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Federal vendor database — SAM — hacked

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The General Services Administration (GSA) has announced that fraudulent activity has allegedly taken place within the System for Award Management (SAM).

SAM is the federal government’s vendor database.  It also contains links to several other contract-related functions.

Existing SAM registrants are being advised to validate their registration information, particularly their financial information.  If an entity’s financial information in SAM — particularly bank routing information — has been exposed, it is possible for contract payments to be diverted.

Until SAM’s data breach issue is settled, it is going to be particularly difficult for new vendors to register in SAM.

The Federal Service Desk advises that a new entity registering in SAM at www.sam.gov is now required to prepare and submit a notarized letter identifying the authorized Entity’s Administrator before the entity will be activated within the SAM database.

To assist vendors in this process, the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) has prepared a template.  The template is available here: SAM_Notary_Letter_Template_v1_GTPAC_03.23.2018

Update: GSA has prepared a template for preparation of the notarized letter.  The template is available here: SAM_Notary_Letter_Template_4.12.18_GSA_version

As specified by GSA, GTPAC’s template for the notarized letter specifies that it is to:

  • Be on your company/organization letterhead
  • Be signed by your company President, CEO, or other authorized signature authority
  • Contain your company/organization DUNS Number
  • Contain your company/organization Legal Business Name (as associated with the DUNS Number)
  • Contain your company/organization physical address (as associated with the DUNS Number)
  • Contain the new Entity Administrator’s name, phone number, address, and email address
  • Contain the following statement above the signature block of your letter with the appropriate information inserted where noted: “The purpose of this notarized letter is to designate [insert name of Entity Administrator] as Entity Administrator for [insert Legal Business Name].  I, [insert Name and Title of signatory], hereby confirm that [insert name of Entity Administrator] is an authorized officer, agent, or representative of [insert entity Legal Business Name, or, for individuals representing themselves, say him/herself]. This letter will authorize [insert name of Entity Administrator] to have access to the System for Award Management (SAM). SAM is a computer system managed by the U.S. Government, and it is only accessible by individuals who are either authorized to represent a particular entity, or by individuals representing themselves. Accessing or using SAM, or information contained therein, for any unauthorized or illegal purposes, may have civil and criminal penalties, and may negatively impact the status of the SAM registration maintained on this entity. I, the below-signed, attest to the accuracy of all information contained in this letter.”

Vendors are reminded that there is no cost to register in SAM — it is free.

You must mail the original letter, signed by the Notary, to:

FEDERAL SERVICE DESK

ATTN: SAM.GOV REGISTRATION PROCESSING

100 CAPITOL COMMERCE BLVD STE 309

MONTGOMERY, AL 36117-4260

Address Update:

FEDERAL SERVICE DESK

ATTN: ​SAM.GOV​ REGISTRATION PROCESSING

460 INDUSTRIAL BLVD

LONDON, KY 40741-7285

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Georgia businesses who need assistance with this process should contact a GTPAC counselor for no-cost assistance.  A directory of our counselors appears at: http://gtpac.org/team-directory.

Businesses located outside the state of Georgia may contact the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) in their state.  A directory is at: http://www.aptac-us.org/find-a-ptac.

DHS tests AI for making sense of contractor past-performance data

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The Department of Homeland Security is almost done with the first phase of a project that will allow federal agencies to use artificial intelligence for a task that can be overwhelming for humans: extracting, analyzing and visualizing the underutilized data in the governmentwide system for contractor past-performance records.

Next week DHS will finish reviewing services from nine vendors who were given data sets from the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS).  Before awarding contracts worth more than $250,000, agencies review historical data in the CPARS to see how offerers acted under previous agreements.  It’s not an easy task.

With more than 1 million records covering 60,000 contractors, CPARS can bog down contracting officers, said Polly Hall, acquisition innovation advocate director of the Procurement Innovation Lab at DHS.  They can sort records by contract value, Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number or performance period, but even once those filters are applied, the results frequently still number in the hundreds and can only be viewed PDF at a time.

Continue reading at:  Fedscoop

Why contractor past performance data is becoming both more, less valuable

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When the General Services Administration released the $65 billion Alliant 2 governmentwide acquisition contract for IT services back in June 2016, it was one of the first major procurement efforts to put a premium on past performance.

As part of the self-scoring approach to Alliant 2, GSA determined that 40 percent of the evaluation points would be on how vendors have performed on previous and similar work with the government.  At the time, industry analysts praised GSA for building on this self-scoring approach.  Now three years later, the self-scoring approach where past performance is a significant evaluation factor has grown in popularity.

At the same time, vendors and federal procurement officials alike heed a common call that the current approach to obtaining past performance is problematic and needs to be rethought.

“As the government moves to buying more services and solutions, things are getting more subjective and you want to be able to do a better job of motivating contractors to do more,” said Jim Williams, a former federal executive with GSA, the IRS and the Homeland Security Department, and now a principal with Williams Consulting, LLC and an advisor for GovConRx.  “The forces are coming together to say vendor past performance is a valuable tool.  But it’s not working as it should because it’s too burdensome and not as accurate as it should be.  No one wants to throw it out.  We just want to fix it.”

Experts say the current system, the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), takes too much time to fill out, lacks important details and isn’t as accurate as it needs to be.

“The time and effort to draft CPARS evaluations is too much, and with most agency contracting staffs pressed to do more with less, that gets pushed out further, especially if there is a need to justify ratings over satisfactory,” said Mike Smith, a former DHS director of strategic sourcing and now executive vice president at GovConRx.  “There needs to be some way to justify anything over satisfactory that is not so hard to track down all the information so it becomes less cumbersome.  Contractors also are not actively engaged in the documentation and support of the ratings.  That has to change too, especially as agencies are paying a lot more attention to ratings.  We have to figure out how to make sure past performance ratings are not done in haste.”

Smith said on average, depending on the type of procurement, it could take a contracting officer a few minutes to a few hours to write an in-depth CPARS review.

New data compiled by GovConRx shows the value of CPARS is dropping dramatically.

Continue reading at:  Federal News Network

Federal contractor numbering system gets first new managing vendor after 20 years

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A new vendor is taking over management of the vendor verification system run through the General Services Administration, ending a 20-year dynasty for the company that established the Data Universal Numbering System, or DUNS.

Through the Integrated Award Environment, GSA issues each vendor or organization that does business with the government a unique DUNS number. The system has been managed by Dun & Bradstreet since it was created in 1962 and the company has held the contract with GSA since DUNS became part of the Federal Acquisition Regulation in 1998.

After opening the contract to competitive bids last year, GSA announced Monday that a new vendor, Ernst & Young, would be taking over the entity validation system.

The new deal includes a one-year base period, with four one-year options, which, if exercised, would make the contract worth a total of $41.8 million.

With the introduction of a new vendor, GSA is taking the opportunity to reengineer the system. The DUNS number will be phased out over the coming months and replaced by the System for Award Management Managed Identifier, or SAMMI, number.

The standards for how that system will work are currently being hammered out by an interagency working group, a GSA spokesperson told Nextgov.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.nextgov.com/analytics-data/2019/03/federal-contractor-numbering-system-gets-first-new-managing-vendor-after-20-years/155678/

GSA needs vendor volunteers to test FedBizOpps API

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As the General Services Administration continues to build out the next iteration of a federal contractor web portal, the agency is looking for volunteers to test new functionalities incorporating contracting information from the Federal Business Opportunities site.

The Integrated Award Environment—the office charged with developing technological solutions and systems for contracting, grants and loans—put out a call for volunteers to test the new application program interface, or API. The API integrates FedBizOpps data with the beta version of the System for Award Management site, SAM.gov.

With an API, users can get automatic updates on new FedBizOpps posts, such as new contracting opportunities, updates to existing solicitations and requests for information.

“APIs allow computers to exchange pre-formatted data so that human intervention is not required,” according to the call for volunteers. “The API provides public opportunities—FBO—data in a format that is easy for other systems/applications to ingest.”

Keep reading this article at: https://www.nextgov.com/it-modernization/2018/05/gsa-needs-vendor-volunteers-test-fedbizopps-api/148136/

The image above shows the integration of the 10 existing federal award systems that are managed by GSA’s Integrated Award Environment. Once integrated, all 10 systems will be categorized by their main feature (such as contract opportunities, registration, and wage determinations) into a centralized website called beta.SAM.gov – which, once tested, will become the new SAM.gov.

 

Tips for surviving compromise of government’s vendor database

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If your business is registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) – or you plan to register – there are some things you need to do NOW to protect your data security.

On March 22, 2018, the General Services Administration (GSA), the federal agency that oversees SAM’s operation, reported an “active investigation” is being conducted into alleged, third party fraudulent activity involving SAM.  GSA says it is in the process of notifying those that may have been impacted and has indicated that it will deactivate “any entity registrations that appeared to have been affected.”  GSA further stated that the deactivated “entities are being advised to validate their registration information in SAM, particularly their financial information and points of contact.”

GSA’s recent statements may have implications for all businesses, institutions, and individuals registered in SAM.  The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) is providing the following advice to all clients.

What To Do If You Are Already Registered in SAM

The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center recommends that if your business is registered in SAM, you take the following actions:

  1. With your User Name and Password, log into your SAM account at https://www.sam.gov and navigate to the Financial Information page. There, you will find your Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) information.  This is where you inserted your bank Routing Number and your bank Account Number as a part of the SAM registration process.  Check these numbers to make sure they are correct and have not been changed.  If you discover banking information other than your own, it is possible that federal contract payments have been or will be made to a bank other than yours.  If these numbers have been changed, this is evidence that your account has been compromised, and you should report this immediately to the Federal Service Desk at www.fsd.gov, or by telephone at 866-606-8220 (toll free) or 334-206-7828 (internationally).

    Screenshot of Financial Information page in SAM database.
  2. While you are logged-in to SAM, you also should check your Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). Your TIN is a 9-digit Employer Identification Number (EIN) that SAM uses to uniquely identify your business, and it is validated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a part of your initial registration in SAM.  If you discover that your TIN/EIN has been changed, you should report this immediately to the Federal Service Desk at www.fsd.gov, or by telephone at 866-606-8220 (toll free) or 334-206-7828 (internationally).

    Screenshot of Taxpayer Identification page in SAM database.
  3. Important note: If you used your Social Security Number (SSN) as your EIN when you set up your account, now is a good time to obtain an EIN and insert it into SAM instead of your SSN. You can apply for and obtain an EIN on-line at: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/apply-for-an-employer-identification-number-ein-online.
  4. Remember, as a SAM registrant, you are required to change your password every 180 days. In addition, you must update and renew your SAM registration annually.  You are responsible for ensuring that your information is current and correct in SAM at all times.
What To Do If You Are Not Yet Registered in SAM
  1. Both current and potential government vendors are required to register in SAM — located at https://www.sam.gov — in order to be awarded contracts by the federal government and receive contract payments. Vendors are required to complete a registration to provide basic information relevant to procurement and financial transactions. Vendors must update or renew their registration annually to maintain an active status.
  2. SAM is a public database that allows federal agencies and other contractors to search for your company based on your ability, size, location, experience, ownership, and more. (Banking information is not available in public searches.)  In addition, SAM now incorporates the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) system where the vendor provides required information about the firm (e.g., accounting procedures, travel policies, etc.) and verifies that the firm meets certain federal requirements (e.g., complies with equal employment opportunity legislation).
  3. SAM validates the vendor’s information and electronically shares encrypted data with the federal agencies’ finance offices to facilitate contract payments.
  4. Because of suspected fraudulent activity, GSA has added a step to the registration process for new SAM enrollees. You must now mail an original, signed notarized letter identifying the authorized Entity Administrator for the entity associated with your company’s DUNS number before a new SAM entity registration will be activated.
  5. This notarized letter needs to:
  • Be on your company/organization letterhead
  • Be signed by your company President, CEO, or other authorized signature authority
  • Contain your company/organization DUNS Number
  • Contain your company/organization Legal Business Name (as associated with the DUNS Number)
  • Contain your company/organization physical address (as associated with the DUNS Number)
  • Contain the new Entity Administrator’s name, phone number, address, and email address
  • Contain the following statement above the signature block of your letter with the appropriate information inserted where noted:

“The purpose of this notarized letter is to designate [insert name of Entity Administrator] as Entity Administrator for [insert Legal Business Name]. I, [insert Name and Title of signatory], hereby confirm that [insert name of Entity Administrator] is an authorized officer, agent, or representative of [insert entity Legal Business Name, or, for individuals representing themselves, say him/herself]. This letter will authorize [insert name of Entity Administrator] to have access to the System for Award Management (SAM). SAM is a computer system managed by the U.S. Government, and it is only accessible by individuals who are either authorized to represent a particular entity, or by individuals representing themselves. Accessing or using SAM, or information contained therein, for any unauthorized or illegal purposes, may have civil and criminal penalties, and may negatively impact the status of the SAM registration maintained on this entity. I, the below-signed, attest to the accuracy of all information contained in this letter.”

  1. To help you comply with the notarized letter requirement, GTPAC has created a template for new SAM registrants to use. It is available at: http://gtpac.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/SAM_Notary_Letter_Template_v1_GTPAC_03.23.2018.docx.

Update: GSA has prepared a template for preparation of the notarized letter.  The template is available here: SAM_Notary_Letter_Template_4.12.18_GSA_version

7. You must mail the original letter signed by the Notary to:

FEDERAL SERVICE DESK

ATTN: SAM.GOV REGISTRATION PROCESSING

100 CAPITOL COMMERCE BLVD STE 309

MONTGOMERY, AL 36117-4260

Address Update:

FEDERAL SERVICE DESK

ATTN: ​SAM.GOV​ REGISTRATION PROCESSING

460 INDUSTRIAL BLVD

LONDON, KY 40741-7285

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Final Words of Advice

Remember, there is no cost to register in SAM — it is free.  If your business is located in Georgia, assistance with the SAM registration process is available at no cost.  To locate a GTPAC counselor, see our team’s directory at: http://gtpac.org/team-directory.

Businesses located outside the state of Georgia may contact the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) in their state.  A directory is at: http://www.aptac-us.org/find-a-ptac.

For more tips about the SAM registration process, read: http://gtpac.org/sam-gov-registration-is-free-and-help-with-sam-is-free-too.

 

Despite procurement concerns, vendors made out well in 2016

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Federal procurement spending is up.

The number of mergers and acquisitions are skyrocketing. And overall, despite worries about the transition to a new administration, the continued inability of Congress to pass appropriations bills on time and what, many said, was an unfriendly environment for federal contractors, fiscal 2016 was a pretty darn good year for vendors.

Bloomberg Government found agencies spent $477.8 billion on acquisitions in 2016, up from $441.6 billion in 2015—a $36.2 billion increase (8 percent).

“Overall we saw a lot of positive areas for contractors in terms of growth in these markets,” said Daniel Snyder, deputy director of BGov’s Government Contracts Research, during a webinar on Aug. 29. “About one-third of overall categories were in the plus this year, and then in terms of companies, about 121 companies improved their rankings, they are followed by 64 who did a little worse than the year before and 14 remained just about the same and maintained their position.”Bloomberg Government released its sixth annual Top 200 contractors Aug. 23 along with data on trends across the federal sector.

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsradio.com/reporters-notebook-jason-miller/2017/09/despite-procurement-concerns-vendors-made-out-well-in-2016/

Owner of fraudulent government contract registration firm sentenced to prison for tricking 1,200 vendors

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In April of this year, the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) reported on the guilty plea entered by the operator of a phony government contract registration firm charged with wire fraud for his part in tricking at least 1,200 businesses into believing they needed to employ his services in order to qualify for contracts issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a unit of the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security.

On Friday, August 11, 2017, he was sentenced to four years and two months in federal prison, along with a $594,000 judgment against him, for his role in these fraudulent activities.

In Tampa, Florida, U.S. District Judge Charlene E. Honeywell imposed the sentencing terms on Michael Pirolo who earlier pled guilty to the charges against him.  According to court documents, Pirolo served as the president of Government Contract Registry, Inc. (GCR), doing business as FEMA Contract Registration. He employed telemarketers who, during communications with victim-companies, falsely claimed that — for a fee — GCR would “register” the companies with FEMA to enable them to receive preference in obtaining contracts from FEMA.  The GCR telemarketers’ communications were based on instructions and scripts that they received from Pirolo.

Specifically, the telemarketers falsely and fraudulently stated that for a one-time fee of $500, the customer would be registered with FEMA, and that this registration would place the customer on a list of “preferred” vendors.  When the need for a vendor arose, GCR telemarketers falsely stated that FEMA would bypass the standard contract acquisition process, contact the registered victim-company, and then offer a no-bid contract.  At times, Pirolo also instructed GCR telemarketers to go back to victim-companies that had already paid the $500 one-time fee and seek renewal and payment of another fraudulent $500 fee.

To further the scheme, the GCR telemarketers provided victim-companies with an online GCR form that requested the same information as a form on FEMA’s public website.  In fact, FEMA does not charge a fee to companies to complete its vendor information form.  The purpose of FEMA’s form is to assist the agency with market research in identifying viable possible vendors.  FEMA’s form does not “register” companies.  In actuality, registration in the federal government’s System for Award Management (SAM) is the government-wide vendor registration system.  Vendors can register in SAM at no cost.  

Once GCR telemarketers received the victim-companies’ information, GCR completed and submitted the online FEMA form that then enabled emails to be sent from FEMA to the victim-companies, giving the appearance that the companies had been “registered.”  The FEMA emails gave GCR the appearance of legitimacy.

The approximate 1,200 victim-companies who were misled by this scheme paid GCR at least $604,500.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, and the General Services Administration, Office of Inspector General.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam M. Saltzman.

GTPAC again reminds its clients and all other vendors that government agencies never charge a fee for registration in government databases.  This includes vendor databases maintained by FEMA and the government-wide vendor database known as SAM.

While one scam — the company featured in this article — has been put out of business, there are others still in operation, so beware!   To read more about questionable practices involving the FEMA and SAM vendor registration databases, click on the links below:

For no-cost assistance with registering in SAM — and no-cost help with many other aspects of government contracting — contact GTPAC at http://gtpac.org/contact-us.   If your business is located outside the state of Georgia, feel free to contact the procurement technical assistance center (PTAC) nearest you.  Locate the PTAC offices in your state at http://www.aptac-us.org/find-a-ptac.

What to expect as the curtain comes down on federal fiscal year 2017

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Government Product News asked Chuck Schadl for his take on government selling opportunities as the federal fiscal year draws to a close on Sept. 30. Schadl is Group Manager for Government Contracting Services at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Here are his views.

The federal government’s year-end spending sprees are legendary as agencies try to commit contracting dollars – lest they have to turn their leftover budgets back to the U.S. Treasury.

A study conducted last year, however, shows that spending just before September 30 seems to be trending downward, with more attention being given to better planning the spend that begins anew on October 1.

The study, “Positioning for 2017: Competitive Outlook in Defense and Civilian Agencies,”shows that for the past two years both defense and civilian agencies have softened their year-end spending spike. Big data and analytics firm Govini conducted the research.

That said, there’s still a disproportionate amount of contract dollars obligated in the fourth quarter of the federal fiscal year – at least 30 percent.

What can vendors do now to perhaps capture year-end money, as well as set the stage for the new fiscal year?

Keep reading this article at: http://americancityandcounty.com/federal/what-expect-curtain-comes-down-federal-fiscal-year-2017

Are contractors worrying too much over GSA’s data rule?

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Many government contractors are worried, fearful and in disbelief about the General Services Administration’s implementation of its Transactional Data Rule.

There are calls for delays in implementation and more training for contracting officers and contracting specialists. There are worries that contracting officers will continue to ask for the dreaded, outdated, lawsuit inducing data that the TDR is supposed to replace — commercial sales practices (CSPs) and the price reduction clause disclosures.

And maybe most of all, industry is concerned about the cost to collect and transmit the data back to GSA.

Despite all of these fears, we know very little about the impact, cost or problems with GSA collecting transactional data, which it says is information generated when the government purchases goods or services from a vendor. The rule requires vendors to report specific details such as descriptions, part numbers, quantities and prices paid for the items purchased.

Keep reading this article at: http://federalnewsradio.com/reporters-notebook-jason-miller/2017/02/contractors-worrying-much-gsas-data-rule/

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