In an effort to create a new online market for government contracts, the General Services Administration (“GSA”) has invited industry to comment on the development and design of e-commerce portals for commercial procurements.
GSA’s request for comments was published on December 15, 2017. This comment period provides a valuable opportunity for contractors to advise GSA on what regulations and business practices should apply to e-commerce portals, which will likely serve as a platform for billions of dollars’ worth of government business.
GSA’s announcement comes only days after the signing of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2018 (“2018 NDAA” or the “Act”), which included an overhaul of the commercial item procurement system and directed GSA to develop e-commerce systems. Pursuant to Section 846(a) of the Act, GSA must establish e-commerce portals “for the purposes of enhancing competition, expediting procurement, enabling market research, and ensuring reasonable pricing of commercial products.” 2018 NDAA § 846(a). GSA has 90 days to implement “phase I” of Section 846, under which GSA must develop a plan and schedule for creating e-commerce portals. 2018 NDAA § 846(c)(1).
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