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Tag: PSC

Will the CARES Act become permanent?

In March of 2020, when the Coronovirus became a pandemic, Section 3610 of the CARES Act went into effect. This section of the CARES Act provides economic relief to contractors so that they can continue to pay their employees. Unless Congress extends Section 3610 of the CARES Act, it expires on September 30, 2021. (Washington Technology August 5, 2021)

The Professional Services Council (PSC) would like for Section 3610 to become permanent. PSC Executive Vice President David Broome feels Section 3610 should become permanent. He reasons this by looking at how several agencies have heavily relied on Section 3610 during the pandemic. GAO saw a combined $882.8 million in reimbursements from across the Departments of Defense, Energy, Homeland Security, and NASA. (ibid)

GAO staff interviewed 15 contractors and 12 agreed that Section 3610 “had a great or moderate effect on their ability to retain employees, in particular those with specialized skill or clearances.” (ibid)

According to Broome, “GAO makes the case for establishing a permanent stand-by authority that would be available when needed and in place when the next emergency happens – be it a pandemic, a cyberattack or natural disaster. Establishing this authority now would be a prudent step to implement one lesson learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure that the government and contractors are prepared for the next one.” (ibid)

Are you a contractor trying to take advantage of Section 3610 and not sure where to start? Give us a call.

 

Oh, the Things beta.sam.gov Can Do!

In January, FedBizOpps moved to beta.SAM.gov. What was once in FBO can now be found under Contract Opportunities in beta.SAM.gov. (GSA Interact, June 9, 2020)

Users can now save “contract opportunity” searches and receive emails when changes occur, which saves time from having to constantly search to see if changes have occurred. The set up for these notifications as well as other frequently asked questions are found under FAQS.

If you are looking for information about NAICS code or PSC, instructions including detailed videos may be found here. In addition, there are instructions for searching by place of performance in this video. (ibid)

Some major improvements, still in the development stages are:

  • Updated keyword search to allow phrase searches. This includes entering phrases in the search bar and obtaining focused results. This function will remove the current requirement of entering multiple terms in quotation marks, which can lead to unrelated results.
  • Development site improvements. The use of micro frontends allows for a superior experience as it minimizes interruptions by allowing individual systems parts to be upgraded rather than the entire site.
  • Future improvements. Look for enhancement to beta.SAM.gov, such as scheduling future searches and the option for filtering federal organization below sub-tier. Additionally, the ability to search for multiple states in a single search is on the horizon. (ibid)

For additional help, videos go to the beta.SAM.gov learning center. Assistance may also be found at the Federal Service Desk from 8 AM to 8 PM EST Monday through Friday at FSD.gov.

Feeling a little overwhelmed by beta.SAM.gov? Give us a call.

GSA Allowing Some non-TAA Compliant Products

Demand for essential supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic has escalated to the point that GSA Senior Procurement Executive (SPE) has issued a Class Determination and Findings (D&F) that temporarily allows procurement of non-Trade Agreement Act (TAA) compliant products through the GSA Schedule contracts. Unavailability of the Federal Supply Classes found in GSA’s SPE memo dated 3 April 2020 is cited as the rationale for the change in contractor procedures. (GSA Interact, April 15, 2020)

All MAS contractors with access to products under these FSCs and able to meet the urgent need should submit a stand-alone modification request via eMod. Information and detailed instructions for submitting the modification along with required templates can be found on the GSA.gov, MAS Contractor and Modification Requirements page. (ibid)

The Federal Acquisition Service will email contractors to which the D&F may apply . If you do not receive an email or your authorized negotiator is not up to date, please contact your Procurement Contracting Officer (PCO). A PCO listing may be found by searching your contract number or company name on gsaelibrary.gsa.gov.

Are you able to meet the urgent needs of the government but do not know how to navigate the MAS Contractor and Modification Requirements? Give us a call.

Telework, the New (Temporary?) Norm

In a recent letter to her contracting staff, Soraya Correa, Homeland Security’s chief procurement officer, asked her contracting staff to stay apprised of the outbreak of COVID-19, before taking any trips. She is relying on the honor system for employees who must take trips to “affected areas, to contact their managers prior to their return to discuss possible telework or leave options.” Also, if they’ve been in close contact with a person “known to have COVID-19” or if airport screeners told them to self-quarantine after returning from overseas travel. Correa went on to say, “if contract performance is affected due to the COVID-19 situation, such as the need for alternate work locations, or travel or schedule changes, the contracting officer is the authority to discuss this with your company.” (FCW, March 9, 2020)

A spokesman for the Professional Services Council expects adjustments of this nature to be the new normal. He expects alternatives to how and where contracting personnel work, with programs necessitating a high level of security being prioritized. (ibid)

Federal agencies are already beginning to shake things up. One example is a recent notice on beta.SAM.gov, where the Department of Defense suggested that attendees of its National Cyber Range Complex Event Planning, Operations, and Support contracting meeting in Florida next week, have alternates at the ready. The notice also mentioned staying tuned in, as the outbreak could cancel the event. (ibid)

Need help determining if your contract may be at risk due to travel/work restrictions as a result of the virus outbreak ? Give us a call.

beta.sam.gov Hiccup Hiccup

When FedBizOpps (FBO) migrated to beta.sam.gov, everyone expected a few hiccups. Now three months in, it’s fair to say government contractors have been experiencing more than just a few hiccups. GSA says the number of help desk calls they get is no more than they got with FBO. However, the frustration over beta.sam.gov runs deep.

Last week contractor discouragement came to a head when the Professional Services Council sent GSA a letter airing not only their complaints but also their concerns. The 22-page letter outlined the four areas of greatest concern:

  • Access Challenges;
  • Search Parameters;
  • Capability to receive contract information;
  • Difficulties in how the site displays information. (Federal News Network, February 17, 2020)

At EZGSA, we have found problems with data organization, standardization, and even saving information. GSA seems ready to add new capabilities next month, but should they? Many feel the backend structure should be fixed before the next phase, moving the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation (FPDS-NG) reporting capabilities to beta.sam.gov in March. (ibid)

Large companies are better able to handle the costs associated with down time or lost data. Small businesses that must  spend thousands of dollars on software, just to get what they got before the FBO migration, are at a great disadvantage.

Need help navigating beta.sam.gov? We will do our best to help and take away some of the frustration. Give us a call.