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The General Service Administration is asking for industry input in creating a database search engine to instantly check prices of commercial and government products.

In a request for information, GSA said it wants to create the database to let all federal agencies compare current prices of selected products.

The database would search both commercial and government websites such as the Defense Department‘s email, GSA Advantage and NASA‘s Solutions for Enterprisewide Procurement.

Searchable fields within the database should include:

• Delivery times
• Item description
• Manufacturer
• National stock number
• North American industry classification service code
• Part number
• Quantity discounts
• Shipping cost
• Unit of issue

GSA said responses should include a rough cost estimate with an associated project schedule and the agency is accepting responses through than Feb. 29.

Photo: hirono.house.gov

A House caucus advocating for government increasing its use of contractors will launch this week, Federal Times reports.

The “Yellow Pages” caucus has drawn interest from 20 possible members and is holding a kickoff event Tuesday at Capital Triangle.

The Business Coalition for Fair Competition said in a Facebook announcement that if private businesses listed in the phone directory perform the same service that the government performs, then the service should be subject to open competition.

Using private sector businesses to complete this work would allow federal workers to instead focus on government-related work, BCFC President John Palatiello said to Federal Times.

Rep. Sam Graves

Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) has introduced legislation in favor of directing an additional $11 billion in federal contracting awards to smaller firms, Graves’ office announced Tuesday.

Through the Government Efficiency Through Small Business Contracting Act, Graves hopes to increase government agencies’ small business quota from 23 percent to 25 percent.

The bill would also lift each agency’s subcontracting goal from 35.9 percent to 40 percent.

“Government contracting offers a unique opportunity to invest in small businesses while also stimulating our economy,” Graves said.

Rep. Bill Owens (D-N.Y.) introduced similar legislation last week that would cut an agency’s contracting budget 10 percent in the following year if they did not meet similar goals.

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The Defense Department is proposing a new rule requiring contracting officers to use an analytics tool when awarding performance-based contracts, according to Monday‘s edition of the Federal Register.

The tool is a cash-flow model for evaluating alternative financing arrangements. Contracting officers would use the tool when considering performance-based payments on new fixed-price contract awards.

The requirement would apply to solicitations made on or after July 1, 2011. Prior to using performance-based payments, the contracting officer would be required to:

• Agree with the offer on price using customary progress payments before negotiation begins
• Use the new analytics tool to analyze the performance-based payments schedule

Under the proposed rule, if performance-based payments are desired, the contractor would submit a proposed performance-based payments schedule that includes:

• Payment events
• Completion criteria
• Event values
• An expected expenditure profile

The Pentagon is accepting comments on the proposed rule through March 30.

Photo: Attila Toro

Contractors who provide services to the Department of Homeland Security will soon be able to submit bids electronically, Federal Times reports.

Rafael Borras, DHS’ management undersecretary, said Thursday the current submission process will be reformed so companies can focus on the bid and save money on paper costs.

At a DHS industry day in Washington, Borras said he directed officials to create web-based portals for contractors to submit bids. According to Federal Times, companies have said requirements are often unclear and they do not have enough time to ask questions before responding to a request for proposals.

Stan Soloway, president of the Professional Services Council, said requirements often need clarification and can be translated incorrectly when procurement officers write them in a contract, according to Federal Times.

Borras said DHS will hold forums for companies to ask questions on upcoming projects before DHS issues a request for proposals.

Photo By: Tony Boon

The General Services Administration expects to save around $4 million annually on energy costs by using reverse online auctions, according to Federal News Radio.

Robert Zarnetske, the GSA’s New England region administrator, told Federal News Radio the agency initially identifies and collects information on federal government properties in corresponding geographical regions.

GSA then bundles similar properties together and advertise them as a package through an online auction. During the auction, energy contractors can bid on dollar amounts they are willing to accept to provide electricity for each property unit.

“Basically, we’re talking about a ‘reverse e-Bay for electricity,’ if you will,” Zarnetske said.

Energy providers that participate in the auctions can get guaranteed government contracts. In addition, the predictability of energy consumption helps contractors determine how much they will accept to supply the properties.

“Once they’ve offered up their best price, and they’ve already determined what the price point is where they’re going to make a profit, because we give them the information about what the anticipated consumption is going to be,” Zarnetske said.

The VA Acquisition Academy Acquisition Internship School’s Warriors to Workforce Program started Thursday through which veterans are trained to qualify for acquisition related careers.

The program ”leverages a training program that focuses on developing the mental and emotional strengths needed to success in their new endeavors,” according to the VA.

FCW reports the first year of the program consists of basic contracting skill training and strengthening veterans’ mental health. In the second and third year, veterans focus on the Federal Acquisition Institute’s technical competencies through interning in VA organizations.

The analysts will help develop contracting policy for the Department of the Army and provide guidance for contracting functions. This process will include reviewing current contracting activities in order to assess effectiveness and efficiency.

The analysts will serve in the office of the deputy assistant secretary for the Army for procurement and will participate in reviews of acquisition programs. According to the job posting, the analysts may serve as the focal point for cost, pricing and finance issues.

The Army is accepting applications through March and listed the salary range as between $74,872 and $155,000.

Photo: Juanjo Tugores

The General Services Administration will require vendors to provide information technology security plans detailing how they are meeting federal cyber regulations under a new rule published Friday.

GSA said that changes are will apply to IT contracts awarded after Jan. 6, 2012 and that contractors must submit their IT security plans within 30 days of the contract award.

The plan should detail the processes and procedures the contractor will follow for “appropriate security of IT resources… used under the contract.”

GSA said it will use this information to verify that IT data and systems are effectively secured from unauthorized users. GSA will also inspect prime contractors’ and subcontractors’ facilities and IT systems.

Both prime and subcontractors will submit written proof of IT security authorization six months after the award in order to verify the validity of their security plan. The required plans and proposals will be included in IT contract solicitations.

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Although the federal government will increase the importance of price when awarding contracts for goods and services in an upcoming era of tightened budgets, the government’s lead agency for acquiring resources sees this new era as a “sweet spot” for it to get agencies good value for their purchases according to Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Steven Kempf.

Kempf told Government Executive he believes the General Services Administration is well-positioned to help federal agencies leverage their resources and help reduce costs when purchasing goods and services. The GSA is using strategic sourcing as its tool to cut costs of supplies, wireless plans, printers and telecommuting according to Charles Clark’s story.

The Office of Federal Procurement Policy introduced strategic sourcing in 2005 to encourage multiple agencies to purchase office supplies and other products on one contract vehicle in an effort to cut costs. The Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative intends to increase collaboration between the private and public sectors in developing solutions and sharing best practices.

While the Government Accountability Office has questioned GSA’s methods for measuring the savings, GAO said in a December report that interagency purchases cut the government’s spending on printing products when purchases were made on GSA’s multiple award schedule program.

There has been movement on several fronts in Washington to further encourage strategic sourcing. In September, the OFPP directed agencies to develop business cases for establishing or renewing either a governmentwide, multiagency or interagency contract.

OFPP said this measure would prevent duplication of contracts and former OFPP Administrator Dan Gordon said the measure would help agencies better determine if their needs require a new contract or if needs could be met using an existing contract.

Gordon, who left the White House at the end of December, focused much of his tenure on strengthening the federal acquisition workforce to help the federal government better leverage its buying power. The GSA has made use of blanket purchase agreements for acquiring technology products.

“You see the results in the office supplies strategic sourcing effort: agencies looked at GSA’s offerings, and concluded that GSA was offering what they needed at low prices,” Gordon said to Federal News Radio.

In November, President Obama issued an executive order directing agencies to limit technology devices issued to employees and recommending agencies use the FSSI to acquire printing devices and services.

There are still some obstacles in GSA’s path for governmentwide contracts. According to GovExec’s list of agencies participating in the strategic sourcing initiative, 90 federal entities use GSA’s domestic shipping and delivery services and 60 use GSA’s office supplies plan.

However, while only 24 entities use GSA’s print managing tool, 20 use its wireless devices plan and six use its expense management service for telecommunications.

“Over the last 10 years, agencies received more sources and had more in-house capability to do things, so they got used to it,” Kempf said, adding that agency pride may explain the hesitancy.

Now those sources are drying up and agencies to taking a new approach to acquisition, with GSA leading the way.

“If the agencies ever needed a best friend, now is the time,” Kempf said.