HCaTS-Direct is a great option for leveraging HCaTS to access highly skilled providers through use of the Delegated Procurement Authority (DPA) by your own contracting office.
What is DPA?
DPA is the official way the government gives an Ordering Contracting Officer (OCO) approval to start working on a procurement activity through an established procurement contract such as HCaTS. HCaTS DPAs are issued by GSA to the OCO after the completion of DPA training.
What are the benefits?
The first thing to know is that a DPA gives you access to preselected providers who represent the best and brightest federal strategy, training, development, and performance-improvement providers available. They’ve undergone a rigorous, highly competitive process in order to be awarded an HCaTS Contract.
HCaTS consists of providers in all business sizes and socio-economic subgroups. This enhances your agency’s ability to meet its small business procurement goals.
Next, DPA allows you to do your own acquisition planning, including conducting task order competitions, issuing task orders, assigning Contracting Officer Representatives (CORs), processing invoices, conducting evaluations, and closing out task orders.
And there’s no fee for this since you do all the work!
How do I get started?
Your OCO needs to attend GSA’s DPA training, which introduces the HCaTS Contracts, describes roles and responsibilities, and instructs how to order from the HCaTS Contract. After your OCO obtains a DPA, they can order off the contract vehicles at any time.
Before you issue a task order, your OCO should be able to:
- write a statement of requirements that defines what you’re trying to accomplish;
- plan and conduct a task order competition and issue task orders;
- provide a contracting officer representative to communicate with, monitor, and evaluate the performance of the provider;
- manage financials, including invoicing and closeout activities;
- plan and conduct task order competition and award task orders; and
- monitor and evaluate provider performance, review and accept contractor deliverables, review invoices, communicate with contractors, and respond to disputes.
The OCO and agency also need working knowledge of:
- Title 5 of the U.S. Code (Title 5 USC)
- Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations (Title 5 CFR)
- Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)
- Agency-specific acquisition policy
- Title 5 USC Chapter 41
- Title 5 CFR Part 250 (OPM’s Human Capital Framework)
- Agency human capital and training authorities
- Agency strategic human capital management plans
- Provisions of the Chief Human Capital Officers Act of 2002
And, the OCO will need a basic understanding of the various types of contracts available, such as firm-fixed-price, cost reimbursement, time and materials, and labor hours.
How do I get a scope advisory review?
As an optional complimentary service that may reduce protest risk for our DPA customers, OPM will review your draft requirements and provide guidance. An OPM consultant with human capital and training expertise will review and advise on your requirements statement for compatibility with HCaTS and human capital policy.
Where human capital themes are predominant, the consultant may advise how you can best formulate the requirements to reflect the principles of human capital management described in Title 5 CFR Part 250 (OPM’s Human Capital Framework).
For HCaTS DPA OCOs who are interested in scope advisory services on their Statements of Requirements (PWS, SOW, or SOO) with an OPM human capital consultant, the HCaTS DPA review process is simple and may reduce the risk of protest.
Request scope guidance by sending the following to hcatsdirect@opm.gov:
- Scope Advisory Services Request Form
- Key Service Areas (KSAs) you are targeting
- Statement of Requirements: PWS, SOW, or SOO
- Specific questions you have related to your work statement
- Deadline, if applicable
We’ll review your requirements within 72 hours.
