarlan, Senior Fellow, LMI, one of the steering committee members. Greg Rothwell, the Chief Procurement Officer at Homeland Security (DHS) detailed what the agency has gone through the last year to get organized and the challenges ahead.
Tuesday's session was kicked off by an overview of OFPP initiatives by Robert Burton, the Associate Administrator of OFPP. He said the four themes behind current OFPP initiatives are results, competition, transparency, and accountability. OFPP initiatives are focused on human capital, competitive sourcing, increasing opportunities for small businesses, and expanding e-Gov initiatives. Congressman Tom Davis (R-Virginia) was a humorous and informative speaker at lunch, updating attendees on SARA and other congressional initiatives. The conference also featured an exhibit area with over 30 government and private company display booths. The 2005 NCMA World Congress will be held April 25-27 in Phoenix, Arizona. For more information or to register for NCMA events, go to www.ncmahq.org
Nominations Due for 2005 Elmer B. Staats Award
Nominations are due January 31, 2005 for the Elmer B. Staats Young Acquisition Professional Excellence Award. For the third year, the Procurement Round Table, in cooperation with the Senior Procurement Executives, will award $5,000 to a young federal acquisition professional who has contributed significantly to acquisition operation or acquisition policy. To be eligible for the award, candidates:
For more information on the details of the award, contact Paul Denett at ESI International at pdenett@esi-intl.com or 703-558-3055.
Contracting Award Presented by ESI
Each year, beginning in 2005, ESI International, in cooperation with the contracting community, will award $5,000 to a commercial or government contracts professional who has contributed significantly to acquisition operations or acquisition policy. This award is similar to the Elmer B. Staats award without the age restriction and is open to commercial contracts professionals. Nominations are due February 25, 2005. For more information on the award requirements, check out www.esi-intl.com and click on ESI Contracting Award or contact Nicole Kirk at nkirk@esi-intl.com or 703-558-4194.
U-group is a free, electronic newsletter that provides continuing information about usability engineering and other topics that enhance the user's experience with federal online systems. Each issue of U-group focuses on usability topics relevant to federal agencies and the audiences they serve. U-group is a monthly service from the Usability Solutions Group in GSA's Office of Electronic Government and Technology.
Each issue of U-Group provides valuable information on key usability-related topics, such as:
Kids and the Web Each U-group issue includes:
To join the U-group listserv, send an email to listserv@listserv.gsa.gov, type the following command in the body of the message: subscribe u-group. For more information, contact Janice Nall at Janice.nall@gsa.gov or 202-219-1544.
GSA's Usability Solutions Group, working in collaboration with the National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM), part of Boston's public television station WGBH, is currently in the process of developing an enhanced version of the STEP508 tool. The tool is focused on providing website accessibility error prioritization for Section 508 compliance. This software is being enhanced as a partial solution to help the federal government create an operating and management environment that meets legislated requirements and enables all citizens access to information, programs, services, and employment. The existing prototype manipulates the output of three web accessibility evaluation tools: Bobby 4 and 5 from Watchfire, LIFT Machine from UsableNet and WebKing from Parasoft. This prototype was made available earlier this year to federal agencies and the public for download and can be accessed through www.section508.gov. The new enhancement phase currently under development will require cooperative efforts with an extended list of accessibility evaluation software vendors. It is important to note that the STEP508 Tool is a prioritization tool not a testing/evaluation tool. Furthermore, STEP508 is not a competing product with any of the web accessibility evaluation tools developed by companies. These tools test for Section 508 compliance errors but do not prioritize them in the order of importance. The accessibility error prioritization tool will also be capable of providing metrics that report progress in improving the accessibility of a site over time.
The Usability Solutions Group is developing hands-on training for STEP508 users. The training schedule will be posted at http://section508.gov upon completion of the enhancements next year. A free copy of the STEP508 hardware can be obtained from http://section508.gov. For information on STEP508, contact Rosemary Gibert at rosemary.gibert@gsa.gov or 202-219-1364.
Green Cleaning in Detroit, Michigan
In the McNamara Federal Building in Detroit, Michigan, the contractor has expanded his use of green products, using "Green Seal" certified items. Green Seal is an independent, non-profit organization that strives to achieve a healthier and cleaner environment by identifying and promoting products and services that cause less toxic pollution and waste, conserve resources and habitats, and minimize global warming and ozone depletion. Property managers have educated building tenants about these green products at their regular meetings and are planning an informational kiosk.
The majority of building cleaning is accomplished using all-purpose cleaner H2Orange2, which is hydrogen peroxide based and contains bio product orange oil. H2Orange2 is used for carpet/floor maintenance, restrooms, hard surfaces, windows, and glass and mirror cleaning.
Other Green Seal certified cleaning products include two hard flooring/granite maintenance products: Spartan Green Solutions Floor Seal & Finish and Spartan Green Solutions Floor Finish Remover. This floor seal and finish contains no heavy metals, no glycol, no formaldehyde, and very low ammonia; the volatile organic compound (VOC) level is 0.5%. The finish remover is a low odor remover specifically formulated to strip Green Solutions Floor Seal & Finish. It is biodegradable and is not easily absorbed through the skin, with a VOC level of 6.0%. For more information, contact Eric Rought at eric.rought@gsa.gov or 313-226-2104.
NCR and EPA Join Forces to "Green" EPA HQ
The most visible work of PBS focuses on offering the full range of realty services necessary to provide office space for federal employees. There is one office in the National Capital Region (NCR), however, that is responsible solely for vegetation. NCR's Regional Horticulturist, Janet Kenoyer, is involved in about 100 landscape sites and environmental projects on federal property. One major project is the multi-phase "greening" of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) new headquarters complex in the Federal Triangle in Washington, DC.
As the complex's historic buildings were being restored and modernized, Janet and the EPA staff began discussing ways to incorporate sustainable landscaping practices in the complex. The demonstration project, part of a larger "Greening EPA" initiative, includes:
"The partnership between NCR and EPA is demonstrating how the federal government can improve the natural environment and create a pleasant working environment at the same time," commented Regional Administrator Donald Williams. "This project will serve as a model for other federal landscaping efforts, and can also provide an example for the private sector." For more information, contact Janet Kenoyer at janet.kenoyer@gsa.gov or 202-260-5253.
PBS and NISH Hold Annual Strategic Alliance Review
The PBS Office of Organizational Resources' Vendor Acquisition and Vendor Alliance Divisions participated with NISH in the 2nd Annual GSA/JWOD Strategic Alliance Review on Tuesday, November 30, 2004 at NISH Headquarters in Vienna, Virginia. The group discussed issues and recommendations for improvements to the Alliance Agreement for adoption or consideration for incorporation into the GSA/JWOD Strategic Alliance. Future discussions are anticipated to take place in March 2005. For more information, contact Karone Blondin, Vendor Alliance Program Manager at karone.blondin@gsa.gov or 202-501-3518.
Online GSA Business Cards Available from JWOD
GSA customers purchasing business cards from the Lighthouse for the Blind, Seattle, Washington, through the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Program, can now create business cards online, saving paperwork and time. The Seattle Lighthouse's online store (http://shop.lighthousestore.org/) allows you to choose an approved GSA business card template, enter the appropriate information, print a proof, and place your order in just minutes. Features of the Seattle Lighthouse's online ordering site include an easy to use "Help" function to assist you through the process, and an "Add to Cart & Copy" function that can create a series of business cards with similar information. Since the Seattle Lighthouse's online store utilizes SSL technology and is certified by a Thawte Certificate, you can be assured that orders are securely processed and information is protected.
Online ordering is currently only available for GSA customers, but other federal agencies will be able to take advantage of this option in the future. If you require any additional information about online ordering of business cards, or prefer to continue placing your orders by telephone, please contact the Seattle Lighthouse's Customer Service Representatives at 800-799-0402.
Nominations Due for the E.R. "Dick" Alley Career Achievement Award
The Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, the federal agency which oversees the JWOD Program, is soliciting nominations for the E.R. "Dick" Alley Career Achievement Award. This is the highest award given by the Committee and is intended to recognize current federal employees who have provided extraordinary, sustained support for the JWOD Program and its mission of creating employment opportunities for people who are blind or have other severe disabilities. The most recent GSA employee to receive this honor was Donna Hutchens, Procurement Services Team Leader in the Northwest/Arctic Region of GSA's Public Buildings Service, in 2001. Nominations must be received by February 25, 2005. Nomination instructions and forms can be found on the Committee's website at www.jwod.gov or by contacting Stephanie Lesko of the Committee staff at slesko@jwod.gov or 703- 603-0036.
Did you know that GSA's latest e-Business innovation, e-Buy, has simplified the acquisition process? e-Buy, which is a component of GSA Advantage!, is an electronic Request for Quote (RFC) system designed to allow buyers to prepare RFQ's directly online, for a wide range of services and products offered through the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program. e-Buy allows RFQ's and quotes to be exchanged electronically between federal buyers and Schedule contractors. Have you looked into e-Buy lately? To receive further information on e-Buy, go to http://www.ebuy.gsa.gov.
Did you know the Electronic Subcontract Reporting System (eSRS) will be the new governmentwide database for subcontracting data?The federal government's role in offering subcontracting assistance to small business was changed significantly in 1978 by P.L. 95-507, which amended Section 8(d) of the Small Business Act. Prior to the enactment of this law, special provisions for small and disadvantaged or minority small business contracting was voluntary on the part of prime contractors conducting business with the government. As part of IAE's mission to use technology to streamline federal procurement processes, the Electronic Subcontract Reporting System that is being developed will allow contractors to enter both SF 294 and SF 295 into a single website that is part of eSRS. For more information, contact Lisa Cliff at lisa.cliff@gsa.gov or 703-872-8593.
"Check It Out!" highlights upcoming conferences and events of interest to the GSA acquisition community. If you'd like to have your conference or event listed in this column, please send an email to the Editor, judy.steele@gsa.gov with the pertinent information and a point of contact.
2005 Supplier Relationship Management Conference
Selecting,
Accessing, Integrating and Managing Supplier Performance to Drive Business Results.
The Conference Board
Grand Hyatt Atlanta at Buckhead
Atlanta, GA
March 9-10,
2005
www.conference-board.org/srm.htm
212-339-0345
NCMA's World Congress 2005
"Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise"
Hyatt Regency/Phoenix
Civic Plaza
Phoenix, AZ
April 25-27, 2005
www.ncmahq.org
Opening Door's for America's Heroes
GSA, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Small Business Administration, U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S. Department of Commerce, hosted a three-day conference to assist veteran, service-disabled veteran, and small businesses learn how to access the $280 billion federal marketplace. The conference, "Opening Door's for America's Heroes," was held from December 6-8, 2004, in Honolulu, Hawaii to coincide with the 63rd Pearl Harbor anniversary.
The successful event drew over 700 participants and over 70 exhibitors from across America. Speakers included U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), GSA Administrator Stephen Perry, SBA Administrator Hector Barreto, and Brigadier General Charles Neeley, among others.
Administrator Perry said, "One of government's most important roles is to help create an environment where businesses can develop, grow and prosper, thereby creating a strong national economy and more jobs. GSA and our partner agencies are working very hard to ensure that everyone has access to opportunities to sell to the federal government. The more we can do to develop an open dialogue through events such as this one, the better we make the process."
Attendees participated in ten workshops, individual matchmaking sessions, and visited exhibits from 15 federal agencies and over 50 prime contractors and other small businesses. Workshop topics included how to become a GSA Schedule contractor, how to do business with the Department of Defense, marketing strategies, and subcontracting opportunities.
Speaking of the $1.9 billion government contracting dollars spent in Hawaii in 2003 and the successes of local veteran businesses, Senator Daniel Inouye stated, "According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 2003 was a record year for government contracting in Hawaii. Small businesses are key to government contracting, and their economic impact to the State of Hawaii is growing."
For more information, contact Pamela Smith-Cressel, Director, Office of Small Business Utilization, Office of the Deputy Regional Administrator Staff in Los Angeles, California at pam.smith-cressel@gsa.gov or 213-894-3210.
SPE Corner by David Drabkin
As I've mentioned before, there are three words that I live by: Integrity, Loyalty and Fun. It seems to me that now in the midst of our "Get It Right!" initiative, it is important to share why I think "Fun" is so important and ought to be a part of what we do everyday. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines "Fun" as "A source of enjoyment, amusement or pleasure." During a time when we, GSA, are under scrutiny by many of our customers and stakeholders for improper contracting actions, how, one might ask could we have "Fun?" In fact, isn't it inappropriate to even discuss having "Fun?" My answer: No! It is not inappropriate to talk about having fun while we do what we do best-provide best value solutions to our customers' requirements while ensuring that our stockholders, the American taxpayer, get a good return on the investment of their tax dollars. In fact, maybe the way for us to work ourselves out of the hole we find ourselves in, is to get pleasure by "Getting It Right!" everyday and in every way. We should get pleasure from making the process work for us beginning with the acquisition plan and ending with the close-out and final payment to our private sector partners. We should be exhilarated by making the process work, delivering a solution where it's needed on budget and then ensuring that the problem we were asked to solve, is solved.
Take a moment and think about the impact we have. I know it's hard sometimes to see the outcome of what we set in motion. More often than not we're not the service provider-we make the service provider better. But, take a moment, think about it, we don't deliver social security checks, we make delivering social security checks better and faster; we don't provide food to the hungry, we make providing the food better and easier, so more get to eat. We don't provide medical care to Veterans, we make providing that medical care better, saving lives and improving the quality of the lives of those who have served their country. We don't protect the country from threats, we help those that do, do it better every minute of every day. Isn't that something we should take pleasure in? Isn't using our skills, our knowledge in the marketplace something we should be proud of and take pleasure in? It is for me and I hope that each of you will find a way to take pleasure in your work, work only you can do in many cases, and find a way to have fun while getting best value solutions for our customer.
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We thank our guest authors for their contributions to this newsletter. Guest authors express their own views, which are provided for the information of our newsletter readers.
Office of the Chief Acquisition Officer
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Washington,
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Editor
Judy Steele
Graphics Editor
Michael McClellan
We welcome any comments, suggestions, and articles. We also welcome any individually authored articles on acquisition issues that would be of interest to the GSA acquisition audience. Please contact the Editor, Judy Steele, at judy.steele@gsa.gov or 202-501-4994 with comments or suggestions.