As the New Year approaches many will reflect and make changes to try and make 2015 better.  The VA Federal Supply Schedule Service is looking to do the same.  (Sister to the GSA Schedules program, the VA Schedules focus on Medical Commodities and Services, as well as Pharmaceuticals.)  After a year of restructuring and looking to fill vacancies to help ease and speed the review process for new and existing offers, the VA FSS will begin to accept electronic submissions beginning January 1, 2015.

Long bogged down with paper and binder proposals, this is a welcome change for new VA Schedule contractors and brings the program more in line with the GSA Schedule which began requiring electronic offers a few years ago.  Unlike GSA, the VA FSS will not use the eOffer/eMod system, but rather a central intake address for emailed offers.

Offers may be emailed with attachments smaller than 5Mb, and multiple emails can be used for the same offer with attachments exceeding 5Mb as long as they are marked accordingly.  Compressed files are also an option, and in extreme cases CD-ROM may also be used.

In not utilizing eOffer/eMod, VA Schedule contractors will not be required to hold digital certificates, but this lack of a central portal will also keep contractors following up directly with Contract Specialists and the VA FSS Help Desk.  Perhaps this is something that may be addressed in the future, but for now anything that helps the VA FSS try to meet its 180 day review goal for new offers can’t be a bad thing.

You can learn more about the VA FSS acceptance of electronic offers here:

https://www.va.gov/oal/business/fss/eOffers.asp#content

If you would like assistance in creating and negotiating your VA Schedule Proposal, please contact Global Services at 202-234-8933.