Skip to content Skip to left sidebar Skip to right sidebar Skip to footer

Contract management

Life after DUNS

If you have done any work, within the past 60 years with the Federal Government, then you have probably heard of the Data Universal Number System or DUNS. It is the data format that identifies organizations doing business with the government.

GSA, who administers the program, awarded a new contract in 2018 to Ernst & Young to dispense new organization identifiers. The new Unique Entity IDs (UEIs) will replace the current DUNS numbers. Ernst & Young will also manage the transition. (Nextgov October 13, 2021)

GSA is working with agencies to test the old and the new numbers prior to the final cutover, planned for April 2022. However, before the switch from DUNS numbers to UEIs takes place, GSA through the Integrated Award Environment program would like to work with some testers to ensure smooth sailing before the final cutover. (ibid)

According to Interact.gov, “volunteers get scripts which walk through various Unique Entity ID (SAM.gov) functions, such as requesting and receiving a Unique Entity ID (SAM.gov) or how to deal with error scenarios. Each test script takes about 20 minutes or less. You test at your own pace and send us your feedback.” This is extremely necessary because the DUNS is a nine-number string and the UEI is a 12-digit alphanumeric code. (ibid)

The program office recently released new help resources through the Federal Service Desk under a dropdown option under FAQ. It is also accessible through a large green button icon on the fsd.gov homepage. (ibid)

This large-scale modernization touches every single entity that does business with the federal government. GSA is hopeful their call for superusers will enable a smooth transition.

Questions about the UEI and how you might get ahead of the curve and get yours? Give us a call.

 

 

GSA is about to make Cloud purchases a whole lot easier

GSA is about to reveal a plan for a governmentwide marketplace for cloud solutions. This new marketplace will not only make it convenient, it will also set up a one-stop-shop for agencies to purchase commercial Software as a Service, Infrastructure as a Service, and Platform as a Service, offerings. (FedTech October 7, 2021)

On a recent webinar, Laura Stanton, assistant commissioner for the Office of Information Technology Category in the GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, said, “We’re looking at how we put together a cloud marketplace that then becomes a buying platform for agencies. We want to put together not just a framework, but a market contractual vehicle that will allow our agencies to buy these core cloud services that we’re seeing them need more and more.” (ibid)

The GSA marketplace will provide agencies with professional IT services as well as post-award contract management tools. It would also set the requirements to verify cloud services meet the baseline security and adherence to guidance from the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP). (ibid)

GSA wants to streamline the entire cloud procurement process for agencies. According to Laura Stanton, “GSA uses the cloud and cloud-related IT professional services special item number (SIN) 518210C as a vehicle for multiple-award procurements. The contract type can be used to acquire cloud computing services, as defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.” Stanton said that GSA is “hearing that agencies have to go to multiple places to buy cloud. We decided it was time to take the next step.” (ibid)

An RFI is expected early in the new fiscal year, which began October 1, 2021. (ibid)

Questions concerning the upcoming RFI? Give us a call.

Getting the government to green

The increasing number of Natural disasters are actually not at all “Natural.” They are costing the global economy more than $390 billion each year. As a response, consumers and corporations are working on ways to lower their carbon footprint. Simultaneously, the government is putting into place, aggressive timelines to curb emissions. The Biden administration announced a 2030 target, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 52 percent. (Washington Technology September 13, 2021)

Because the federal government has such extensive purchasing power, they have the ability to drive holistic sustainable innovations in the private sector. The government can create sustainability standards and include those standards in requests for proposals, thus driving the private sector into more sustainable practices. (ibid)

According to Bloomberg Government, “$682 billion was spent on contracts in fiscal 2020 a record expenditure for the government.” This gives the federal government the ability to incentivize contractors, who want to work with the government. (ibid)

Will sustainability standards become the norm for requests for proposals? It is already in cybersecurity, the NIST 800 standards have set the bar high for device manufacturers. (ibid)

A recent executive order to speed up cybersecurity advancements pushes industry to progress and innovate even faster. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could use this same type of model to impel sustainability. (ibid)

Once the government makes sustainability a priority, the private world will follow suit. We are already seeing a new mentality and with that, progress.

Questions concerning environmental standards and how to exceed them in your next response to an RFP? Give us a call.

 

 

Get vaccinated, stay safe, continue to work

On July 29, 2021, the Biden Administration announced that every federal government employee and onsite contractor must attest to their vaccination status. At the same time, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force which oversees the development and implementation of agency COVID-19 workplace safety plans issued the COVID-19 Workplace Safety: Agency Model Safety Principles.  The Agency Model Safety Principles must be incorporated into current COVID-19 workplace safety plans. (JD Supra September 2, 2021)

Agency Model Safety Principles:

  • Attestation form signed by onsite contractors to confirm their vaccination.
  • Contractors refusing to sign the attestation form will be treated as not fully vaccinated, for purposes of safety protocols.
  • All contractors who refuse to sign the attestation form or who are not fully vaccinated must wear a mask in all settings, physically distance, and take a weekly or twice-weekly COVID-19 screening test.
  • Agencies must create a program to test those not fully vaccinated.
  • Fully vaccinated onsite contractors do not need to be tested, physically distance themselves or wear a mask in areas of moderate or low transmission.
  • All individuals, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a mask in areas of high or substantial transmission. (ibid)

The mandate currently deals only with contractors working on federal facilities. However, the White House stated that “President Biden is directing his team to take steps to apply similar standards to all federal contractors.” (ibid)

The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force urges agencies to provide onsite contractors with the Certification of Vaccination form as they enter any federally-controlled work area. Contractors will be required to keep the form with them while they are on federal premises. Contractors should be ready to show the Certification of Vaccination upon entry to a federal building or federally-controlled indoor site. Contractors entering without a form will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test, taken within the past 3 days, before entry is permitted. (ibid)

As with all things “COVID,” the policies are evolving and changing regularly. It is incumbent upon the federal contractor to stay apprised.

Questions about GSA? Give us a call.