Vendor_Portal_Instructions.pdf

eCMS v4.2 Getting Started Guide for Vendors April 2011

GETTING STARTED GUIDE FOR VENDORS

ON

HOW TO LOG INTO THE VA ECMS VENDOR PORTAL

VA eCMS Vendor Portal (the production version):

https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov

This document includes data that shall not be disclosed outside the Government and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed -- in whole or in part -- for any purpose other than its intended purpose. This restriction does not limit the Government’s right to use information contained in this data if it is obtained from another source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction are contained in sheets herein.

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The VA Electronic Contract Management System (VA eCMS) is a comprehensive tool used by the VA Acquisition staff to create and manage VA acquisitions. VA eCMS is used to manage the full acquisition lifecycle, including the announcement of solicitations to vendors and the receipt of vendor responses. There are three announcement mechanisms in VA eCMS. VA Acquisition staff will continue to post announcements for full and open competition to FedBizOpps which will now also be available for review, download, and response by vendors via the Vendor Portal. Solicitations for federal supply schedule acquisitions may be posted to e-Buy and will not be available for review via the Vendor Portal. Finally, limited competition acquisitions may be announced directly on the Vendor Portal for review, download and response by invited vendors. A link to the VA Forecast of Contracting Opportunites (FCO) reports is available on the Vendor Portal home page.

This guide provides vendors with information on how to obtain a vendor account, how to log into the Vendor Portal and how to rest the password. There are also instructions on how to edit a vendor user’s profile once logged in and instructions how to search FCO reports.

You can find additional documentation in the Help Library of the the Vendor Portal developed to assist vendors with using the Vendor Portal (you need to be logged into the Vendor Portal to access this documentation). For additional help, you can:

Access the New User Help Documents link on the Login Page

Access the tab after logging into the Vendor Portal

Contact the VA Acquisition Systems Helpdesk via email at VA.Acquisition.Systems@va.gov or via phone at (877) 634-3739

Page

New Account 1

Logging In 5

Password Reset 7

Edit Profile 9

Viewing FCO Reports 11

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Before you can view solicitations on the Vendor Portal you must first register for an account. You can register for an account by going directly to the vendor portal. On the homepage of the vendor portal, there is a link to “Request a User Account” to access the Vendor Portal Self-Registration Utility. This utility will walk you through a few screens so that you can register for an account on the Vendor Portal.

Step 1:

Click on the link below to access the eCMS Vendor Portal:

https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov

If you do not have an account, you can request one by clicking on the Request a User Account link at the bottom of the Vendor Portal Login section on the upper left hand corner of the Vendor Portal homepage, Step 2:

Enter your 9 digit vendor DUNS number as listed in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and click Next.

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Step 3:

Complete the New User Registration form. If you are requesting an administrative account, you will need to check the box on the bottom of the page. If you are the first user to request an account for your vendor, you must be an administrator. Click Next to proceed.

NOTE: There are two types of Vendor User accounts:

o Standard User Accounts - most users will have standard user accounts, which allow for viewing and responding to solicitations.

Standard user accounts have no administrative privileges.

o Administrative Accounts – users with Administrative Accounts can view and respond to solicitations and have permission to setup and edit Standard User accounts for users in their respective company who need to access the eCMS Vendor Portal. Typically each company will have only one Administrative Account. If you are requesting an Administrator Account, be sure to check the box in the selection field.

If you can’t determine who the eCMS Administrator is at your company, feel free to contact the VA Acquisition Systems Helpdesk via email at VA.Acquisition.Systems@va.gov or via phone at (877) 634-3739.

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Step 4:

Enter an appropriate Login ID, enter and confirm Password, and click Next.

Step 5:

You will be given an opportunity to review the information you provided. If the information that you entered is incorrect, click Previous to go to New User Registration form and enter the correct information. Otherwise, click Next to proceed.

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Congratulations! You have successfully created a new Vendor Portal account.

Step 6:

By entering your initials and by clicking on the I Accept These Terms button, you will certify that you have read and fully understood the Department of Veterans Affairs National Rules of Behavior document and that you accept all the terms.

This completes your self-registration process for requesting a Vendor Portal account.

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Upon completing the self-registration process, you will receive an email notification sent to the email address you provided, notifying you that your vendor portal account has been created. You will be able to login to the Vendor Portal right away.

Step 1:

Enter your User Name and Password that you established when you requested your account and then click on the Log In button.

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Congratulations! You have successfully logged into Vendor Portal.

Step 2:

When logging into the Vendor Portal for the very first time, you will need to select 3 security questions and provide answers for them.

Choose the security question from the drop down list. You must provide an answer for each question. Then, click on Submit.

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You will be able to reset your password by correctly answering one of the security questions randomly selected by the Vendor Portal system.

Step 1:

Click on the Forgot your password? link

Step 2:

Enter your Vendor Portal User Name and then click on the Submit button.

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Congratulations! You have successfully reset your password.

Step 3:

If you have forgotten your password, enter the answer to the selected security question and then click on the Submit button.

NOTE: You will be given three attempts to provide the correct answer. If the answer is incorrect upon the fourth attempt, you will be instructed to contact the VAAS Helpdesk.

Step 4:

If your answer is correct, an email will be sent to you containing a link that will take you to the page to enter a new password.

Upon changing the password, the Vendor Portal will send you an email message stating: “You have successfully reset your password. If you did not request a password reset, contact the VAAS Helpdesk.”

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As a user of the VA eCMS Vendor Portal, you have the ability to update certain information in your user account profile. It is suggested that you access your account profile to confirm that the email address is correct, as this is the address to which notifications about solicitations will be sent. This process steps you through how to access and update your VA eCMS Vendor Portal user account profile.

Step 1:

Log In to the VA eCMS Vendor Portal https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov

Click on the tab to view and edit your account profile.

Step 2:

Update any information as appropriate. You can also update your password and security questions on this page. NOTE: The red asterisks denote required fields.

Click on Save to save any changes or back out of the user profile screen by hitting the back button on your internet browser to close without saving changes.

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NOTE: Be sure to confirm your email address. VA eCMS will use the email address in your account profile to send notifications of solicitations to which your company has been invited to respond.

Congratulations! You have successfully updated your Vendor Portal user profile.

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You will be able to review the current fiscal year’s Forecast of Contracting Opportunities for the VA by clicking on the FCO Reports link. The FCO Reports are filterable in a variety of different ways. This process steps you through how to view the FCO Reports via the VA eCMS Vendor Portal.

Step 1:

Go to the VA eCMS Vendor Portal Login screen https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov

Step 2:

Click on the FCO Reports link in Other Applications section located in the lower left-hand corner.

Step 3:

Select the desired query from the links in the left Navigation Pane.

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Congratulations! You have successfully searched FCO Reports.

VA eCMS Vendor Guide prepared by:

Department of Veterans Affairs

Office of Acquisition, Logistics and Construction Enterprise Acquisition Systems Service (001AI-E)

Please send comments to VA.Acquisition.Systems@va.gov

Step 4:

Enter any desired filtering criteria and click on search. Once the report generates, you may save the report in a variety of file formats and/or print the report. You would repeat these steps to view additional queries.