If you’re a regular reader of the ITS blog, you already know that we provide the government IT and acquisition communities with private-sector solutions for everything from simple IT commodities to complex infrastructure and emerging technology. Now, we’ve made it even easier for government buyers and our industry partners to get the information they need, whether it’s acquisition assistance or information about the latest telecommunications and technology initiatives: just visit gsa.gov/technology to connect with us.
gsa.gov/itshelp also provides access to statement of work (SOW) templates, ordering guides, ordering systems and the other tools government buyers need to get the job done, including the IT Solutions Navigator, a self guided decision tool that can point you to the contract vehicle that best meets your IT needs.
Check out what’s new — The Acquisition Gateway
Among the challenges facing acquisition professionals when purchasing products and services is understanding how individual submarkets approach pricing and offerings, and what contracts already exist government wide to support acquisition of these services.
To address this need, GSA has turned to category management to reinvent acquisition, a tactic already used to help many Fortune 500 companies buy smarter. Work is now underway to develop the new Common Acquisition Platform (CAP), which will provide access and insights into transactional data from across government and help guide buyers through every step of the full acquisition process to include shared best practices from industry experts and thought leaders alike. CAP will also reduce the need for maintaining redundant and duplicative acquisition vehicles, systems and tools.
GSA has also launched the Acquisition Gateway, a space for acquisition professionals to learn, connect, and act upon acquisition information, expertise, and advice. Content on the Acquisition Gateway is divided into product and service category hallways and resources.
The IT category already has two active hallways, IT Hardware and IT Software, providing pricing tools and information, sample SOWs, best practices, and expert articles relative to that specific category for contract solutions across government. The Acquisition Gateway will be an important tool in supporting and improving how the federal community acquires IT.
By May 2015, additional hallways will be launched for Telecommunications, IT Security, IT Consulting, and IT Outsourcing, in addition to other categories outside of IT.
This is an exciting time to be a part of IT acquisition and I’ll have much more to discuss in June, but in the meantime, I recommend all government employees access the Acquisition Gateway. Check back often as this is an agile platform that is expected to grow as its user base increases and becomes more collaborative.
Resolving Your Issues
Our goal is to resolve your issues within 48 hours and, even though federal acquisition can get complex, we’re doing quite well.
| ITS FY15 Case Origin – How Customers /Vendors Reach Out to NCSC | Number of FY15 Cases (Issues / Inquiries) | Average Case Resolution Time | Percentage of Cases Closed Within 48 Hours |
| Phone | 693 | 36 Hours | 85% |
| E-mail Inquiry | 405 | 42 Hours | 82% |
| Live Chat | 244 | 34 Hours | 87% |
| FY15 Total | 1,342 | 38 Hours | 84% |
Stay Tuned
Getting updates on gsa.gov pages is an easy way for agencies and Industry to stay up to date on contract and program features, innovations, and changes.
For example, when GSA updates the free downloadable SOW templates on our website, you can receive an alert to let you they’re available.
You can subscribe to updates for a wide range of topics, including Technology and Telecommunications, Schedule 70, and Cloud IT Services. Just go to Get Updates, enter your email address, select your interests, set any preferences you prefer (including how often you’d like to receive alerts), and you’re ready to go. It’s that simple. Of course, we’ll continue to share news “as it happens” on this blog.
And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @GSA_ITS to join GSA’s IT acquisition conversation.
We Value Your Feedback
Our goal is simple: provide the support agency buyers and Industry partners need. Receiving feedback at every stage of the journey is critical to continuous improvement, driving value, and outstanding customer service. GSA already reaches out to agencies and vendors when we’re shaping specific programs, receives continuous feedback from customer and industry groups, and looks at our impact through our customer and vendor satisfaction surveys. You can find “Rate This Page”on the bottom right of our IT webpages.
Please help us to help you meet your IT acquisition needs by using the “Rate This Page” tool to fill out this form. It will just take a few seconds, but the information you provide about what’s working well and what’s not is invaluable.
