As we begin a new government fiscal year and close out the 2021 calendar year, the Coalition is busier than ever providing valuable content on Federal contracting for our members! Just this week, the Coalition hosted an all-member training on GSA’s e-Systems with Tim Dempsey, Lead Program Manager of the Operations Division in GSA’s Office of Systems Management (OSM) and Josh Royko, Catalog Data Lead, FAS Catalog Management Office. They provided an extensive overview and update on GSA Advantage!, eBuy, eLibrary, Mass Mod System, and the Vendor Product Portal, in addition to discussing the upcoming Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) that will replace the use of DUNS, FAS ID, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), and Schedule Refresh 7.
There is more in store for members over the next few weeks. Please mark your calendars for the following important committee meetings, trainings, and of course, our 2021 Fall Training Conference. We look forward to your participation!
October 8 at 10:00 am – Small Business Committee Meeting
The Small Business Committee will host a meeting to discuss barriers to entry for small business when working with the Department of Defense DoD. This discussion will be in preparation for the Coalition’s response to DoD’s request for comments released on September 8th. This input will be used to update the Department’s Small Business Strategy led by the DoD Office of Small Business Programs. In addition, DoD is focusing on complying with recent Executive Orders, like EO 14017, “America’s Supply Chains,” to reduce entry barriers of small businesses. If you would like to attend the virtual meeting, please RSVP to Michael Hanafin at Mhanafin@thecgp.org.
October 12 at 12:00 pm EDT – Joint Cyber & Supply Chain Security Committee and Business Regulatory Issues Committee (BRIC) Meeting
During this meeting, members will learn about federal contractor telework policy, including cyber requirements, labor rates, workplace environment changes and more. The speakers for the meeting are Townsend Bourne, Jonathan Aronie, and Ryan Roberts from Sheppard Mullin. Please RSVP to Michael Hanafin at Mhanafin@thecgp.org if you would like to attend this event.
October 14 at 1:00 pm EDT – Joint IT/Services and GWAC/MAC Committee Meeting with Jeff Koses, GSA
Jeff Koses, Senior Procurement Executive for the General Services Administration (GSA), will provide an update on GSA’s recent efforts/actions in support of the Biden Administration’s policy priorities. The virtual session will include time for Q&As. If you are interested in attending the virtual meeting, please RSVP to Michael Hanafin at Mhanafin@thecgp.org.
October 27 at 9:00 am EDT – Assisted Acquisition Services Forum: Delivering Best Value Mission IT and Professional Services Support to Customer Agencies
The Coalition will be hosting senior leaders from the Federal Acquisition Service’s Office of Assisted Acquisition Services (AAS) for a forum focusing on the AAS mission and the outlook for Fiscal Year 2022. The forum will provide an opportunity for AAS leadership to share updates on vehicle utilization strategies and current customer mission support opportunities and will include an update on ASTRO. AAS uses the IT GWACs, OASIS and the FSS to support customer agency needs. ASTRO joins this pool of contract vehicles.
The forum also will address procurement and management best practices and priorities from the regional offices and FEDSIM. AAS has seen unprecedented growth in its portfolio of customer agency support projects and will share insights on where things are headed over the next year from a business and organizational perspective. The event will feature two panels: 1) Vehicle Utilization and Customer Mission Support—the Picture for AAS, with speakers Chris Bennethum, Assistant Commissioner, AAS, and Chris Hamm, Director, FEDSIM; and 2) Best Practices and Priorities, with speakers Erin Quick, Acquisition Quality Director, FEDSIM, Kari Santora, AAS Director, Region 3 (Mid-Atlantic), Jack Wise, Director, Acquisition Operations, Region 3 (Mid-Atlantic), Garett Nelson, Branch Manager, Region 4 (Southeast Sunbelt), and Joel Fada, AAS Director, Region 9 (Pacific Rim).
This event will be complimentary for all Coalition Members, but registration is required. Please CLICK HERE to register.
November 17-18 – Fall Training Conference: What’s Next for the Business of Government?
The 2021 Fall Training Conference’s theme will continue the Coalition’s focus on the Biden Administration’s priorities for the federal acquisition system and what it means for government and industry. We have invited a host of speakers from across the federal acquisition community for a dialogue on key policy, operational, and management initiatives shaping the business of government. Topics will include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Cyber and Supply Chain Compliance
- DoD Cybersecurity Initiatives and CMMC
- VA Procurement and Contracting
- Future of VA Medical Logistics
- GSA Interagency Contracting Portfolio Panel (GWACs, OASIS, and More)
- Made in America/Buy American and Domestic Sourcing
- Medical Supply Chain
- Observations from FAS Commissioners – Present and Past
- Priorities for IT Modernization Fund
- Schedules
- View from the Hill
As always, both days will conclude with smaller breakout sessions where you will be able to ask your questions directly to the speakers covering topics such as GSA Systems; Office Products; Industrial Products/Update from the SSAC; Services on GSA Schedules; IT; VA Public Law Pricing; DLA MSPV and ECAT; Small Business Opportunities; VA MSPV – Operations; e-Commerce: Update on Commercial Platforms Initiative; Cloud Marketplace; DHA Pharmaceuticals; GWAC/MAC; Global Supply/4PL; Services MAC; and Furniture.
Please click HERE to see the full DRAFT agenda.
Please click HERE to register!
For sponsorship inquiries, please contact Matt Cahill at mcahill@thecgp.org or 202-315-1054.
December TBD – MAS Basic Training: The Nuts & Bolts
This training will be presented by numerous subject matter experts covering a wide range of topics, including an introduction to the GSA Schedules Program, obtaining your GSA Schedule or Schedule Modification, MAS audits, ethics and Schedule business, e-Tools, and option extensions.
As you can see, the Coalition will continue its non-stop business support until the end of the year. Our aim is to provide our members with as much actionable business information as possible to help navigate these challenging times.
In closing, we ask that you mark December 15 on your calendars. On that date, the Excellence in Partnership (EIP) Award nominations are due. The EIP Awards honor individuals and organizations in the acquisition community who have made significant contributions to the procurement system that deliver best value and meet agency missions. Historically, these awards have been given to individuals, organizations, and contractors involved in procurement with GSA, VA, DOD, DHS, and other government agencies. The nomination window and award categories will be announced shortly, and, again, all nominations will be due by December 15. Awardees will be announced in the Spring of 2022.
We hope to see you at all the aforementioned events over the remaining weeks of 2021!