Skip to main content

Procurement Toolkit

USA Contact can issue a request for quotation to our nine solution partners, 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 USA Contact 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. Delegation of Contracting Authority – We use this process for the 16 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. Statement of Work – 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; and 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
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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 subfactors, their relative importance, and the methodology used to evaluate proposals.
  7. Instructions to Offerors – This document provides guidance to the vendors for how they should submit their responses to the request for quotations.
  8. 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.
  9. Indefinite Date, Indefinite Quantity SOW, and Terms and Conditions – These documents are the final statement of work for the USA Contact contract awarded to the nine solution partners; it also lists the terms and conditions that apply to the contract, and questions and answers from them.
  10. USA Contact Case Studies – Four short stories about how FirstContact, USA Contact's predecessor, helped other agencies respond to the public.
  11. 32 USA Contact IDIQ Task Orders Awarded*:
    • FEMA Disaster Assistance – Awarded DHS October 2004
    • National Contact Center – Awarded GSA November 2004
    • HHS Human Trafficking Hotline – Awarded HHS June 2005
    • HHS Program Support Center (includes Grants.gov) – Awarded HHS August 2005
    • FEMA National Processing Service Center – Two Awarded DHS September 2005
    • FEMA Donations Hotline – Awarded DHS October 2005
    • FEMA Referral Hotline – Awarded DHS October 2005
    • VA Special Event – Two Awarded VA May 2006
    • State Department Passport Overflow – May 2007
    • VA VBA Education Hotline – Awarded September 2007
    • VA Special Event – Awarded February 2007
    • VA Special Event – Awarded June 2007
    • VA Special Event – Awarded October 2007
    • VA VHA Outreach and Education Initiative for War Time Veterans – Awarded April 2008
    • Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Contact Center – Awarded July 2008
    • OPM Retirement Information Office Contact Center – Awarded September 2008
    • GSA Public Buildings Service Contact Center – Awarded September 2008
    • HUD Federal Housing Administration Contact Center – Awarded September 2008
    • HHS Program Support Center – Awarded January 2009
    • HHS Office of the Inspector General Hotline – Awarded February 2009
    • GSA IAE Federal Service Desk – Awarded April 2009
    • FCC DTV Transition Contact Center – Awarded April 2009
    • GSA FCIC National Contact Center – Awarded August 2009 
    • CNCS Corporation for National & Community Service – Awarded September 2010
    • EIA U.S. Energy Information Administration – Awarded September 2010
    • CFPB Consumer Response Center Federal Reserve System – Awarded June 2011
    • EPA NSCEP National Service Center for Environmental Publications - Awarded September 2011
    • USCIS United States Citizen and Immigration Services - Award Two Task Orders May 2012
    • Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Contact Center – Awarded June 2012
    • CNCS - Corporation for National Community Service - Awarded September 2012

* Task orders awarded under FirstContact contract, USA Contact’s predecessor. USA Contact is the follow-on contract to FirstContact.

If you have any questions or need additional information, contact barbara.walton@gsa.gov.

CONTACTS

Barbara Walton
(202) 208-0568


procurement documents,process,contacts,SOW,Limited Acquisition Plan,Determination and Findings,Source Selection Plan,case studies,award