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Kevin Lancaster

By: Kevin Lancaster on July 4th, 2011

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The New “One Stop Shop” Government Contractor Database: SAM

GSA Schedule | Government | Resources and Insight | 2 Min Read

If you’re a government contractor chances are you are fully aware of the myriad registrations and systems you are required to maintain throughout the year. From annual updates to your Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) to periodic subcontractor reporting through the Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS) or opportunity searching through Federal Business Opportunities (FBO), contractors must consistently monitor several disparate systems in order to continue to partner with Uncle Sam. In a recent BLOG we profiled the FAPIIS System, which consolidated several long standing databases already in use by the procurement community in making contract award determinations. While, from an ease of use standpoint, this is a step in the right direction for Contracting Officers, little has been done to streamline activities for vendors. Well things are about to change.

GSA is currently redesigning its legacy systems into one integrated tool set called the System for Award Management (SAM). The system is intended to be a “single point of entry for contractor and federal grantee registration, certification, contracts and performance data.” For vendors the system will require one login which will provide access needed to register, record representations and certifications, view and respond to solicitations, which will decrease redundancies between systems and simplify the overall contracting process. For procurement officials this means one login will provide all the information needed to make an award determination. Currently separated into 4 phases which will be rolled out through 2014, SAM aims to centralize 8 legacy databases:

FBO (Federal Business Opportunities), WDOL (Wage Determinations On-Line), CCR (Central Contractor Registration), ORCA (Online Representations and Certifications Application), eSRS (Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System), EPLS (Excluded Parties List System), FPDS-NG (Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation), and PPIRS (Past Performance Information Retrieval System).

It’s important to note that the system will not be a portal to the existing legacy systems but a completely new database with capabilities of each system presented in a more efficient “user friendly” way. Phase 1 of the redesign is scheduled to be available in the first half of 2012 and will envelope capabilities currently provided by CCR, ORCA, and the EPLS databases. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on the latest news around SAM and any further efficiency improvements GSA has in store for us.

For further information on SAM, please visit: https://www.acquisition.gov/SAM/sam.html

 

 

About Kevin Lancaster

Kevin Lancaster leads Winvale’s corporate growth strategies in both the commercial and government markets. He develops and drives solutions to meet Winvale’s business goals while enabling an operating model to help staff identify and respond to emerging trends that affect both Winvale and the clients it serves. He is integrally involved in all aspects of managing the firm’s operations and workforce, leading efforts to improve productivity, profitability, and customer satisfaction.

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