Welcome to the month of May – that means it’s time for the Kentucky Derby, the Indianapolis 500, and even more importantly, the Coalition’s Spring Training Conference! This year’s theme is The Federal Marketplace Initiative and we will once again be back at the Fairview Park Marriott in Falls Church, Virginia on May 16th. We are pleased to announce that Emily Murphy, GSA Administrator, has been confirmed as our Keynote speaker and her remarks will focus on “Strategic Vision Opportunities.” Prior to our Keynote, there will be three panel discussions that will be focused on e-Commerce: Section 846 Phase II Market Report Analysis; the Federal Marketplace Initiative, and Acquisition: Meeting Mission Imperatives.
The e-Commerce Panel will include Laura Stanton, Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Category Management for the Office of the Information Technology Category, GSA; Mathew Blum, Associate Administrator, Office of Federal Procurement Policy, OMB; Jeff Koses, Senior Procurement Executive, GSA; and Mark Lee, Assistant Commissioner for Policy and Compliance, GSA.
The Federal Marketplace Initiative Panel will include Crystal Philcox, Assistant Commissioner, Office of Enterprise Strategy Management, GSA; Stephanie Shutt, Director, MAS Program Management Office, GSA; Laura Stanton, Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Category Management for the Office of the Information Technology Category, GSA; and Judith Zawatsky, Assistant Commissioner for Office of Systems Management, GSA.
The Acquisition Panel will include Roxanne Banks, Deputy Director of Acquisition, DLA; Soraya Correa, Chief Procurement Officer, DHS; Phil Christy, Acting Principal Executive Director, Office of Acquisition, Logistics and Construction, VA; and Tom Howder, Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Assisted Acquisition Services, GSA.
After Emily Murphy’s Keynote, we are fortunate to have a thoughtful and entertaining lunch time speaker, The Honorable Thomas M. Davis III, Former Member of Congress (VA), Former Chair of the House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform, and current Partner at Holland & Knight. Mr. Davis will provide an insightful presentation on The Ideological Sorting of the Parties, including his thoughts on Redistricting, media business models, and money in politics. After lunch, we have the return of the always popular, “Rogers Awards,” with Jonathan Aronie, Partner, Sheppard Mullin; Jason Workmaster, Member, Miller & Chevalier Chartered; David Dowd, Partner, Mayer Brown; and Lorraine Campos, Partner, Crowell & Moring.
In the afternoon, attendees will have the opportunity to engage in Business Intelligence Sessions, which will provide an interactive and informative dialogue with Federal experts and leaders in procurement. We will have more than 20 such leaders participate in the following eight sessions that you can choose from: (first session) Information Technology; Professional Services; Acquisition Centers; VA Acquisition Management; (second session) Cybersecurity; FedMall; OTAs; and VA Federal Supply Schedules.
As always, the Conference will conclude with a networking reception to allow members to further engage with their peers and the day’s speakers. Please click here to register and note that our discounted room block expires TODAY if you wish to book a room at the hotel. Lastly, we are sincerely grateful for all our event sponsors, especially our Title Sponsor for our Spring Training Conference, Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc.
Order Level Materials Training
All the fun won’t be reserved for the 16th alone – the day before at the same location (May 15th), we are hosting another training on Advancing Agency Missions with Order Level Materials: Key Considerations and Practical Applications from 9:00am – 12:00pm.
It has been nearly a year since the General Services Administration (GSA) began the rollout of one of the most important regulatory changes in recent memory for Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contractors. In June 2018, GSA updated the General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation (GSAR) to incorporate the Order Level Materials (OLM) authority, allowing buyers to acquire products and services through the GSA Schedules program that are not known at the time of contract award. The Coalition’s Roger Waldron and Tom Sisti will kick off the morning by providing an Acquisition Policy Update and Outlook for 2019 while tackling Section 846 e-Commerce implementation and next steps, the path forward for Schedules Modernization, Best-in-Class Contracting, recent developments in cyber and supply chain risk, and acquisition reform on the Hill.
We will then move onto presentations by Steve Sizemore, Director, Direct Client Support Division, Federal Acquisition Service, GSA and Leo Alvarez, Manager, Baker Tilly, as they consider the origins of the OLM authority, its implementation at the FSS solicitation, contract, and order levels, as well as an in-depth discussion on the practical application of the rule. Additional items to be discussed will include:
A brief overview of the final rule; How OLM’s were previously acquired and how this will change going forward; Strategies for pricing OLM’s; Evaluation criteria that may be used by ordering agency Cos; The 33% limitation and how it impacts Blanket Purchase Agreements; Contractor assessments and OLMs; and Key items to consider when proposing a product or service as an OLM. Space is limited so register today!
June Trainings
Finally on the event front, we have two important trainings in early June that I want to make sure you are aware (location TBD):
June 5th – MAS Basic Training: The Nuts & Bolts. Do you need to better understand management and compliance of the Price Reduction Clause? Need help navigating the Price Negotiation Process? Are you leveraging the GSA Electronic Tools? Do you have all the keys to understanding the Task Order Competition? Know how the GSA Audit Process works? Come find out the answers on these topics and more at our intensive, one-day training workshop that teaches the basics of utilizing the General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedules (MAS) program. This course is taught by eight different subject matter experts from both industry and government!
June 6th – General Services Administration (GSA) and Veterans Affairs (VA) Schedule Contracting for In-House Counsel. This training course is for lawyers and corporate officials with significant contract management and compliance responsibilities in companies that have GSA and/or VA Schedule contracts. After successfully completing this course you will receive 6 CLE credits and be able to understand GSA/VA’s most favored customer pricing policy and major requirements of the government solicitation, current audit/oversight procedures, current GSA Schedule Price Negotiation Priorities, how the GSA Schedule can impact your company’s bottom line, plus, be able to advise your in-house clients regarding topics such as disclosure of company records; establishing management and compliance processes; establishing ethics programs and mandatory disclosure; avoiding penalties; and identifying resources to assist with continuing legal support of your internal GSA/VA Schedule programs. This course is taught by Jason Workmaster, Member, Miller & Chevalier Chartered and Lorrain Campos, Partner, Crowell & Moring.