Page 28 - FCW, June 30, 2016

FCW Contract Guide
How to order through SEWP
Most SEWP purchases are made through the contract’s electronic pur- chasing tool. Agencies can first get price quotes using SEWP’s online Quote Request Tool, which flags issues that might be of concern and ensures that all relevant rules are followed.
After an order is placed, the SEWP Program Office guarantees a processing time of 24 hours or less.
Agencies can also request a report on past purchases, with details about the technology procured. This helps agencies determine whether they’re meeting small-business targets, Office of Management and Budget mandates and other acquisition- related goals.
For purchases of less than $3,500, agencies can buy directly from the vendor through their chosen SEWP contractor’s website.
Regardless of the purchasing path, the SEWP Program Office aims to pro- vide superior service. NASA SEWP Program Manager Joanne Woytek said agencies should contact help@sewp. nasa.gov.
“We will teleconference, hold webi- nars and, if needed, travel to their loca- tions to understand their issues and requirements,” she added. n
SEWP’s customer service
Competitive pricing is crucial, but the SEWP Program Office has spent years making customer service a core part the vehicle’s value. Here is a sampling of the services SEWP offers.
Pre-order support:
• Provides an online tool for comparison shopping across all SEWP contracts
• Provides an online form for conducting requests for quotations
• Helps customers clarify quote requests
Order processing:
• Receives and double-checks delivery orders and enters order information into the SEWP database
• Forwards delivery orders to contract holders • Works with contract holders to reconcile all
Post-order support:
• Provides buyers with access to order sta- tus information
• Performs quality assurance checks with buyers
• Works with contractors and customers to resolve any issues
Contract management:
• Continually interacts with contract hold- ers at the program and contract levels to ensure contract adherence and program improvements
• Ensures that technology refreshes are pro- cessed correctly and in a timely fashion
• Monitors and reports on overall contract performance, including delivery times and customer satisfaction
SEWP delivery orders
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Alphabet SEWP:
RFIs, MRRs and RFQs Agencies can query SEWP vendors in a variety of ways as they work toward obtaining the best products and prices for their needs. Requests for information typically are used to obtain information in advance
of requesting quotes.The goal is to determine the availability of certain types of products or solicit the technical feedback needed to craft
a viable request for quotations, for example.
Responses to RFIs are typically not quotes, and the information is not verified by the SEWP Program Office.
Market research requests and RFQs, on the other hand, result in quotes.The product items in ques- tion must be part of the contract at the time of the quote and are verified when the SEWP Quote RequestTool is used.The key difference is that MRRs do not typically result in an order but instead are used to begin an internal acquisition process.
An RFQ, on the other hand, is typi- cally issued at the end of the acquisi- tion process and results in an order.
Releasing an RFQ, however, does not obligate an agency to make a purchase based on the resulting quotes, and multiple rounds of RFQs are not uncommon.
SEWP timeline
SEWP I
(February 1993–February 1997)
• Emphasized Unix systems to replace proprietary VAX and IBM systems
• $800 million, four-year delegation of procurement authority (DPA)
• No small-business or 8(a) awards SEWP II
(November 1996–July 2001)
• Included higher-end systems and administrative IT classes
• $1.8 billion, four-year DPA as GWAC • Two small-business set-asides and
five 8(a) awards
SEWP III
(July 2001–April 2007)
• Increased web and database enhancements
• $4 billion, five-year term
• Three small-business set-aside competitions (with two awarded to seven companies) and three 8(a) non-competed set-asides
SEWP IV
(May 2007–April 2015)
• Expanded into Linux and security
• $17 billion in sales
• One small-business set-aside competition, resulting in 14 awardees
• One set-aside competition for small businesses owned by service- disabled veterans, resulting in six awardees
• Two full and open competitions, resulting in 25 awardees
SEWP V
(May 2015–April 2025)
• Increased focus on cloud- and product-based services
• $30 billion, 10-year term anticipated • One small-business set-aside
competition
• One set-aside competition for small businesses owned by service- disabled veterans
• One set-aside competition for companies in Historically Underutilized Business Zones
SOURCE: SEWP PROGRAM OFFICE