Preparing for GSA Contractor Assessment Visits (CAVs)
A Contractor Assessment Visit (CAV) is not an audit, but rather a review or inspection of your compliance with GSA Schedule's terms, conditions, and regulations. These visits typically occur annually and consist of your contract's assigned Industrial Operations Analyst (IOA) identifying potential areas for improvement and establishing plans for you to address these areas.
This annual assessment includes the review of your contract's sales tracking and reporting, pricing, prompt payment terms, TAA compliance, and labor qualification compliance. An additional End of end-of-Term (EOT) assessment is exactly what it sounds like: near the end of each contract period in the fourth year of each five-year period, all of these same points are reviewed and more.
Here’s a brief overview of the CAV process:
Step 1: You will receive an email notification from your IOA including a request for the documents relevant to the review. This may include contract documents like SF30s, historical sales data, or invoices and Purchase Orders.
Step 2: The virtual visit will be a teleconference in which your IOA in which all compliance aspects are discussed and reviewed.
Step 3: The IOA will send you your results and report which include summaries of the areas discussed and their recommendations moving forward. If GSA points out any areas of improvement, it will be of the utmost importance to address these areas as swiftly as possible.
Couldn't make it to last month's webinar? Watch it here on demand. In this webinar, the National Security Agency (NSA) and IT managed service provider, Ntiva join Winvale to discuss how contractors can take proactive steps to protect their networks and remain in compliance.
At Winvale, our business is our people. Winvale is more than just a consultancy—we are dedicated to professional development, community involvement, and creating a cohesive company culture. Curious to see what we're all about? Check out our culture video to get a closer look into daily lives at Winvale.
This free virtual training course will outline, in plain language, the GSA Schedule Program and help your small business understand the process for getting on the GSA Schedule. The GSA Schedule (also referred to as Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) and Federal Supply Schedule) is a long-term governmentwide contract with commercial firms providing federal, state, and local government buyers access to more than 11 million commercial supplies (products) and services at volume discount pricing. Register for the event here.
This virtual training course will cover compliance requirements of the SF 1408, which help contractors ensure they accurately invoice the Government while achieving total cost recovery - a key step in maximizing profitability. Learning objectives include listing accounting system compliance requirements, describing benefits of an adequate accounting system, recognizing government contract accounting software, and identifying common government contract accounting reports. Register here.
Once you have your GSA Schedule contract awarded, you have taken a big step toward adding government buyers to your portfolio. However, the process doesn't stop there. Just as you will need to learn how to market your offerings to new customers, you'll need to understand how to navigate the federal marketplace, including how to find relevant contract opportunities. Many government buyers are searching every day to be connected with contractors, and you want to make sure you are visible and in front of these opportunities.
This webinar will help you learn how to take advantage of GSA resources and tools so you can identify relevant contract opportunities and create successful government sales strategies. We'll discuss:
Under the most recent GSA MAS Solicitation Refresh #17, a Program Evaluation Services subgroup was added to SIN 541611 (Management and Financial Consulting, Acquisition and Grants Management Support, and Business Program and Project Management Services), which is a part of Large Category H- Professional Services.
GSA defines Program Evaluation Services as an “assessment using systematic data collection and analysis of one or more programs, policies, and organizations intended to assess their effectiveness and efficiency." For example, these Program Evaluation services may address questions related to the implementation of a program, policy or organization, and examine questions related to the contextual factors surrounding a program. For more information about whether this new subgroup applies to you or how you can add it to your GSA Schedule, check out our blog.
GSA Extends Temporary Price Flexibilities Under EPA Contract Clauses
Last year, GSA issued a temporary moratorium on certain limitations in Economic Price Adjustment (EPA) contract clauses due to inflation. GSA has noted that while the inflation rate is coming back down to normal levels, there is still supply chain shortages and price volatility, so the moratorium has been extended to March 31, 2024. So what does this mean for GSA Schedule contractors? The moratorium:
Relaxes time limitations on EPA increases.
Relaxes the limit on the number of EPA increases a contractor may request.
Allows a lower level of approval, to one level above the Contracting Officer, for price increases above the EPA clause ceiling.
Allows requests for EPA increases to be approved by the Contracting Officer, whether above or below the ceiling percentage established in the solicitation.
Clarifies that if a contractor has removed an item from their MAS contract, the Contracting Officer may add the same item back at a higher price if the higher price can be determined “fair and reasonable."
More information on this extension can be found here.
QUICK TIPS
Increased Opportunities for 8(a) Sole Source Contractors
Recently, GSA and the Small Business Administration (SBA) have been working to expand contracting opportunities for small businesses in the 8(a) Business Development Program. This includes establishing a final rule in C.F.R. § 124.506(d) that will increase contracting opportunities for sole source contractors.
Previously, regulation in the the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) raising the threshold for sole source contracts mainly applied to entity owned 8(a) concerns such as Alaskan Native Corporations (ANCs) and Tribal Concerns. This largely left out individually owned 8(a) concerns.
With this new final rule, the SBA clarified that provisions allowing sole source awards up to $25 million for civilian and $100 million for DoD without justification and approvals are also applicable to individually owned 8(a) concerns. Individually owned 8(a) entities are also eligible to receive sole source awards for a longer period of time under this amendment, effectively increasing the amount of awards sole source contractors can go after.
EMERGING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
Security Guards and Patrol Services
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - New Orleans District is issuing a
Pre-Solicitation Notice for Security Guard Services. This requirement
will be issued as a Competitive 8(a) set-aside. The contractor shall
furnish all necessary labor, supervision, other items and services necessary to satisfactorily perform security guard services as defined in this PWS at the designated facilities within the Mississippi Valley New Orleans District (MVN) boundaries or area of responsibility (AOR). The
solicitation will be issued on or about 13 SEP 2023, and a due date for quotes will be established in the solicitation. This opportunity can be found under Notice ID: W912P823R0101.
DoD SBIR Program Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)
The Department of Defense (DoD) has released a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) in conjunction with the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR). The BAA is a funding mechanism utilized by the DoD for the procurement of basic and applied research by issuing topics for scientific study and experimentation. This opportunity is a total small business set-aside and is listed under primary NAICS Code 541715 - Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology). Responses are due no later than October 18, at 12 p.m. EDT. More information can be found under Notice ID: N6893623R0045.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: What is CPARS?
A: Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) is used to document and evaluate the performance of government contractors. It provides an objective record of a contractor's performance, both positive and negative, which government officials use to assess companies and potentially determine the award of government contracts to vendors. The information entered into this system is strictly limited to unclassified information only. Assessments in the CPARS are based on objective facts supported by program and contract management data. These reports cover various areas such as cost performance, quality reviews, financial solvency assessments, and earned contract incentives.
Q: What are the CPARS Ratings?
A: The government submits CPARS ratings once a year as long as the contract is still active and when the work under the contract is completed. After a contract is finished, government officials can also write an option Addendum Report addressing performance in areas such as contract closeout, compliance with warranty requirements, etc. The CPARS ratings are as follows:
Exceptional
Very Good
Satisfactory
Marginal
Unsatisfactory
Q: Are subcontractors' performances evaluated in CPARS?
A: No. It’s important to note that only the prime contractors' performances are evaluated. Since the prime contractor has privity between their company and the subcontractor, separate evaluations cannot be included in CPARS ratings. However, subcontractors' efforts can be noted on prime evaluations through their Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).
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