Getting Started
All vendors must have a D-U-N-S number (http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform) and be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). As part of registering for SAM, vendors have to complete representations and certifications required by various FAR clauses.
beta System for Awards Management (SAM)
beta SAM.gov will be the official U.S. government website for people who make, receive, and manage federal awards. This is a beta site that is continuously integrating other government websites. The beta.SAM.gov domains contain data that has been migrated from legacy systems. The domains support two distinct types of federal awards: acquisition and federal assistance. Acquisition awards are contracts awarded under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). Federal assistance awards are grant, cooperative, loan, insurance, service, and other agreements covered by the Code of Federal Regulations, specifically 2 CFR 200. To see what is being integrated, visit https://beta.sam.gov/help/award-data.
Getting Paid
All vendors must submit invoices through Wide Area Workflow (WAWF) within Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE).
Opportunities
Federal Business Opportunities: The official Government Point of Entry. Solicitations over $25,000 that meet the synopsis requirements of FAR 5.301 are posted here, as well as justifications for other than full and open competition. Special notices, as well as award synopses, may be migrated to beta.sam.gov.
GSA eBuy: GSA eBuy is a powerful and intuitive acquisition tool used by thousands of US federal agencies and military services worldwide to achieve required competition, best pricing and value. GSA eBuy was designed to bring ease and versatility to online procurement.
NASA SEWP: The NASA Solutions for Enterprise Wide Procurement (SEWP) is a Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC). The SEWP contracts offer a vast selection and wide range of commercial advanced technology, including, desktops and servers, IT peripherals, network equipment, storage systems, security tools, software products, cloud based services, telecommunication, Health IT, video conferencing systems and other IT and Audio-Visual products along with product based services such as installation, maintenance and other services related to in-scope products to all Federal Agencies (including Department of Defense) and their approved support service contractors.
Interagency Contract Directory: The ICD is a central repository of Indefinite Delivery Vehicles (IDV) awarded by the Federal agencies where the IDV is available for use at both the intra agency and interagency levels. IDVs include GWACs, Multi-Agency Contracts, Other Indefinite Delivery Contracts (IDC), Federal Supply Schedules (FSS), Basic Ordering Agreements (BOA), and Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPA).
Federal Acquisition Information
Acquisition.gov: Website that offers helpful information regarding Federal procurements.
Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR): The FAR is the primary regulation for use by all executive agencies in their acquisition of supplies and services with appropriated funds. It became effective on April 1, 1984, and is issued within applicable laws under the joint authorities of the Administrator of General Services, the Secretary of Defense, and the Administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, under the broad policy guidelines of the Administrator, Office of Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget.
FAR Alert Notices (FAN): The FAR Alert Notice was established by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) in 2012, to help improve agency awareness of the regulatory changes. OFPP collaborates with FAR Council member agencies (GSA, DoD, and NASA) to prepare and review the FAN for dissemination to the acquisition workforce. You may browse through the most recent FANs below.
Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS): The Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is administered by the Department of Defense (DoD). The DFARS implements and supplements the FAR. The DFARS contains requirements of law, DoD-wide policies, delegations of FAR authorities, deviations from FAR requirements, and policies/procedures that have a significant effect on the public. The DFARS should be read in conjunction with the primary set of rules in the FAR.
Federal Register: The Office of the Federal Register (OFR) of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) jointly administer the FederalRegister.gov website. They developed this website to make it easier for citizens and communities to understand the regulatory process and to participate in Government decision-making. Within the website you can find Federal Acquisition Circulars.
Contract Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS): CPARS is the official source for past performance information. Past performance information is information regarding a contractor’s actions under previously awarded contracts or orders. Past performance information is used as an indicator of a contractor’s ability to perform future contracts or orders. It includes the contractor’s record of conforming to requirements and to standards of good workmanship; forecasting and controlling costs; adherence to schedules, including the administrative aspects of performance; reasonable and cooperative behavior and commitment to customer satisfaction; reporting into databases; integrity and business ethics; and business-like concern for the interest of the customer (FAR 42.1501). The Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) data has been merged into CPARS. CPARS.gov is the official source for past performance information.
Federal Procurement Data System – Next Generation (FPDS-NG): Agencies report on contract actions as specified in FAR 4.6. Agencies report unclassified information on all contract actions whose estimated value is $10,000 or more. Every modification to that contract, regardless of dollar value must be reported as well.
Government Accountability Office: GAO provides Congress, the heads of executive agencies, and the public with timely, fact-based, non-partisan information that can be used to improve government and save taxpayers billions of dollars. Their work is done at the request of congressional committees or subcommittees or is statutorily required by public laws or committee reports, per our Congressional Protocols. The website includes Reports & Testimonies, as well as Legal Decisions.
Wage and Labor Determinations: A wage determination is a listing of wage rates and fringe benefit rates for each labor category of workers which the U.S. Department of Labor has determined to be prevailing in a given area. Beta.SAM.gov is now the official source for Wage and Labor Determinations.
Other Transactions
DCSA has authority to carry out "other transactions" for prototype projects as permitted by section 2371 b of title 10, United States Code (U.S.C.). A prototype project addresses a proof of concept, model, reverse engineering to address obsolescence, pilot, novel application of commercial technologies for defense purposes, agile development activity, creation, design, development, demonstration of technical or operational utility, or combinations of the foregoing. A process, including a business process, may also be the subject of a prototype project.
DCSA procedures for entering into Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) can be found at the following link:
Commercial Solutions for Prototyping Procedures (CSPP)
Opportunities for OTAs:
All DCSA Requests for Solution Briefs will be posted here.