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FAS Sales Reporting

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I. Background and Pilot Overview

1- Why is GSA implementing transactional data reporting?
Each year, the Federal Government acquires goods and services worth hundreds of billions in dollars through millions of individual transactions conducted by thousands of contracting units across hundreds of federal agencies and commissions. For example, in FY14 the federal government spent $420 billion on products and services, acquisitions performed by over 500 different buying entities.

Most buying offices operate independently, conducting procurements without regard to the experiences of their counterparts. Functions such as industry outreach, market research, requirements development, negotiations, and contract award are repetitively performed, without coordination, across the acquisition landscape. Best practices are formed in siloes and lessons learned are shared narrowly, forcing the workforce to face timeworn challenges without the benefit of collective wisdom. The federal government and its industry partners cannot afford to continue to function in this disparate environment and with this much redundancy.

In response to this problem, the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) has organized and is in the midst of implementing a government-wide solution called category management. Category management is the process of managing product or service categories as strategic business units and customizing them to meet customers’ needs. In order to be successful, federal agencies and category managers need new insight into both federal and commercial markets. Intelligence like transactional data is a crucial requirement to help the government understand what it buys and how to buy it smarter. Significant savings can be achieved through demand management and competition, which can be passed on directly to the American taxpayer.
2- What changed between the proposed rule (issued in 2015) and the final rule?
GSA took extensive steps in receiving and carefully considering all stakeholder feedback in drafting and issuing the final rule. In Spring 2015, GSA held the first public meeting on a GSA acquisition regulation in over 20 years. Nearly 200 companies, organizations, government agencies and interest groups were represented and 11 presentations were made. GSA received 26 comment letters in response to the proposed rule and held two rounds of public comment on the Commercial Sales Practice (CSP) and Price Reduction Clause (PRC) burden estimates before issuing the final Transactional Data Reporting rule. GSA made a number of changes based upon stakeholder comments before issuing the final rule. Below provides the list of major changes:
  • Reduced Burden:
    • In the final rule, FSS vendors will no longer provide CSP disclosures for contracts subject to the new Transactional Data Reporting clause, 552.238-74 Alternate I. The proposed rule did not remove CSP disclosures.
  • Revised Burden Estimates:
    • Transactional Data Reporting burden estimates are more than 5 times higher per contractor per year than what was outlined in the original proposed rule.
    • GSA increased the burden estimates of the Commercial Sales Practice (CSP) and Price Reduction Clause (PRC) from $90.1M to $101.7M a year, or by 13%, after receiving comments on its second notice.
  • Data Reporting and Fee Remittance Timelines:
    • Increased the time to report from 15 days after the month to 30 days for the previous month’s transactions.
  • Clause Language:
    • GSA made several revisions to the clause language for 552.216-75 and 552.238-74 Alternate I, to additional management controls, such as obtaining GSA’s Senior Procurement Executive approval, before adding a data element.
3- What will occur between the rule being published and FAS’s implementation of the rule?
Once the Transactional Data Reporting rule is published, FAS will execute its implementation plan, which includes robust training for both the acquisition workforce and industry partners, the deployment of communications materials and resources, and system modifications.
4- When will TDR program be implemented?
The pilot program will be implemented in a phased approach for the impacted Schedules/SINs beginning in Summer 2016.
5- What are the pilot schedules and SINs?
Transactional Data Reporting will be implemented in a phased pilot approach with several Schedules and Special Item Numbers (SINs), beginning August 2016 and extending through quarter 1 FY 2017. The preliminary Schedules are (in rollout order):

Schedule Description SINs Offerings
58 I Professional Audio/Video All Products
72 Furnishings & Floor Coverings All Products
03FAC Facilities Maintenance & Management All Services
51V Hardware Superstore All Products
75 Office Products/Supplies All Products
73 Food Service, Hospitality, Cleaning Equipment All Products
70 Information Technology 132-54
132-55
Satellite Services
132-32
132-33
132-34
Software
132-8 Hardware
00CORP Professional Services Schedule (PSS) Professional Engineering Services SINs Services
6- Why were these Schedules/SINs chosen for the pilot?
GSA aimed to select the right mix of both products and services across a wide range of industries to serve as a representative sample. The broad sample will test the rule so it can be applied to all MAS contracts in the future.
7- What if my Schedule 70/PSS contract has some SINS that are affected by the pilot and other SINS that are not part of the pilot?
If your contract has one or more SINS included in the pilot all sales reporting for that contract will be through the FAS SRP platform - including those SINS that are not listed in Q3.
8- How will GSA implement TDR as a pilot?
GSA’s pilot will be limited to a defined subset of Schedules where we can most effectively test the effectiveness and results of implementing TDR. GSA will not expand implementation of this requirement beyond the pilot until initial results are fully assessed and a determination is made that expanding is in the best interest of our partner agencies and the taxpayer. In the event the pilot does not meet our expectations, we can turn back to the current practices of using the PRC and CSP to safeguard what the government is paying for goods and services.
GSA has established clear policy, effective training, and user-friendly tools to ensure successful implementation. In addition, GSA will conduct change management and knowledge-sharing activities with category managers, GSA COs, and federal buyers to fully harness the power of the transactional data collected through the pilot.

Initially, any new offer on the pilot Schedules will be required to agree to the TDR requirement. GSA will invite existing contractors to accept the TDR requirement, which removes the CSP and PRC requirements. GSA may require existing contractors to accept the TDR requirement over time.
9- How are Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) and the Formatted Product Tool (FPT) related?
TDR is a pilot program that changes the way that contractors report their sales. FPT (Formatted Product Tool) is a pilot program tool that changes the way contractors upload their listings to GSA Advantage!. Some contractors may be involved in the pilot programs for implementation of both TDR and FPT.
10- How will the pilot’s success be determined?
We will be monitoring the rule’s impact on sales volume, pricing, competition level and socioeconomic goals. A successful pilot will not adversely impact competition on Schedule and will not negatively impact the federal agencies’ ability to meet their socioeconomic goals.
11- How long is the pilot scheduled to run?
Approximately 3 years.
12- Will more SINs be added to the pilot during its expected duration?
Current plans call for a 3-year pilot affecting specific SINS (see question 5) at which point the pilot will be reassessed. Any changes to the scope or duration of the pilot would be clearly communicated to stakeholders.
13- If I am part of the pilot, but also have items on a Schedule that is not one of the pilot Schedules, can I opt in to using TDR on my non-pilot Schedule?
No.
14- How will I get information and training on what is expected of me?
Training will be provided via live webinars. Webinar recordings will be available for on-demand viewing from the Vendor Support Center website (http://vsc.gsa.gov).
15- How will GSA use the data, and who can see my data?
TDR data will be used to support category management & promote smarter buying. It will be used to save money and pass on savings to the taxpayer, reduce contractor and contracting officer burden, and increase transparency into federal acquisition. The ultimate goal is to be a proactive federal partner in giving our customers the information they need to make the best buying decisions possible, while simultaneously lowering the barriers for businesses entering the market.

The initial focus of TDR implementation is collecting the data. After sufficient data collection has been determined, the data will be made available to both internal and external stakeholders, which will be communicated appropriately at such time. Dashboard tools are being developed which will allow the data to be shared while protecting sensitive or proprietary vendor information.

II. Modification Acceptance

16- What happens if I do not accept the modification?
You may continue to report using 72A. Accepting the modification and transitioning to reporting through FAS SRP is mandatory before an option period will be exercised on your contract.
17- What is the timeline for accepting the modification?
Contractors have 90 days to accept the modification after the mass refresh.

III. Reporting

18- Will I have to report anything retroactively before the start date of implementation?
No. The data is to be reported moving forward.
19- Can I change reporting formats month to month? Can I change from form entry to file upload to save time?
Yes, you can change reporting methods month to month.
20- Currently GSA sends courtesy reminder notices when it is time to report sales and remit IFF. Will this continue once I transition to reporting monthly through FAS SRP?
Yes, GSA intends to send courtesy reminder notices to contractors regarding sales reporting and IFF remittance on a monthly basis to FAS SRP contractors, and on a quarterly basis for 72A contractors.
21- When will I transition from reporting on the 72A system to reporting through FAS SRP system?
The reporting requirements will become effective on the first day of the business quarter following acceptance of the modification, i.e., April 1, July 1, October 1, or January 1. See the below chart:

If Mass Mod A509 is accepted between: 72A Reporting Transactional Data Reporting
Between December 15 and March 14 Report sales for January through March in 72A during April Report April sales in FAS SRP during May
Between March 15 and June 14 Report sales for April through June in 72A during JulyReport July sales in FAS SRP during August
Between June 15 and September 14 Report sales for July through September in 72A during October Report October sales in FAS SRP during November
Between September 15 and December 14 Report sales for October through December during January of the following year Report sales for January of the following year during February of the following year
22- In the past I rounded my quarterly sales to the nearest whole dollar. Will I do any rounding of data in the FAS SRP system?
No, sales reported in FAS SRP will be exact to the penny.
23- What data am I required to report?
These data elements were selected because 1) they are typically already included on invoices submitted by the vendor; 2) represent the minimum amount of data the Government would need in order to conduct price analyses, and 3) are elements that cannot be obtained from other sources such as FPDS-NG. The clause requires contractors to submit the following data elements:

  • Contract Number
  • Order Number or Procurement Instrument Identifier (PIID)
  • Non Federal Entity, if applicable
  • Description of Deliverable
  • Manufacturer Name
  • Manufacturer Part Number
  • Unit of Measure (each, hour, case, lot, etc.)
  • Quantity of Item Sold
  • Universal Product Code (UPC) if applicable
  • Price Paid per Unit
  • Total Price Sold
24- In what format can I submit the data?
Contractors have multiple options to submit their sales data such as:

  1. Form entry - where you fill out a form in your web browser
  2. File upload - where you upload an excel or .csv template populated with your sales data
  3. Electronic Data Interchange / EDI
  4. Web Services / API
25- What is the frequency of reporting?
TDR data is reported monthly, and there is a 30-day window to report after the end of the month.
26- Is there difference in reporting for existing contractors versus new ones?
TDR requires monthly reporting for all contractors involved.
27- If my data being reported is sensitive, how will GSA safeguard this data?
GSA recognizes that there are orders that are sensitive, not classified. The 12 items required by the GSA Regulation change are invoiced items and not classified, therefore reporting requirements for sensitive orders are identical to reporting requirements for non-sensitive orders. To submit documentation that contains sensitive information, vendors must use the supporting documentation feature in the FAS Sales Reporting module. That data will be automatically encrypted and only the program office would be authorized to unlock. These terms will be identified in the contract.
28- What if my orders are firm fixed price and the items were not quoted individually?
Please report the items in the way they were quoted.

IV. The Industrial Funding Fee (IFF)

29- When is IFF due?
IFF must be paid quarterly. Contractors may, however, choose to remit IFF on a monthly basis when they report their sales if they prefer, and must do so through the FAS SRP system.
30- Can I remit my IFF by mailing a check?
No, all payments through FAS SRP must be electronic using pay.gov. You can also submit your checking information with this method. No paper checks will be accepted.

V. The FAS SRP Sales Reporting System

31- How do I log into the FAS SRP System, and what is a Multi-Factor Authentication?
A. Contractors will utilize a “Multi-Factor Authentication” to gain access to the FAS SRP system. A Multi-Factor Authentication credentials that:

  • Asserts the identity of an individual
  • Encrypt or decrypt data to ensure that it is securely transmitted.
  • A packet of information that is stored on a web browser or on a token.
  • User ID signatures which are verifiable.

  • To gain access please follow the instruction on the Multi-Factor Authentication User Guide
32- What if I made a mistake submitting sales data?
The FAS SRP Sales Reporting site will act as the single system for contractor interface when it comes to sales reporting / sales adjustments. You can adjust data submitted through the FAS SRP Sales Reporting site at any time.
33- Will there be an opportunity to test our systems with GSA’s FAS SRP Portal?
Yes, contractors will have the opportunity to explore a test environment to confirm their credentials and select the best reporting format.
34- How do I submit a Sales Adjustment? Will the FAS SRP system accept a negative value for a credit memo?
Through the Adjust Sales feature, contractors may adjust already reported data after a mistake has been recognized. When adjusting sales via form entry, contractors can add/edit/remove line item details in their browser window. When adjusting sales using file upload contractors submit a replacement file for the data that was previously reported.

The system will not accept negative values. In the event of an instance where reported sales need to be removed from reported sales, the appropriate action is to make a sales adjustment for the month that the sale was originally reported - removing the sale from the report.
35- Where do I go for help with the FAS SRP system?
The VSC Helpdesk provides technical support for the FAS SRP system: 877-495-4849 or vendor.support@gsa.gov.

VI. TDR Impact On Other Vehicles

36- How does this affect GWAC vendors?
The TDR rule itself applies to all GSA contracts. However, the pilot only applies to the Schedules/SINs listed above in Question 5. Transactional data is already collected on the Alliant and Alliant Small Business GWACs but is not currently collected on the VETS and 8(a)STARS II GWACs. GSA will communicate accordingly with vendors participating on other GWACs, such as OASIS and HCATs regarding future implementation of TDR on these vehicles.
37- How does this affect OS3 contractors?
OS3 contractors are not impacted by this pilot at this time.

I. Accessing FAS SRP

1- How do I access FAS SRP?
Vendors can access the FAS SRP portal using any web browser at https://srp.fas.gsa.gov. Then, click on the Contractor Login on the portal page to log into FAS SRP. You must have a valid Multi-Factor Authentication username and password in order to log into the system.
2- Why do I need Multi-Factor Authentication to access FAS SRP?
Multi-Factor Authentication validates the user’s identity (email and relationship to the Company). FAS SRP will authenticate Contractor by checking the email/username against their email on the Contract file. If the email match exactly then the Contractor will be granted access to the application and be provided authorization to work on their respective contracts.
3- Is the expectation that anyone who reports sales / pays IFF should have Multi-Factor Authentication account for FAS SRP?
Yes, anyone reporting in FAS SRP must have a Multi-Factor Authentication account.
4- Is the expectation that the same person will report each month?
The person reporting and making payments in FAS SRP does not have to be the same person each month. However, the person must be a point of contact on the contract. If the person is not part of the contract, he can request to be added to the contract through the eMod process.
5- Will I be required to create a profile to update membership information, i.e. phone number, fax or email?
No. In order to access contracts in FAS SRP you must be a Point of Contact (POC) on the contract and have a valid Multi-Factor Authentication account.
6- What happens if a vendor POC leaves the company; who will be authorized to access the application to report sales and make payments?
If a Contractor POC leaves the Company, the Contractor Company is responsible to add his/her replacement to the Contract through the eMod process. Once the new person is added to the Contract and acquires a valid Multi-Factor Authentication account, he/she will be allowed to access his/her contracts in FAS SRP. Note: The Contractor POC’s email on the Multi-Factor Authentication account must match the email on the Contract.

II. FAS Sales Reporting

7- Whom should I ask about what or how much to report? IOA?
Contractors should ask their Industrial Operations Analyst or Contracting Officer.
8- Do FAS SRP vendors have a dedicated IOA?
Same IOAs as the current 72A Contracts listed in FSS19.
9- How do I report sales data?
You can report sales using one of the five methods available. From the application pages you can report data using the Form Entry method (entering data in a web form) or File Upload method (uploading data saved to an excel template or a .csv template).

In addition, you can report data using the Enterprise Data Interchange (EDI) method or Application Programming Interface (API) method. The specifications necessary to set up these interfaces with FAS SRP are available on the FAS SRP portal page.
10- If I do not know my task order or PIID number, what should I do?
If the vendor does not know the task order or PIID, enter the GSA contract number.
11- Am I required to complete monthly reports if I have no sales to report or I have not performed work on a contract in the current period?
Yes. You are required to submit monthly sales reports even if you have no sales data to report for the current period. See Zero Sales reporting (Question 12).
12- How do I report Zero Sales for the reporting period?
Click Yes in the Reporting zero sales field on the report page to indicate no sales for the reporting period. However, you must report Zero Sales within the 30-day report requirement period to avoid delinquency status.
13- Should I report Open Market Items on monthly reports?
No.
14- How do I report service line items?
Fields that have an asterisk (*) are required for services.
15- Do I need to report in 72A?
Once you start reporting for a given contract in FAS SRP, you do not have to report in 72A. However, you must continue to report sales for your contracts that have not transitioned to FAS SRP.
16- What is the deadline for submitting Sales Data reports?
Contractors are required to report their transactional sales data totals, including zero sales on a monthly basis per clause 552.238-74 within 30 days after the end of the month (the “reporting period”). All reports become delinquent once they have reached 30 days after the due date, and a data delinquency notification will be sent to the Contractor.
17- Can I modify my sales data after I submit a report or if I report incorrect details of sales?
Yes, you can modify a report after it has been submitted using the options available under the Adjust Data menu. The same methods used to report your data can also be used to adjust sales data reports. When adjusting sales by Form Entry, the Vendor can selectively adjust the data.

When adjusting by other methods you will be replacing the previously submitted data. i.e. If adjusting sales by Excel file upload, you should revise the file to include all data (previously submitted, modified and new data) and the system will over ride previously submitted data.

NOTE: You MUST enter an explanation for modifying the data in the Justification field.
18- How far back can I adjust data?
Currently there is no limit on how far back data can be adjusted as long as the data has been reported in FAS SRP. Data reported in other systems cannot be adjusted within FAS SRP.
19- If I am behind in reporting, will I need to report for the missed period first, or can I report for the current period and then go back to previous period?
Yes, FAS SRP will require Vendors to report for all missed reporting periods (you must report Zero sales if you did not realize any sales for a given month) before they report for current reporting periods.
20- Can I report for multiple missed periods, then make one payment to cover all periods reported?
At this time, the vendor has to report one reporting period at a time. Same applies to payments.
21- Will I be able to do Close-out Sales?
Yes. Note: Close-out sales requests are for expired, canceled and terminated contracts.
22- Am I required to complete a monthly report when my contract term has expired?
Yes, if you have sales to report after the Contract expiration date, you are required to report sales for the month you have realized sales. You are NOT required to report every month after the Contract expiration date.

III. FAS Fee Payments

23- How do I find out the fees due on a contract?
The payment summary page for a given contract shows the fee due and balance due by reporting period. The home page also shows the “Total Outstanding Balance” by Contract.
24- What is the timeframe for making Fee payments before they become delinquent?
You are required to remit payment 30 days after the end of the payment quarter. You will receive a reminder notice prior to the payment deadline. If you fail to make payments in a timely manner, FAS SRP will send three (3) delinquency notifications followed by a Claim Initiation Notification to the Contracting Officer.
25- Can I make a payment on more than one contract at a time?
No. From the payment summary page you will be able to make a payment for a given reporting period for that Contract. At this time, you cannot make payments for multiple contracts at a time or multiple reporting periods at a time.
26- If I over-pay my fee, will I be able to leave the money on the books and roll-it to next month?
In FAS SRP you will not be allowed to modify your fee due or change the amount paid. However, if you have fee overage for other reasons, FAS SRP will roll-it to the next month.
27- What if I do not want to roll over-payment to next month; what is process for a refund?
If you want to request a refund of the overage, you should contact the Contracting officer to initiate a refund process.
28- Can I defer payments? If so, will they be issued a Passcode to "pay later"?
All IFF payments are due quarterly (CAF payments are due monthly) and have to be paid on time. Payments not made on time will be revised to “Past Due” status and might reflect on the Contractors performance record.
29- Will I be able to make credit card and ACH payments? Is the max daily credit card limit $24,999?
You can make payments through Pay.gov using four different methods: ACH, Plastic Card, Dwolla and PayPal. The payment limitations are as follows (More detailed information is available on Pay.gov);

ACH - The payment amount cannot exceed $99,999,999.99 per transaction.

Plastic Card (Credit Card) - Limit is $24,999 In accordance with the Bureau of the Fiscal Service “Limitations on Credit Card Collection Transactions and Policy for Splitting Transactions” Announcement No. A-2014-04, July, 2014, effective June 1, 2015, a total daily dollar amount limit of $24.999.99 applies to the combination of all transactions made with any US Government entities using the same credit card. This limit has been implemented by Vantiv, the card acquiring processor of the Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s’ financial agent, Fifth Third Bank, and is lower than the previous limit of $49,999.99. Agencies are affected in the following ways: The new credit card daily limit applies to the combined total of all transactions conducted with any US Government entities on a single day using a single credit card.

PayPal - Each PayPal transaction is limited to a maximum of $10,000.00. Note that a customer could conduct multiple transactions of up to $10,000.00 each as their account funding permits. There is no cumulative daily or periodic limit set by PayPal.

Dwolla - Each transaction is limited to a maximum of $10,000.00. Note that a customer could conduct multiple transactions of up to $10,000.00 each as their account funding permits. There is no cumulative daily or periodic limit set by Dwolla.
30- Can I cancel a payment after I submit it?
No.

IV. Help and Support

31- Is a user guide available for guidance on how to report sales and make payments?
Yes, FAS SRP web based training modules and online user manual are available on the FAS SRP portal located at https://srp.fas.gsa.gov.

V. Classified Orders

32- How do I report Classified Orders?
Classified Order Reporting Instructions

Some contractors have classified orders - while the transactional level data for these orders is exempt from the reporting requirements, IFF is still owed on these orders. Follow these instructions to report classified orders.

Note: The determination of whether an order is classified is up to the ordering activity. Ordering activities will make clear what orders are classified.

All classified orders for a given time period are bundled into a single line item. The line item for classified orders are to be reported as follows:

Field Data Populated / Description
Contract Number This is the GSA MAS/GWAC contract number that was assigned by GSA
Order Number or Procurement Instrument Identifier (PIID) “xxxx-xxxx”
Non Federal Entity, if applicable No response
Description of Deliverable “xxxx-xxxx”
Manufacturer Name Leave Blank
Manufacturer Part Number Leave Blank
Unit of Measure (each, hour, case, lot, etc.) each
Quantity of Item Sold 1
Universal Product Code (UPC) if applicable Leave Blank
Price Paid per Unit Sum of all sales for the month
Total Price Sold N/A system calculated, product of quantity and prices paid per unit
Special Item Number (SIN) Leave Blank
00CORP Professional Services Schedule (PSS)
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