Steps to Submit.
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The Electronic Submission System (ESS) allows users to submit ATP proposals securely over the Internet. The steps for using the ESS are given below. Please read this document thoroughly before beginning, and follow the steps carefully.

1. Get Started:

• Verify that your system meets the stated minimum hardware and software requirements.
  
• Make sure you can save your proposal documents in one of the formats that ATP will accept. Note that all graphics, figures, letters of support, etc., must be embedded in these documents.
  
• Apply for a digital ACES Business Representative Certificate. You must have an ACES certificate in order for your proposal to be accepted electronically. Receiving your digital certificate could take up to 7 business days, so you need to plan ahead.
  
• Download the Forms Viewer and ATP Forms from the ESS website under ESS Proposers' Tools. The Forms Viewer files must be placed on your local drive in c:\Program Files\PureEdge\Viewer 5.1. They cannot be placed on a network drive.
  
• Helpful Hints about getting started.

2. Fill out the Gate 1 form (NIST 1262 or 1263) on your desktop:

• Read ATP's Proposal Preparation Kit for detailed instructions about the forms.
  
• Read the ESS User's Guide for page-by-page instructions for working with the electronic forms.
  
• Get context sensitive help instructions within the forms.
  
• Save the form to disk in a place you'll remember. This can be done at any time when you are working with a form.
  
• Helpful Hints about filling out forms.
  

3. Attach the proposal document(s) to the form:

• Read the Proposal Preparation Kit for detailed guidance about the criteria you must address at each Gate and what documents must be attached to the form.
  
• Embed all graphics, figures, letters of support, etc., in the proposal documents.
  
• Verify that each proposal document is in one of the formats ATP will accept.
  
• Use the Attachments pull-down menu on the form to attach the appropriate document(s) to each form.
  
• Confirm that you have attached the correct document(s) by using the View Attachments option on the Attachments pull-down menu in each form.
  
• Save the form again so its attachment(s) are saved with it. Be sure to save the form in the same place you initially saved it, and overwrite the old file.
  
• Helpful Hints about attaching documents.
  

4. Digitally sign the form:

• Finish installing your ACES Business Representative Certificate, following the instructions in the email you received from AT&T (att.com) notifying you that your certificate has been approved.
  
• Check to be sure that your form is complete and all necessary documents are attached before you sign. The digital signature on the form will apply to the attachment(s) as well as the form. Once you have signed the form, you cannot change anything without unsigning the form.
  
• Use an ACES Business Representative Certificate for this digital signature. If you do not, when ATP attempts to verify your signature, the attempt will fail, causing your proposal to be rejected.
  
• Un-sign the form if you need to make any changes or corrections to the form or its attachments prior to submitting. The Forms Viewer prevents you from making a change to the signed form because it would invalidate the signature.
  
• Save the signed form.
  
• Helpful Hints about signing forms.
  

5. Archive form and attachment(s) into an encrypted proposal package:

• Use the Archive feature on the proposal preparation checklist to encrypt each form and its attachment(s) and store them in a proposal package ready to be submitted to ATP. The system will automatically use 128-bit encryption and store the proposal package in a place where the Submission Envelope can find it.
  
• Give the proposal package a unique name for Gate 1. When you submit, the appropriate form(s) and document(s) for the gate to which you are submitting will automatically be included.
  
• If you change a form after archiving it, you must re-archive it. You will be prompted to overwrite the previously-archived version of the form in the proposal package.
  
• When archiving forms for Gate 2, select the proposal package you used for Gate 1 from the Archive drop-down box. The proposal package that was used for Gate 1 must be used for Gates 2 and 3.
  
• Helpful Hints about archiving forms.
  

6. Submit your proposal package to ATP:

• Download a Submission Envelope from the ATP Forms page.
  
• Fill out the Submission Envelope. This provides unencrypted contact information so that ATP can notify you of a successful submission or work with you to resolve any submission errors that might occur.
  
• Select the proposal package you want to use.
  
• Select the Gate to which you are submitting.
  
• Use the Attach button to attach the form(s) and document(s) to the Submission Envelope. This action will automatically extract the relevant form(s) and document(s) from the selected proposal package and place them in the Submission Envelope. They will still be encrypted.
  
• At Gates 2 or 3, enter the Proposal Number you were given by ATP.
  
• Press the Submit button to send the Submission Envelope.
  

7. Receive acknowledgment of receipt from ATP:

• Receive web-page notification that your submission was received by NIST's web server.
  
• Receive an email confirming that your digital signature was valid.
  
• Receive an email confirming that your digital signature is valid and your attachments are readable. This is the email that lets you know that your proposal has officially been received by ATP.
  
• Receive an explanatory error message by email if something did not work.
  

NOTE: Proposers may not submit replacement and/or revised pages and/or documents for any portion of a proposal once that portion has been submitted unless specifically requested by NIST.

Date created: August 22, 2001
Last updated: January 21, 2004