Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

GSA seeks public comment on its e-commerce portal draft solicitation

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The General Services Administration is on a mission to change how federal agencies buy commercial products by establishing a commercial e-commerce portal that would simplify and streamline the government’s estimated $6 billion open market purchases.

The agency announced July 2 that it wants industry input on the proof of concept of that e-commerce portal, which would test for a larger scale offering by starting with just a few agency customers.

“The issuance of the draft solicitation is an important step forward for the commercial platforms initiative,” said Laura Stanton, GSA federal acquisition service deputy assistant commissioner for the office of information technology category and category management, in a news release.

Continue reading at:  The Federal Times

Amazon a top contender for GSA’s e-commerce pilot

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The General Services Administration released a draft request for proposal July 2 for its Commercial Platform Initiative, or CPI, a governmentwide e-commerce program that could offer companies like Amazon.com Inc. the chance to run online marketplaces through which agencies spend as much as $6 billion a year.

Under the CPI, vendors will compete to establish e-commerce platforms that federal contracting officers can use to buy everyday items with their government purchase cards.  GSA will select multiple vendors to participate in a 12-month pilot program that would inform the larger governmentwide effort, according to the solicitation.  After the initial 12 months, the government has the choice to extend the contract for four option years.

“An exciting opportunity lies ahead to create not only a modernized buying experience but also reduce the burden for agency partners and suppliers alike,” said GSA deputy assistant commissioner Laura Stanton.  “We are looking to leverage business-to-business terms whenever practicable, to allow for streamlined buying while obtaining a more transparent and centralized view of this type of government-wide spend.”

Continue reading at:  Bloomberg Government

GSA issues draft solicitation ahead of awards on new e-commerce portals

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The General Services Administration issued a draft solicitation Tuesday seeking feedback on proposed requirements for its forthcoming e-commerce portals program.

A multiple-award proof of concept — for sites similar to Amazon, Overstock or Jet.com and required by the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act — is expected later this year and will modernize how agencies buy commercial products outside of existing contracts.

GSA estimates $6 billion in open-market purchases are made on government-issued credit cards, but the pilot will begin with a subset of agencies and a $10,000 spending limit on any one order.  Agency officials have asked Congress to raise that micro-purchase threshold to $25,000 for the five-year pilot to better evaluate streamlined buying.

Continue reading at:  Fedscoop

The future of COTS procurement: Top 10 questions from GSA’s section 846 phase 2 report

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On May 2, 2019, the General Services Administration (“GSA”) and the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) finally released their Phase 2 Implementation Report (the “Phase 2 Report”) for “Procurement Through E-Commerce Portals,” as directed by Section 846 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (“FY 2018 NDAA”).

GSA/OMB offered a sneak preview of the Phase 2 Report at an Industry Day held on December 12, 2018, during which GSA/OMB revealed their intent to proceed with a proof of concept contract utilizing only the E-Marketplace model. Industry pushback against a single model proof of concept was both quick and severe and, coupled with the lengthy delay issuing the Phase 2 Report, many wondered whether GSA/OMB were reevaluating their proposed approach.

Much to the dismay of E-Commerce and E-Procurement portal providers, GSA/OMB stayed the course.  Their Phase 2 Report included two primary conclusions: (1) testing the E-Marketplace model exclusively during the proof of concept phase is the most practical approach, and (2) raising the Micro-Purchase Threshold (“MPT”) to $25,000 for 5 years exclusively for purchases made through the approved portals is necessary to maximize the effectiveness of the proof of concept.

While the Phase 2 Report provides these two concrete conclusions, ultimately, the Report raises more questions than answers. And what better way to address these than a good old-fashioned Top 10 List.  So, without further ado, here’s our Top 10 List of questions from the Phase 2 Report…

Continue reading at:  The National Law Review

An inside look at GSA’s federal marketplace strategy

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In a Federal News Network podcast, Emily Murphy, administrator of the General Services Administration, shares her vision for the agency’s Federal Marketplace Strategy (FMS).

During the podcast, Murphy outlines the four cornerstone initiatives (4C’s) of FMS:

  • MAS Consolidation
  • Commercial Platforms
  • Catalog Management
  • Contract Writing System

Murphy also provides an update on customer agencies growing use of GSA’s procurement portfolio, including the MAS, IT GWACs and OASIS.

Finally, she gives us a preview of the Federal Acquisition Service Training Conference scheduled for April 14-16, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.  FAST 2020 is a national training conference for the federal acquisition workforce, industry partners and customer agencies.

Listen to the podcast at:  Federal News Network

GSA unveils key tenets of governmentwide e-commerce pilot

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The General Services Administration is kicking off the final phase of a multi-year effort to stand up a governmentwide e-commerce platform that would make it easier for agencies to buy commercial products.

GSA on Thursday, May 2nd released the implementation plan for part two of its commercial platforms initiative, laying out the blueprint for the initial version of the portal.  In the months ahead, GSA and the Office of Management and Budget will start hunting for multiple vendors to build a proof of concept of the platform, which is scheduled to launch in late 2019.

The system would allow agencies to quickly purchase a wide variety of commercial products without going through the lengthy government procurement process.  By offering items like office supplies, tools and hardware, the portal would make it easier for industry to do business with government and lower the price of basic goods for federal agencies, according to GSA officials.

Continue reading at Nextgov:  https://www.nextgov.com/it-modernization/2019/05/gsa-unveils-key-tenants-governmentwide-e-commerce-pilot/156714/

Contractors worry e-commerce portals could create ‘parallel compliance’ models

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The General Services Administration is continuing with plans to create e-commerce portals for federal procurement, hosting its second town hall meeting with industry stakeholders two weeks ago.

And while those stakeholders expressed overall support for the initiative, some were concerned that the policy GSA is designing could create a diverging compliance structure from its multiple award contracts, which could cause some tough choices for businesses.

The agency is in the middle of a three-phase plan to craft a system of portals that will allow officials to capitalize on the potential cost savings of buying from competitive e-commerce retailers like Amazon and others.

The first phase included several recommendations to Congress, among them, raising the threshold for micropurchases in the portals from the current levels of $10,000 for civilian agencies and $5,000 for the Department of Defense to $25,000 overall.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.fedscoop.com/e-commerce-portal-plan-create-parallel-compliance-models-contractors/

GSA to host another e-commerce portal industry day

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The General Services Administration (GSA) is once again asking for industry input on a massive e-commerce portal that would make buying commercial products easier and faster for federal agencies.

GSA will host an industry day for the platform at its headquarters on June 21, Mark Lee, the agency’s assistant commissioner for policy and compliance, said Wednesday at a Coalition for Government Procurement conference. The event is open to any group looking to weigh in on the online platform that will handle billions of dollars in federal spending on commercial products.

Lee said the agency will also publish two related requests for information by the end of May: one for sellers interested in joining the portal and another for providers looking to host it.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.nextgov.com/policy/2018/05/gsa-host-another-e-commerce-portal-industry-day/148265/

What should contractors know about GSA’s new e-commerce portal implementation plan?

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One of the most closely monitored provisions of the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Section 846, directed the General Services Administration (GSA) to create a new e-commerce portal for the sale of commercial goods.  Section 846 established delayed implementation of the new e-commerce portal, which is set to occur in phases that each require distinct action items and submissions.

  • Phase 1 requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in consultation with the GSA, to create an implementation plan and schedule for carrying out the e-commerce portal program.
  • Phase 2 requires OMB and GSA to prepare recommendations for any changes to – or exemptions from – laws necessary for effective implementation of the program within one year of submitting the implementation plan and schedule contemplated under Phase 1.
  • Phase 3 requires OMB and GSA to create guidance for the e-commerce portal program within two years of submitting the implementation plan and schedule contemplated under Phase 1.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=687578

Holland & Knight’s analysis of Section 846 is available here, and the original Thornberry acquisition reform bill that started this is available here.

GSA hears comments from industry about e-commerce portals

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As part of ongoing efforts to create an online marketplace for government purchasers, GSA officials held a public meeting January 9th to discuss potential market structures and legal requirements.

A wide range of stakeholders attended the hearing, responding to questions from GSA on issues such as how many online portals should be implemented, who should have privity of contract with the government, and whether certain federal procurement requirements should be waived for program participants.  GSA had previously published its discussion topics in a Federal Register notice on December 15, 2017.

GSA’s town hall took place as part of the implementation of Section 846 of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2018.  As discussed in a previous blog post, the 2018 NDAA requires GSA and OMB to develop and implement e-commerce portals for commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) item procurements, rolling out the program under a three-phase plan.  [2018 NDAA § 846(c)(1)]  Phase I requires the development of a plan for implementing the commercial e-commerce portals program, including recommendations regarding “changes to, or exemptions from, [existing procurement] laws.”  Id.  That Phase I plan is due to Congress on March 12, 2018. Id.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.insidegovernmentcontracts.com/2018/01/gsa-hears-comments-industry-e-commerce-portals/#more-7422 

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