GENERAL - FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS:
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- How do I find out about upcoming opportunities
related to reconstruction efforts in Iraq?
- Don't all Iraq reconstruction contract
opportunities have to be competitive and/or posted to
FedBizOpps?
BUYER - FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS:
1. Access/Accounts/Manuals
4. Archiving/Unarchiving
5. Cant view postings
VENDOR - FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS:
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- Why cant I find this solicitation,
the contracting officer just posted it?
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- How can I find business opportunities
for the NAICS code that represents my business product
or service?
ANSWERS
TO GENERAL QUESTIONS:
1. How can I reach the FedBizOpps Help
Desk?
A. You can reach the FedBizOpps
Help Desk by calling 877-472-3779 or sending an email
to fbo.support@gsa.gov.
The Help Desk is open between 8am and 6pm EST (M-F).
2. Why cant I find a particular
solicitation, if it was here before?
A. The posting may have been
deleted, however it is more likely that it was archived.
To find an archived posting:
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- Click on Find Business Opportunities [go],
- Switch the Documents To Search from
active to archived,
- Proceed to search for the solicitation number.
3. Does FBO store
a list of vendors who have registered for a solicitation
for access by buyers?
A. The FedBizOpps system includes
the capability to join and view a published list of
vendors interested in a particular solicitation. This
is useful for vendors who are interested in teaming
on procurement opportunities. In order to register as
an interested vendor for a particular solicitation,
the "Register as Interested Vendor" button
must be available from the listing page for a solicitation.
If the contracting officer has not enabled this service
for this solicitation number, then the "Register
as Interested Vendor" button will not be available.
In this case, you will need to contact the point of
contact listed in the synopsis for information regarding
the bidder's list.
Contracting Officers can obtain more information
on the Interested Vendors List (IVL) module by clicking
on the following link to our Buyer's Guide:
http://www.eps.gov/EPSBuyersManual/BG7-IVL.html
Vendors can obtain more information on the Interested
Vendors List (IVL) by clicking on the following link
to our Vendor's Guide:
http://www.eps.gov/EPSVendorsManual/VG6-Interest.html
4. Why do I get the message File
Not Found when I try to open up a particular document
within a solicitation?
A. Often, the file cannot be
found because there is a special character in the filename
for the document. Special Characters have specific meanings
by the browser and/or UNIX and cause an error when the
file is uploaded. The special character causes the link
to be invalid and the page comes up as a page not found.
Special Characters that cannot be part of the filename
are:
spaces
, comma
\ back slash
/ forward slash
' single quote or apostrophe
" quotation mark
? question mark
# pound (number) sign
& ampersand sign
If any of these special characters are in the filename,
you will need to change the name of the file and re-load
it. Vendors can often access these files by clicking
on the All Files option and using a program
like WinZip.
5. What are Procurement Classification
Codes?
A. In this system, procurements
are classified by Federal Supply Codes/Product Services
Codes.
The following site has excellent information
on the content of the procurement classification codes:
Remember that the contracting official
has final authority on which procurement classification
code the solicitation will use. It can be useful to
search on as many different classification codes as
could possibly be related to your area of interest.
6. What causes a site not found or cant
connect to application instance error, when there
is not a local connectivity problem.
A. Normally, these error messages
indicate that you accessed FBO using an older browser
bookmark pointing to a replaced (WebObjects) application.
You may need to reset your FBO bookmark to point to
the current FBO file or application.
7. Do FBO servers www1 and www2 mirror
one another?
A. FBO servers (www1 and www2)
do mirror one another. If you experience a problem,
please contact the FBO Help Desk.
8. Why am I not able to view recent
information posted to FedBizOpps?
A. You may not be looking at
updated screens for the notice because your browser
has cached the old data, and it is presenting you with
that information rather than going out to the site and
getting the information as it now appears.
Using Microsoft Internet Explorer, Shift-refresh
reloads the page discarding local cache information.
Using Netscape, Ctrl-reload reloads the page from
the server.
Using MSIE, you can prevent much of
the problem with browser caching by:
1. Select Tools / Internet Options
2. Click "Settings" in the
"temporary Internet Files" box
3. Click the "Every Visit to the Page" radio button
4. Click OK
This will make the browser more likely
to retrieve the new information.
9. Why do I get: You
have reached a page in the FBO system that is not available
when I try to open a file?
A. This will occur if the files cannot yet
be viewed. A link to a particular document may be
visible before the document is actually available.
This is due to the time needed for the file generation
of the uploaded information and the replication of
our two servers.
10. How do I find
out about upcoming opportunities related to reconstruction
efforts in Iraq?
A. The Department of Defense (DoD) is responsible
for the repair and continuity of operations of the
Iraqi oil infrastructure. The Army is the
Executive Agent for this mission and the Army Corps
of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for awarding
and managing contracts required to carry out this
mission. The DoD Contractor Hot Line for expressing
interest in procurements involving the repair and
continuity of operations of Iraqi oil infrastructure
is 1-866-461-5171. There will be a competitive procurement.
The solicitation will be posted at the FBO
website, http://www.fedbizopps.gov/.
Information can also be obtained from the USACE
website, http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/iraq/iraq.htm.
DoD has available an online publication, "Selling
to the Military," that identifies the research,
development, and procurement responsibilities of
each DoD organizational activity. The publication
provides helpful advice for marketing ideas and
other relevant information. The site is located
at http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/publications/selling.
A DoD small business guide that may be helpful
is at http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/publications/sbs/sbs.html.The
reconstruction effort may encompass everything from
power grids, ports, roads, bridges, and telecommunications,
to schools and health care facilities. The
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
is involved, and has a number of procurement actions
planned and in process. Details can be found
at http://www.usaid.gov/iraq/.
The US Department of Commerce provides prime contractor
POC information for those seeking subcontracting
opportunities at http://www.export.gov/iraq.
Commerce also has a hotline (1-866-352-IRAQ).
11. Don't all Iraq reconstruction
contract opportunities have to be competitive and/or
posted to FedBizOpps?
A. Thank you for your interest
in contract opportunities in Iraq. Contract opportunities
will be posted at the Government point of entry
(GPE), Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) at http://www.fedbizopps.gov/
unless a statutory exception to synopsis requirements
as described in the Federal Acquisition Regulation
(FAR) applies. Specific exceptions to the posting
of proposed contract actions at FBO include, but
are not limited to, requirements where...
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Disclosure would compromise
the national security.
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There is unusual and compelling
urgency.
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An order is placed under an
existing indefinite delivery (e.g., Multiple
Agency Contract, Governmentwide Acquisition
Contract (GWAC), Federal Supply Schedule contract).
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Perishable subsistence supplies
are needed and advance notice is not appropriate
or reasonable.
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The proposed contract
action is made under the terms of an existing
contract that was previously synopsized
in sufficient detail.
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The proposed contract
action is authorized or required by a
statute to be made through another Government
agency. This would include acquisitions
from the Small Business Administration
(SBA) using the authority of section 8(a)
-- except for competitive 8(a)s as described
in FAR 19.805.
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The proposed contract
action
- is for an amount NOT expected to exceed
the simplified acquisition threshold;
- will be made through a means that provides
access to the notice of proposed contract
action through the GPE; and
- permits the public to respond to the
solicitation electronically.
For comprehensive coverage of statutory
exceptions to posting proposed contract actions,
please refer to FAR 5.202 and FAR 5.205. For exceptions
to posting contract award information, refer to
FAR 5.301. You may access the FAR online at http://www.acqnet.gov/far
For contractors interested in Iraq
reconstruction contracts, the following information
may also be of interest:
The Department of Defense (DoD) is responsible
for the repair and continuity of operations of
the Iraqi oil infrastructure. The Army is
the Executive Agent for this mission and the Army
Corps of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for awarding
and managing contracts required to carry out this
mission. The DoD Contractor Hot Line for
expressing interest in procurements involving
the repair and continuity of operations of Iraqi
oil infrastructure is 1-866-461-5171. The
Corps will be conducting a competitive procurement.
The solicitation will be posted at the FBO website
http://www.fedbizopps.gov/. Information
can also be obtained from the Corps' website,
http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/iraq/iraq.htm.
DoD has available an online publication, "Selling
to the Military," that identifies the research,
development, and procurement responsibilities
of each DoD organizational activity. The
publication provides helpful advice for marketing
ideas and other relevant information. The
site is located at http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/publications/selling.
ANSWERS TO BUYERS:
1. Access/Accounts/Manuals
1.1. How do I access the demo training
site?
The username is: fbodemo
1.2. Why doesnt my location
appear in the drilldowns?
1.3. How do I stop my password from
showing up automatically?
A. User IDs and passwords
do not appear automatically due to settings on FedBizOpps.
The password automatically appears due to Internet
Explorer settings on your PC.
To change these settings in Internet
Explorer:
Click on Tools,
Internet Options,
Content,
Personal Information,
Auto Complete,
Change the settings for showing passwords.
For further assistance, please contact
your local network administrator.
1.4. How can I obtain my FedBizOpps
username and/or password if I forget them?
From the main page at http://www.eps.gov,
click on FedBizOpps Buyers, then click
on Login.
Click the Forgot your password?
link and enter your email address. Your login and
password will be mailed to you. Please note: The
email address field is case sensitive.
1.5. As a FedBizOpps Buyer, how can
I obtain a users manual?
To access the manual from the homepage:
Click on FedBizOpps Buyer ,
Click on FBO Buyers Guide.
2. Posting
2.1. Why cant files uploaded
to the same solicitation have the same filename?
A. The FedBizOpps system preserves
the filename used in the upload, and the directory
structure is organized around solicitation numbers.
When a file is uploaded to the directory where a file
with the same name exists, the new file will overwrite
the old file. Filenames within a solicitation must
be unique.
2.2. Why didnt my solicitation
post?
A. You may be experiencing
this problem because of an invalid solicitation number.
Special characters, such as the following, cannot
be used in the solicitation number:
If any of these characters are in
the solicitation number, you will need to remove them
and repost the solicitation.
2.3. Should I save the document before
posting?
A. Save is intended to allow
you to partially create a document for follow-up at
a later time.
If you want to create a document but
in the process you realize that not all of the information
is available you can elect to save that document and
come back later. When a document is saved it will
be available under the Edit menu button.
Some things to remember when you open
a document using edit (a previously "saved"
document):
The system automatically resets some
of the fields, therefore it will be necessary for
you to carefully check the response date, classification
code, and the archiving policy.
In general, if you are prepared to
post a document at the time of creation it is advisable
to NOT save it first. Simply click Post to preview
your posting, verify the information, and confirm
that you would like to post the notice. If you do
save it you will need to re-work the fields that are
automatically reset.
2.4. Why are we experiencing problems
saving our notices?
A. If you input special characters
in certain fields of the synopsis that are not designed
to include these characters, the system will not be
able to process these fields and will not save the
synopsis. We understand that this is a great inconvenience
to the user and are working to a) allow these characters
in certain fields and b) inform the user of inappropriate
characters in certain fields before the system tries
to save or post the notice.
The most common special character
is the apostrophe or single quote ( ' ). This character
cannot be used in the Title, Place of Performance
address, or Place of Performance Postal Code fields.
We commonly see the entry of "Contractor's address"
in the Place of Performance address field. This will
cause an error and the notice will not be saved or
posted.
2.5. What is the standard posting
time for FBO?
A. When posting directly to
FedBizOpps, synopses and other notices should be propagated
within an hour. Uploaded files may take much longer
(up to several hours) to become available depending
on the number of files uploaded during the day. The
uploaded files should be available by the end of the
day and, at the latest, by first thing the next morning.
If you note that the HTML has not
been generated after these time frames, please contact
the FBO Help Desk at 877-472-3779.
2.6. I posted a notice to FedBizOpps,
and then realized that I created it with the wrong solicitation
number. How can I correct this?
Instead, post a modification to the
synopsis with the error, directing the reader to the
proper solicitation number; then post the corrected
presolicitation with the correct solicitation number.
This will allow people who have received email notifications
of your opportunity to find the proper synopsis.
2.7. Why was I prematurely timed
out of the system?
A. We sometimes find buyers will have
the problem you describe when their proxy server and/or
browser is set up to cache web pages.
When you log in to buyer, a session
is created for you. This session times out if no traffic
is sent over the internet to the system for 30 minutes.
This usually happens when a user types a long synopsis
into the system manually, rather than composing it
in Notepad or a word processor and cutting and pasting
into the worksheet, as is standard practice. Merely
typing on the worksheet web page does not create internet
traffic. The session is stored in the browser or proxy
cache, and when you try to reinitiate the session
by logging in again, the cached pages are used, which
are associated with the timed-out session, so it times
out again.
Using MSIE, you can prevent much of
the problem with browser caching by:
Select Tools / Internet Options
Click "Settings" in the
"temporary Internet Files" box
Click the "Every Visit to the Page" radio
button
Click OK
Click OK
This will make the browser more likely
to retrieve the new information.
If the problem is a proxy cache, you
will need to speak with your local network administrator
to correct it.
2.8. When I cut and paste text from
my word processor into the description field of the
synopsis, quote marks (single and double) are replaced
by question marks. Why is this happening?
A. The problem where quote marks are being
replaced by question marks in created documents is
due to an interaction between word processors (including
notepad) and browsers when formatted text is copied
into the browser.
The buyer must turn off 'smart quotes' in
the word processor before creating the document.
To do this in MS Word 2000, perform
the following steps:
1. Select the "Tools"
drop-down menu,
2. Select the "Autocorrect"
menu item,
3. Select the "Autoformat as
you type" tab,
4. In the "Replace as you type"
section, deselect the "Straight quotes with
smart quotes" checkbox,
5. Click the "OK" button.
2.9. Why shouldnt I type the
notice text directly into the description field?
A. We recommend that you type
the text in a word processing application (e.g. MS
Word, Word Perfect) and paste into FedBizOpps so that
your data is not lost if you experience problems posting
to FedBizOpps. We also recommend typing your notice
text in a word processing application first to complete
a character count (to ensure that your text fits within
the 24,000 character maximum for the description field)
and to spell check your text, as the FedBizOpps system
does not have a spell check function.
2.10. How do I use the index function?
A. The Index function is used
to post a URL address to your solicitation on FedBizOpps.
To use the Index function:
1. From the FedBizOpps Buyer module
in FedBizOpps, click on Index,
2. Choose the type of upload and
click Next,
3. Select the file and click Next,
4. Enter the number of URL addresses
to be uploaded and click Next,
5. Enter the URL address in the
File URL field (e.g. http://www.eps.gov/),
leave the file format as the default file type of
MS Word, enter a description (e.g. SEE SOLICITATION),
and click Done,
6. Verify the file information to
be posted and click Yes to post the
URL address to FedBizOpps.
2.11. How do
I include government-wide numbered notes?
A. The FedBizOpps system includes
a link to the government-wide numbered notes at the
bottom of every synopsis page. You may reference these
notes in your description. A good way to do it would
be, "See government-wide numbered notes 22 and
26." This would make the reference clear.
2.12. Why is the drilldown for our
location showing postings for another location in our
agency?
A. It is possible that your
location was assigned the same location code as the
other location. Location codes must be unique within
an office.
3. Deleting
3.1. How do I delete a Modification?
A. Please note that FedBizOpps
will not allow a buyer to delete a modification without
deleting the associated notice. The system will allow
you to delete the entire notice (including all postings
for that notice) or delete files uploaded to that
solicitation. If an error is made on a modification,
you can either post another modification or delete
the entire notice. However, we strongly advise against
deleting entire notices, as this will confuse vendors
who have already read the notice or have already received
notification of the notice.
3.2. How do I delete a solicitation?
A. We caution buyers about
completely deleting solicitations from the system.
When a solicitation is posted to the site, notifications
go out to vendors, providing links to the new documents.
If the documents are then deleted, the vendors will
come to the site looking for them, and they won't
be there.
Instead, we recommend that amendments
be posted to the solicitation, explaining the error
that was made, and where to find the correct solicitations,
if any. This can be done by anyone who has access
to those solicitations.
4. Archiving/Unarchiving
4.1. How do I unarchive a solicitation?
A. You can unarchive a solicitation
with the following procedure:
Login to your FedBizOpps buyer account,
Click the "unarchive" command,
Select the solicitation number you wish to unarchive,
Click "Unarchive",
Click the "Save" button,
Click "OK".
The document will be flagged for unarchiving
and will be unarchived when the archive/unarchive
process runs. This process runs twice daily, at 10AM
and 10PM.
4.2. What is being done to prevent
archived files from reappearing on FBO?
A. The previous version of
FBO showed only 30 days of postings. The current version
shows all postings, active and expired. Each buyer
is responsible for the control, archiving, and/or
deletion of their files. Buyers are encouraged to
archive inactive, expired, and/or old documents in
a timely manner to conserve space resources.
5. Cant view postings
5.1. Why cant I find the solicitation
I just posted?
A. It generally takes 1 hour
for files to be available via both FedBizOpps servers.
Posting volume however, may extend this period considerably.
If posting is not evident within 4 hours, please contact
the FBO Help Desk at 877-472-3779.
5.2. Why cant I view the award
notice I posted?
A. You may be experiencing
this problem because of a special character in the
Contract Line Item field. If you enter
N/A in this field, your award notice will
not post correctly because of the /, which
is considered a special character. If you do not have
a contract line item number, then simply leave the
field blank or enter NA without the /.
ANSWERS
TO VENDORS:
1. How can I obtain a password?
A. Vendors do not need a user
ID or password to access the system. Only Government
Buyers (i.e., federal personnel authorized to post procurement
solicitations for their agency) require User IDs
and passwords.
2. How can I obtain a users manual?
A. A user's manual for Vendors
is available on the website.
To access the manual from the homepage:
Click on FedBizOpps Vendors
Click on FBO Vendors Guide
3. Why cant I find this solicitation,
the contracting officer just posted it?
A. This will occur if the files
cannot yet be viewed. A link to a particular document
may be visible before the document is actually available.
This is due to the time needed for the file generation
of the uploaded information and the replication of our
two servers.
4. Why cant I open files?
A. If you receive an open
error or are asked to convert the files, you may need
a document viewer, such as, Acrobat (.pdf files) or
WinZip (.zip files). FedBizOpps contains a link to a
documents viewers list. This link is located on each
page with attached documents:
If the file type is not on this list, please contact
the solicitation POC.
5. How do I find a solicitation without
the solicitation number?
A. FBO provides two ways to
find solicitations - the drill down via the list of
agencies or via the field search. To locate a specific
solicitation without the solicitation number you need
to search other unique attributes of that solicitation.
This could include a combination of: Agency, office,
posted date, procurement classification code, and/or
archived versus active status.
When you have as much information as
possible you will want to search for the solicitation
by:
Click on FedBizOpps Vendors
Initiate drill down through your target agency OR
Click on Find Business Opportunities [go]
Specify all the information you have available
Proceed to search for the solicitation by clicking the
start search button.
6. What is the Vendor Notification
Service?
A. A service of the FedBizOpps
that allows vendors to register to receive emails notifying
the Vendor of the following:
All notices for a particular solicitation
number.
All notices from selected organizations
and product service classifications, NAICS codes.
All procurement notices.
Disclaimer: This service is
provided for convenience only and does not serve as
a guarantee of notification. Subscribers to this list
service are ultimately responsible for reviewing the
Federal Business Opportunities site for all information
relevant to desired acquisitions.
7. How do I register to have notifications
sent to me?
A. From the FedBizOpps home page,
click on "Vendor Notification Service". Click
on the subscription option desired and follow the instructions.
8. How do
I get on the GSA Schedule?
A. For information about the
GSA schedule, please contact the MAS Helpdesk at:
or go to www.gsa.gov
and click on "GSA Schedules" to walk through
the process.
9. How can I find business opportunities
for the NAICS code that represents my business product
or service?
A. First, you may want to validate
your NAICS code selection at an Internet reference site,
such as http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html.
Once you have selected the 6-digit NAICS code that best
represents your business product or service, you can
use the valid code as a keyword - alone or preceded
by NAICS AND - in the FBO full-text search window to
locate FBO opportunities for that code. Some examples
of variations of valid 6-digit NAICS code searches are:
233220 (find all records containing
the number 233220)
233*** (find all records containing
six-digit numbers starting with 233)
233220 OR 234990 (find all records
containing the numbers 233220 or 234990)
NAICS AND 233220 (find all records
containing the acronym, NAICS, and containing the number
233220)
NAICS AND 233*** (find all records
containing the acronym, NAICS, and containing six-digit
numbers starting with 233)
NAICS AND (233220 OR 234990) (find
all records containing the acronym, NAICS, and containing
the numbers 233220 or 234990).
Note that, if an NAICS code is specified
for a given opportunity, you will normally find it in
the description text of the presolicitation notice (synopsis).
Caution: Ensure that the NAICS code you submit for search
is valid. Refer any questions regarding the NAICS code
and other synopsis content to the point of contact (POC)
in the synopsis.
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