1. How to Prepare a Quality GSA Offer
July 2010

2. GSA Offer Preparation Briefly explain GSA Schedules and what FABS is:
Under the GSA Schedules Program (also referred to as Multiple Award Schedules and Federal Supply
Schedules), GSA establishes long-term government-wide contracts with commercial firms to provide access to
over four million commercial services and products. These can be ordered directly from GSA Schedule
contractors or through the GSA Advantage! On-line shopping and ordering system.

3. Accessing the Solicitations
FedBizOpps (
Search by Keyword
“financial and business solutions” for FABS
Search by Solicitation Number
FCXB-F B for FABS
Keyword: use quotes
May have to change the date field when searching

4.
Link to solicitation

5. Links to solicitation files

6. Offer Instructions READ THE ENTIRE SOLICITATION
SCP-FSS-002 Specific Proposal Submission Instructions (JUN 2009)
Located on Cover Page of Attachment 2 – Solicitation (page “iv”)

7. Required Method for Submitting Offer
e-Offer
Digital Certificate (eoffer.gsa.gov)
Information submitted electronically

8. Offer Sections Section I – Administrative / Contract Data
Section II – Technical Proposal
Section III – Price Proposal

9. Section I – Administrative / Contract Data
Pathway to Success Certificate
Standard Form 1449; Attachment 4 (paper offer only)
Vendor Response Document; Attachment 3 (paper offer only)
Agent Authorization Letter; Attachment 12 (if applicable)
Summary of Offer; Attachment 10
Copy of CCR Record;
Copy of ORCA Record;
Past two years of company’s financial statements
Small Business Subcontracting Plan; Attachment 7 (if large business)
Previous Cancellation/Rejection Letters
Other GSA contract numbers
Pending offer(s) and contact information of Contract Specialist(s)

10. Section I – Administrative / Contract Data
Pathway to Success Certificate: vsc.gsa.gov
The offering company, not a consultant, must complete the certificate
An authorized negotiator for the current offer must complete the certificate
The training session is less than two hours total and covers the major factors your organization should consider prior to submitting an offer to GSA

11. Standard Form 1449 (Paper Offer Only); Attachment 4 Fill in boxes 17(a), 30(a), (b), (c)
17(a) = Contractor/Offeror contact information
30(a) = Signature of offeror/contractor
30(b) = Name and title of signer (type or print)
30(c) = Date signed

12. Administrative / Contract Data Cont…
Vendor Response Document (Paper Offer Only); Attachment 3
Agent Authorization Letter; Attachment 12 (if applicable)
Summary of Offer; Attachment 10
Copy of CCR Record;
Copy of ORCA Record;

13. Administrative / Contract Data Cont…
Past two years of company’s financial statements
Small Business Subcontracting Plan; Attachment 7 (if large business)
Income statements and balance sheets to determine financial responsibility

14. Administrative / Contract Data Cont…
Previous Cancellation/Rejection Letters
Other GSA contract numbers
Pending offer(s) and contact information of Contract Specialist(s)
No brochures, newsletters, elaborate artwork, expensive bindings or other visual presentation aids

15. Small Business Subcontracting Plan Goals
GSA’s Internal Subcontracting Goals
37% - Small Businesses
5% - Women-Owned Businesses
6% - Small Disadvantaged Businesses
5% - Veteran-Owned Businesses
3% - Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business
3% - HUBZone Businesses
GSA established its internal subcontracting goals for purchases not related to the FSS Schedule. These internal goals are used as general target for the FSS Schedule. The goals are not mandatory for the FSS Schedule; however, if these exact goals are contained in a small business subcontracting plan, approval could be expedited. You must have percentages for each type of small business concern. Zero percentages are not acceptable.

16. Section II – Technical Proposal
Technical Proposal is comprised of four factors:
Factor One – Corporate Experience
Factor Two – Relevant Project Experience
Factor Three – Past Performance
Factor Four – Quality Control

17. Factor One – Corporate Experience
Narrative describing applicable corporate experience (must have provided service for two years)
Two-page maximum
Number of years providing service(s)
Need at least 2 years for FABS
Organization’s size, experience, and resources
Brief history of activities
Internal controls (organizational and accounting)
Staffing capabilities
Proposed federal marketing plan
Discuss subcontractors
Part I of the solicitation describes the services

18. Factor Two – Relevant Project Experience
Two project descriptions for EACH Special Item Number (SIN) proposed
Four-page maximum per project description
Completed within the last two years or base year completed, if on-going
Demonstrate performed work is similar to solicited work
Customer reference information for each project
Explain what a SIN is
Descriptions of solicited work can be found in Part I of the solicitation

19. Relevant Project Experience Cont…
Narrative shall include:
Detailed description of SIN-relevant work
Methodology, tools, and/or processes used
Demonstration of compliance with laws, regs., etc.
Project schedule
Similar in scope and complexity
Specific experience and/or qualifications
Special SIN Requirements
To determine if the work your company does is similar in scope and complexity to the work solicited, see Statement of Work (Part I of the solicitation) for an explanation of SINs
Examples of Special SIN Requirements:
520-6 – Professional Legal Services – Licensed law firm
520-7 – Financial & Performance Audits – Licensed CPA firm and provide list of states/territories/foreign countries of license, most recent peer review, and internal documents addressing corrective actions for noted deficiencies.

20. Project Description Example – Customer Reference Information
Section II - Technical Proposal ABC Company, Inc.
SIN – Loan Servicing & Asset Management
Project 1 – Department of Veterans Affairs – Loan Resolution Project
Customer/Client Name: Department of Veterans Affairs
Project Name/Contract Number: LRP-1 / VA A
Point of Contact: Jane Smith
Point of Contact Phone Number: (555)
Point of Contact
Performance Period: 10/1/06 – 9/30/07
Dollar Value of Project: $5,000,000.00
Dollar Value of SIN-Relevant Work: $4,425,000.00

21. Project Description Sample – Narrative
Section II – Technical Proposal ABC Company, Inc.
Brief Summary of Project
The VA contracted with ABC Company, Inc. to provide an end- to-end solution, from loan origination through the fulfillment of borrower obligations to increase the effectiveness of its loan servicing program.
Detailed Description of SIN-Relevant Work
Explain in detail the elements of the project which relate directly to the Schedule’s Statement of Work.
Methodology, Tools, and/or Processes Utilized
Explain how your firm performed the work.

22. Project Description Sample – Narrative Cont…
Section II – Technical Proposal ABC Company, Inc.
Demonstration of compliance with any applicable laws, regulations,
Executive Orders, OMB Circulars, professional standards, etc.
ABC Company demonstrated compliance with….
Project schedule (i.e., major milestones, tasks, deliverables), including an
explanation of any delays
- October 2006 – Began preliminary assessment…
- December 2007 – Presented findings….
- January 2007 – Developed implementation strategy….
And so on, and so on…

23. Substitution for Corporate Experience
If project experience does not exist, the offeror may substitute relevant projects of predecessor companies or key personnel that will be performing major aspects of the work
Must provide a project description which clearly identifies the entity or personnel that performed the services

24. Factor Three – Past Performance
Offerors must order and obtain a Past Performance Evaluation (PPE) from Open Ratings, Inc. (Dun & Bradstreet)
Offerors are responsible for payment to Open Ratings ($175.00)
Submit completed Past Performance Evaluation AND order form with GSA offer
Address Negative Feedback

25. Open Ratings Evaluations Cont…
Requires at least 4 references (Maximum: 20)
Open Ratings will not release a report until it receives at least 4 complete surveys
Open Ratings estimates the process to take 20 to 35 days
Reports are good for 1 year

26. Factor Four – Quality Control
One narrative, regardless of number of SINs offered (2-page maximum)
Describe internal review procedures
Identifies individuals reviewing projects
Identifies if subcontractors are used and how offeror ensures acceptable performance
Identifies potential problems and solutions
Contains procedures for meeting urgent requirements
Assures and describes how multiple task orders from the Government can be handled

27. Section III – Price Proposal

28. GSA’s Pricing Goal Obtain Most Favored Customer (MFC) pricing
“The price analysis GSA does to establish the Government’s MAS negotiation objective should start with the best discount given to any of the vendor’s customers.” – GAO
GAO = General Accountability Office
GAO has specifically recommended that “the price analysis GSA does to establish the Government’s MAS negotiation objective should start with the best discount given to any of the vendor’s customers.”

29. Section III – Price Proposal
Proposal Pricelist Preparation; Attachment 8
Commercial Sales Practices (CSP); Attachment 9
Price Narrative
Proposed Escalation (if applicable)
Supporting Pricing Documentation
Labor Category Descriptions
Professional Compensation Plan
Uncompensated Overtime
Service Contract Act (SCA) Documentation
-Commercial Sales Practice Format
Need to select a MFC, even if no specific class of customers receives a discount
Complete entire document
Show actual annual sales
-Price Reduction: Before award of a contract, Government and vendor agree upon the customer who will be the “basis of award”, and the Government’s price or discount relationship to the identified customer. This relationship shall be maintained throughout the contract period.

30. Commercial Price List vs. Market Price (FAR 2.101)
Commercial Price List: Price included in a catalog, price list, schedule, or other form that is regularly maintained by the manufacturer or vendor, is either published or otherwise available for inspection by customers, and states prices at which sales are currently, or were last, made to a significant number of buyers constituting the general public
Commercial Market Price: Current prices that are established in the course of ordinary trade between buyers and sellers free to bargain and that can be substantiated through competition or from sources independent of the offerors

31. Proposal Price List Preparation (Attachment 8)
SIN(s) proposed
Service/Product proposed
MFC/Best commercial customer
MFC/Best commercial customer price
Discount % offered to MFC/Best commercial customer
Discount % offered to GSA
Prices offered to GSA, excluding Industrial Funding Fee (IFF)
Prices offered to GSA, including IFF
Explain IFF (.75%)

32. Proposal Price List Preparation Example

33. Proposal Price List Preparation Example Cont…

34. Commercial Sales Practices Format (Attachment 9)
Previous sales information
Estimated sales per SIN
Discounting policies
Deviations from standard commercial practices
Past 1 year of sales to general public

35. Commercial Sales Practices Format Example
ABC Company, Inc.
520-1, 520-2, 520-4
5,000,000
10/1/07
9/30/08
100,000
520-1
520-2
100,000
520-4
100,000

36. Commercial Sales Practices Format (Attachment 9) Cont…
If “No,” explain in Price Narrative
If “Yes,” explain in Price Narrative

37. Price Narrative
Provide information for the Contracting Officer to determine offered prices are fair and reasonable for each offered service
Deviations from CSP
State whether prices proposed are based on Commercial Price List or Market Prices
Proposed economic price adjustment

38. Economic Price Adjustment
Based on Commercial Price List:
ECONOMIC PRICE ADJUSTMENT – FSS MULTIPLE AWARD SCHEDULE CONTRACTS (SEP 1999) (ALTERNATE I – SEP 1999)
Based on changes in Commercial Price List
Based on Market Price:
I-FSS-969 ECONOMIC PRICE ADJUSTMENT – FSS MULTIPLE AWARD SCHEDULE (JAN 2002)
Negotiate fixed escalation rate
Based on market indicator :
Price adjustments are not automatic; contractor must submit a modification request for each adjustment
Maximum increase = 4% / year
I-FSS-969:
Fixed rate: automatic annual increases; contractor does not submit or request price increase
Market indicator: Maximum increase = 4% / year

39. Price Narrative Example

40. Supporting Pricing Documentation
Support for EACH proposed service
Invoices
Contracts
Quote sheets
Clear and relevant relationship between document and price
Document labeled with corresponding labor category or service

41. Supporting Documentation Example
Helpful to include customer contact information for each piece of supporting documentation for verification purposes:
Name
Title
Phone

42. Supporting Documentation Example

43. Other Elements of Price Proposal
Labor category descriptions
Functional responsibilities
Minimum years of experience
Minimum educational/degree requirements
Applicable training/certification requirements
Professional Compensation Plan – Clause
Uncompensated Overtime – Clause
Services Contract Act documentation
Explain SCA

44. GSA Offer Evaluation

45. When We Receive Your Proposal…
Offer assigned to Contract Specialist
Offers with deficiencies will be rejected
Contract Specialist will contact offereror to request clarifications or correction of minor deficiencies
Timeframe for response is established
Negotiations
Final Proposal Revision
Award

46. Contract Administration
Ongoing Process
5-Year Contract with THREE 5-Year Option Periods
IFF Sales Reporting
Modification Requests
Small Business Reporting (eSRS)
Contractor Assist Visits
Minimum Sales Criteria
$25,000 / 1st 2 years
$25,000 / year

47. Submitting Your Offer
E - Offer

48. For Further Assistance
Financial and Business Solutions (520)
Hotline: (703)
If you would like an electronic copy of this presentation, please send an to this address