[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 96 (Thursday, May 16, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24849-24850]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-12331]



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SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION


Request for Comments

    The U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Office of Government 
Contracting requests comments on a possible Agency initiative to 
develop a concept for the provision of Value Added Services (VAS) to 
small businesses seeking Federal procurement opportunities through 
electronic commerce and electronic data interchange (EC/EDI). It is 
envisioned that these services would be priced using a fee schedule 
determined through negotiations with the SBA. It is important to note 
that the Agency does not intend to compete with existing value-added-
network (VAN) service providers. Rather, the SBA seeks to increase 
substantially the exposure of

[[Page 24850]]

small businesses to the various processes associated with participating 
in EC/EDI. The SBA is exploring the possibility of soliciting proposals 
from interested offerors at a later date. However, at this time, no 
decision has been made on proceeding with a procurement action.

Background

    The mission of the SBA's Office of Government Contracting is to 
advocate, facilitate and create an environment conducive to the maximum 
practicable participation by small, small disadvantaged, and women-
owned businesses in Federal procurement. This includes awards made by 
the U.S. Government and subcontracts awarded by its large prime 
contractors. The direction of Federal procurement policy was 
substantially altered by a 1993 memorandum from the President directing 
the heads of departments and agencies to re-engineer the procurement 
process by developing and implementing a system for Federal EC/EDI. The 
Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA) of 1994 dubbed the 
resulting systems architecture as FACNET, and established the initial 
statutory framework necessary to transition Federal purchasing 
activities to EC/EDI. Consistent with the provisions of the President's 
memorandum, electronic purchasing initially focused on the millions of 
requirements filled using simplified acquisition procedures, the 
ceiling for which was raised by FASA to a maximum of $100K for FACNET-
certified purchasing activities. Simplified acquisitions, which are 
reserved primarily for small businesses, have been conducted 
increasingly via FACNET.
    A major component of the current FACNET systems architecture is its 
Centralized Contractor Registration (CCR) data base. The purposes of 
the FACNET CCR include: (1) Eliminating redundancy by standardizing the 
contractor registration procedure across the Government; and (2) 
providing a common data base for compiling and sharing trading partner 
information. The concept for which the SBA is seeking comments is 
rooted in the critical need for increased contractor participation in 
EC/EDI. The concept is centered around the identification, pricing and 
delivery of value added services (VAS) to small businesses by a single 
provider.

Purpose

    The purpose of this request for comments is to solicit information, 
observations and suggestions on the feasibility and nature of 
establishing and supporting a VAS provider with a vehicle that would:
    1. Offer lower introductory VAS prices to small businesses for a 
period not to exceed one year so that small businesses would be 
encouraged to participate in EC/EDI, and, based on that exposure, make 
informed decisions about continued participation.
    2. Provide those SBA offices who are actively involved in EC/EDI 
outreach and counseling, with an established source of affordable VAS 
to which small businesses could be directed.
    3. Dramatically increase the population of firms centrally 
registered for FACNET.
    General Specifications: Any Value Added Network (VAN) services 
provided by the established source would be provided through a VAN 
certified by the Defense Information Services Agency Contracting Office 
(DITCO), and such VAN services would be provided in accordance with the 
VAN licensing agreement signed by the VAN and DITCO. Additionally, the 
established VAS provider would ensure that each small business 
recruited pursuant to any agreement is successfully registered on the 
CCR and certified for FACNET transactions.
    SBA's Role in Outreach: SBA would distribute information on the 
services and pricing of the established VAS to the Agency's Regional 
and District Offices, Business Information Centers (BICs), Government 
Contracting Area Directors, Procurement Center Representatives, Women's 
Demonstration Project Sites, Small Business Development Centers, 
Management and Technical Assistance Providers, One-Stop Capital Shops, 
Small Business Utilization Staffs, and other entities involved in 
promoting or assisting in small business development.
    The following individual is designated as the point of contact for 
responses which must be submitted in writing before the close of 
business on June 21, 1996. Submission of comments by mail, FAX or 
INTERNET E-mail is acceptable: Oliver H. Snyder III, 409 3rd Street SW, 
Office Code-6254, Washington, D.C. 20416. Phone Number: 202-205-
7650.FAX Number: 202-205-7324. Internet Address: [email protected].
Judith A. Roussel
Associate Administrator, for Government Contracting.
[FR Doc. 96-12331 Filed 5-15-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8025-01-P