Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Training
    • Class Registration
    • On-demand Training
  • Useful Links
  • Team Directory
    • Albany Counselor
    • Atlanta Counselors
    • Augusta Counselor
    • Carrollton Counselor
    • Columbus Counselor
    • Gainesville Counselor
    • Savannah Counselor
    • Warner Robins Counselor
  • Directions
    • Atlanta – Training Facility
    • Atlanta – Office
    • Albany
    • Augusta
    • Carrollton
    • Columbus
    • Gainesville
    • Savannah
    • Warner Robins
  • New Client Application
  • Contact Us

GSA hosting Federal Acquisition Service Training Conference in Atlanta, GA April 14-16, 2020

January 9, 2020 By Nancy Cleveland

The U.S. General Services Administration is hosting its FAST 2020 training conference in Atlanta, GA, from April 14-16, 2020.  We are thrilled that GSA selected Atlanta for this wonderful event.

According to GSA’s website, participating Industry Partners will:

  • Benefit from accessing the most comprehensive federally sponsored training event for contract management, procurement, and acquisition professionals in the nation.
  • Have the opportunity to directly engage with 3,000+ federal contracting professionals and senior policy and program leaders – under one roof, saving on travel and time away from the business.
  • Have hands on opportunity to master the latest government e-tools and processes, and learn from the experts.
  • Have the opportunity for face-to-face meetings with master contracting officers.
  • Have the opportunity to network with large and small business in like industries and develop teaming arrangements to win future business.
  • Be able to showcase company offerings, live, on the show floor and come away with increased market intelligence to advance the company’s competitive advantage.

Detailed information on the conference can be found here:  https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/customer-and-stakeholder-engagement/federal-acquisition-service-training-fast-conference

Date:  April 14-16, 2020

Location:  Atlanta Georgia World Congress Center, 285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW, Atlanta, GA 30313

Registration is required.  You can register here:  https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/customer-and-stakeholder-engagement/federal-acquisition-service-training-fast-conference

Filed Under: GTPAC News Tagged With: acquisition training, FAR training, FAS, FAST 2020, Federal Acquisition Service Training Conference, FSS, GSA, GSA Schedule, industry day

Industry fears new telecom contract on path to repeat past transition delays

June 13, 2018 By Nancy Cleveland

Agencies have just under two years to move to the new governmentwide telecommunications contract called Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions.

While this may seem like a lot of time, vendors and other industry experts are warning the General Services Administration that the current 11-year-old Networx contract may need to be extended.

Crystal Philcox, GSA’s deputy assistant commissioner for IT Category in the Federal Acquisition Service, said GSA is confident that agencies will have time to transition to EIS and modernize their IT infrastructures at the same time.

“What’s not on the table right now is just extending current contracts, extending legacy capabilities and not modernizing, and then asking for an extension. I think that’s something we are not interested in,” Philcox said in an exclusive interview with Federal News Radio. “We are continuing to really listen to agencies and we have a lot of venues to do that. We have been working with them, talking with them, listening closely and I think for those agencies that are really trying to rethink, trying to modernize and move off those legacy systems, we are interested in hearing how much time that will take and what we can do to help with that.”

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsradio.com/contractsawards/2018/06/industry-fears-new-telecom-contract-on-path-to-repeat-past-transition-delays/

Filed Under: Contracting News Tagged With: delays, FAS, GSA, IT, telecom, telecommunications, transition

White House unveils latest plan to fix government technology

December 28, 2017 By Nancy Cleveland

The White House has announced its first IT modernization center of excellence that will combine top federal talent with industry partners to bring the government’s old, outdated systems to the modern day.

The Agriculture Department will serve as the test-bed with the goal of creating “the most effective, efficient, customer-focused department in all the federal government,” said Stephen Censky, the department’s deputy secretary.

“Our ultimate goal is to enable the department to transition into a customer-focused organization,” said Censky, speaking at an industry day event held on White House grounds. “The opportunity for IT to add value across the USDA is significant.”

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nextgov.com/it-modernization/2017/12/white-house-unveils-it-modernization-center-excellence/144572/

Filed Under: Contracting News Tagged With: FAS, GSA, IT, modernization, technology, USDA, White House

GSA may make industry participation in data reporting pilot optional

April 13, 2017 By Nancy Cleveland

The General Services Administration (GSA) is considering whether to remove a mandate requiring industry partners seeking or renewing a schedule to participate in its Transactional Data Reporting pilot.

Kevin Youel Page, deputy commissioner of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, said Thursday voluntary participation in the 3-year pilot—which stemmed from a GSA-published rule last June—has been higher than expected, leaving officials to consider whether mandating participation was necessary.

Industry participants in the pilot provide sales information about their products and services to GSA. In turn, GSA relieves those participants of requirements many in industry dislike: the price reduction clause and commercial sales disclosures. GSA wants to use that data to improve the value agency customers get in purchasing billions of dollars worth of products and services sold through the Multiple Award Schedules.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nextgov.com/big-data/2017/04/gsa-may-make-industry-participation-data-reporting-pilot-optional/136796

Filed Under: Contracting News Tagged With: data, FAS, Federal Supply Schedule, GSA, GSA Schedule, multiple award schedule, price analysis, Transactional Data Reporting

GSA aims to refresh Schedules in April

March 27, 2017 By Nancy Cleveland

The Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) is moving to launch a “refresh” of its Multiple Awards Schedule next month, applying recent rules changes to its largest buying program.

On a March 22 conference call, General Services Administration’s FAS officials said the refresh could roll out in the middle of April and would include:

  • Purchasing by Non-Federal Entities from Federal Supply Schedules
  • Small Business Subcontracting changes
  • Model Subcontracting Plan changes
  • Order level changes

Keep reading this article at: http://www.federaltimes.com/articles/fas-aims-to-refresh-multiple-award-schedules-in-april

Filed Under: Contracting News Tagged With: FAS, Federal Supply Schedule, GSA Schedule, MAS, multiple award schedule, small business, subcontracting plan

GSA launches phase two of ‘Making It Easier’

October 31, 2016 By Nancy Cleveland

The General Services Agency launched the Making It Easier initiative in April to help government improve the way it buys good and services, and after a series of successful programs, the agency is ready for phase two.

making-it-easierLaunched on Oct. 24th, the next phase adds a slew of new efforts for both the contracting community and federal agencies. They include new quick-start guides designed to get prepare prospective contractors as they seek business across GSA’s many acquisition vehicles; a Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Modification Improvement process designed to streamline changes in schedule solicitations; and restructured help desks that will give customers a single point of entry.

In addition, GSA planned to release a report describing the full scope of the “Making It Easier” initiative, its impact on stakeholders and prospects for fiscal 2017.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nextgov.com/technology-news/2016/10/gsa-launches-phase-2-making-it-easier/132572

Filed Under: Contracting News Tagged With: FAS, FSS, government contracting, GSA, GSA Schedule, Making It Easier, MAS, modification

GSA’s new contract with Dun & Bradstreet draws mixed reaction

October 13, 2016 By Nancy Cleveland

GSA logoLast week’s announcement that the General Services Administration had updated its Dun & Bradstreet contract will allow agency acquisition personnel and contractors wider latitude to use the standardized company information for purposes beyond mere identification.

But some transparency advocates consider the step insufficient.

In a Sept. 29 blog post, Kevin Youel Page, deputy commissioner of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, announced changes in the proprietary system for business identifiers in its Integrated Award Environment tracking system that are a “huge step forward in the goal to make data more accessible and readily available across government.”

This new way to record contracts and grants using the Dun & Bradstreet system is in keeping, he said, with GSA’s role in helping agencies implement the open data and standardization requirements of the 2014 Digital Accountability and Transparency Act. The D&B data are proprietary, which means they cannot be downloaded by the public unless the company grants the user a license.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.govexec.com/management/2016/10/gsas-new-contract-dun-bradstreet-draws-mixed-reaction/132205

Filed Under: Contracting News Tagged With: D&B, Digital Accountability and Transparency Act, Dun & Bradstreet, DUNS, FAS, GSA, integrated award environment, proprietary information

GSA answers vendors concerns about transactional data rule

September 29, 2016 By Nancy Cleveland

GSA Schedule ContractThe General Services Administration (GSA) is trying to bring some light to a new acquisition requirement that has industry on edge.

Under the transactional data reporting rule, GSA is accepting volunteers from the contracting community to take part in a one-to-two year pilot to submit sales information back to the agency in exchange for relief of the price reduction clause and the commercial sales disclosures — two requirements vendors have long haexted.

Kevin Youel Page, the deputy commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service at GSA, said the agency is trying to be more transparent about the Transactional Data Reporting initiative and respond to industry concerns, including more than 60 questions from the Coalition for Government Procurement.

Keep reading this article at: http://federalnewsradio.com/acquisition-policy/2016/09/gsa-answers-vendors-concerns-transactional-data-rule/

Filed Under: Contracting News Tagged With: FAS, GSA, GSA Schedule, MAS, price, transactional data, Transactional Data Reporting

GSA seeks input from Schedule-holders on contract modification process

August 5, 2016 By Nancy Cleveland

GSA logoThe U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is asking for feedback from GSA Schedule contractors on the contract modification process.

GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) will use the industry input it receives to improve the GSA Multiple Award Schedules’ (MAS) modification process.

GSA explained that its industry outreach is part of its recently-launched Making it Easier Initiative which includes “improving the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) modification process in order to make it easier for you, our MAS industry partners, to do business with the government.  We’ve heard your concerns, and want to make sure that your feedback on how to enhance the process is captured and taken into account.”

GSA Schedule contractors can provide comments by responding to the survey questionnaire at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1i0RX9FmMz56I1OY73k5VaxONDX7yiqQVHlVKlPV1kGw/viewform.

Filed Under: Contracting News Tagged With: FAS, Federal Supply Schedule, FSS, GSA, GSA Schedule, MAS, modification, multiple award schedule, Schedules

GSA to test pre-competed IT products through AdvantageSelect portal

September 3, 2015 By Nancy Cleveland

The General Services Administration (GSA) has announced its plans to test two types of pre-competed information technology products through the GSA AdvantageSelect online portal.

Erville Koehler, regional commissioner for the Federal Acquisition Service at GSA, wrote in a blog post published last Wednesday that GSA AdvantageSelect is a category management-based tool designed to help contracting officials place orders for IT products without the need to undergo competition.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.executivegov.com/2015/08/erville-koehler-gsa-to-test-pre-competed-it-products-through-advantageselect-portal/

Filed Under: Contracting News Tagged With: category management, commodities, competition, FAS, GSA, GSA AdvantageSelect, GSAAdvantage, IT, lowest price technically acceptable, LPTA, technology

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »

Recent Posts

  • Contractors must update EEO poster
  • SBA scorecard shows federal government continues to prioritize small business contracting
  • The risk of organizational conflicts of interest
  • The gap widens between COFC and GAO on late is late rule
  • OMB releases guidance related to small business goals

Popular Topics

8(a) abuse Army bid protest budget budget cuts certification construction contract awards contracting opportunities cybersecurity DoD DOJ False Claims Act FAR federal contracting federal contracts fraud GAO Georgia Tech government contracting government contract training government trends GSA GSA Schedule GTPAC HUBZone innovation IT Justice Dept. marketing NDAA OMB SBA SDVOSB set-aside small business small business goals spending subcontracting technology VA veteran owned business VOSB wosb

Contracting News

SBA scorecard shows federal government continues to prioritize small business contracting

OMB releases guidance related to small business goals

OMB issues guidance on impact of injunction on government contractor vaccine mandate

Changes coming to DOD’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification under CMMC 2.0

Judge issues nationwide injunction halting enforcement of COVID-19 vaccine mandate

Read More

Contracting Tips

Contractors must update EEO poster

The risk of organizational conflicts of interest

The gap widens between COFC and GAO on late is late rule

Are verbal agreements good enough for government contractors?

CMMC 2.0 simplifies requirements but raises risks for government contractors

Read More

GTPAC News

VA direct access program events in 2022

Sandia National Laboratories seeks small business suppliers

Navy OSBP hosting DCAA overview (part 2) event Jan. 12, 2022

Navy OSBP hosting cybersecurity “ask me anything” event Dec. 16th

State of Georgia hosting supplier systems training on January 26, 2022

Read More

Georgia Tech News

Undergraduate enrollment growth reflects inclusive excellence

Georgia Tech delivers $4 billion in economic impact to the State of Georgia

Georgia Tech awards first round of seed grants to support team-based research

Georgia Tech announces inaugural Associate Vice President of Corporate Engagement

DoD funds Georgia Tech to enhance U.S. hypersonics capabilities

Read More

  • SAM.gov registration is free, and help with SAM is free, too
APTAC RSS Twitter GTPAC - 30th Year of Service

Copyright © 2023 · Georgia Tech - Enterprise Innovation Institute