RFI 47QRAB25N0002-Questions and Answers-2025.04.07.pdf

RFI 47QRAB25N0002 - Q & A

Questions GSA Response

Does GSA plan to obligate contract funds to pay for the proposed pilot by entities?

What amount of spend does GSA plan to put through the piloted product?

Industry requires this information to answer a valid commercial pricing structure that is most cost effective for development of a charge card and commercial payments platform.

Will GSA provide the opportunity to meet with industry entities who responded to the RFI which closed in November 2024?

How does GSA plan to maintain a level competitive playing field for this pilot?

Several small businesses with whom I consulted for the Aug-Nov 2024 RFI did not receive any feedback from GSA after their November submissions and would like the opportunity to meet with GSA senior leadership about their innovative solutions.

Have any companies been given the opportunity to meet with GSA senior leadership since the November 2024 RFI closed?

Is there a reason GSA has not held an industry day to address all interested parties and ensure all interested parties are aware of GSA's vision for this pilot?

Will GSA consider a 7-day extension of responses to this RFI to maximize the ability to present robust responses, particularly from small businesses?

If needed, funds will be obligated on the contract(s) at time of award.

Specific amounts of anticipated spend will be provided if and when a solicitation is issued competing a potential charge card pilot project.

The procurement team reviewed the responses to the November 2024 RFI and determined that it was not necessary to meet with industry to discuss the RFI responses.

The government intends for a potential pilot project to be competitive. If and when the solicitation is released, the action will be posted on SAM.gov as "Full and Open Competition" providing opportunity for any company to provide a response that demonstrates an innovative approach to meet government requirements.

This question is not relevant to the content contained in the current RFI for a potential charge card pilot project. Any company may, at its discretion, reach out to arrange meetings with senior GSA leadership if desired.

This RFI is a part of market research to help establish a potential acquisition plan. If additional information is needed from interested parties, additional RFIs may be issued or other events may be held.

The RFI was not extended. If additional information is needed from interested parties or to establish further market market research, additional RFIs may be issued or events may be held.

The CSO authority, derived from section 880 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Pub. L.114-328), as amended by section 7227 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Pub. L. 117-263), limits the contract value to $25M. Typical contract value represents the total dollar amount the government obligates to pay for the supplies or services acquired through the contract.

Can you clarify this line from the SAM.gov website… which will not exceed a total contract value of $25 million. Does this refer to costs to the government, program size (spend), or is there another meaning for the mention of this contract value limitation?

Are you able to offer any point of view as to whether or not the FAR clauses within the current contract would flow over to the pilot as well?

The CSO authority does not require the use of FAR clauses. Any awarded contract(s) using this authority will include the terms and conditions necessary to meet the government's requirements and consistent with commercial terms and conditions.

Does the pilot scope allow for services to just the GSA, or would it allow for the services to be used by other agencies as well?

The current scope of a potential charge card pilot project is intended to only include GSA employees and cards. The scope and target charge card pilot project account may be subject to change.

What contract length does the pilot assume, if any? The potential period of performance of a charge card pilot project is anticipated not to exceed 12 months and may be subject to change based on an offeror's innovative solution needs.

You mentioned the need for Level 1, 2, and 3 transaction data (C.7.2.1); can you confirm if the pilot requires transactions to be automatically assigned to accounting data (e.g., GL codes, project codes) within the expense management system, and if so, could you provide a sample coding string or specify the systems (e.g., Oracle, SAP) that would need integration?

Rationale: [Company] automates GL/project categorization [redacted text], but clarity on GSA’s specific accounting systems and coding requirements will ensure seamless integration.

Yes, the charge card pilot project will require transactions to be automatically assigned to accounting data. Financial system information will be provided if and when a solicitation is released competing a charge card pilot project. Any information about sample or specific coding strings is considered government sensitive information and will only be provided to successful offerors after a full and open competition and subsequent contract award.

: Beyond contracts, does the current SmartPay program have a pre-spend approval process for other spending types (e.g., travel, micro-purchases), and if so, can you describe the process and any pain points you aim to address in the pilot?

Rationale: [Company] emphasizes pre-spend control [redacted text], and understanding existing processes will help tailor its dynamic spend request and approval workflows.

In accordance with the Antideficiency Act (P.L. 97–258), 31 U.S.C.: Money and Finance, and FAR 32.702 Policy, federal government agencies are required to have a process for obtaining written assurance from the responsible fiscal authority that adequate funds are available. If and when a solicitation is issued competing a potential charge card pilot project, specific information about pre-approval processes and pain points will be provided.

Transaction Coding and Accounting Integration:

Pre-Spend Approval Processes

Anomaly Detection Specificity:

Cross-Agency Data Integration:

Foreign Currency Support

Pilot Participants and Scale:

The RFI response highlights [Company's] AI-driven anomaly detection for line-item violations (e.g., alcohol, excessive tipping); are there specific categories of out-of-policy spend or fraud patterns that GSA prioritizes for detection, and would you require custom flagging rules for agency-specific policies?

Rationale: [Company’s] AI reviews 100% of transactions [redacted text], but knowing GSA’s priority areas will help refine its anomaly detection capabilities.

Currently, under items (39) and (40) of section 7.1 Electronic Access System of the GSA SmartPay 3 master contract, the system is required to allow users to review, block, and unblock merchant category codes (MCC) and templates.

The government intends to retain and enhance current MCC code controls for a potential pilot project. If and when a solicitation is issued competing a potential charge card pilot project, specific information about categories for out-of-policy spend patterns will be provided to successful offeror(s) upon award. In accordance with Section C.7.4.3 Fraud Analytics of the GSA SmartPay 3 master contract, contractor banks are required to maintain fraud capabilities and tools. The government intends to retain and enhance current fraud capabilities for a potential charge card pilot project. Please note that in accordance with section C.3.3.13 Liability of the GSA SmartPay 3 master contract, contractor banks assume all liability resulting from external fraudulent activity. The government may expect any successful offeror to retain liability for external fraudulent transactions for a potential charge card pilot project.

Given [Company’s] integration with various systems [redacted text], which already works with multiple agencies like [agency], [agency], and [agency], can you specify the level of cross-agency data sharing and unified reporting GSA expects in the pilot, and are there specific data formats or standards (e.g., XML, JSON) required?

Rationale: [Company’s] existing integration supports cross-agency analytics, but clarity on data sharing expectations will ensure alignment with GSA’s oversight goals.

Data reporting for a potential charge card pilot project is anticipated to be limited to GSA only. If and when a solicitation is issued competing a potential charge card pilot project, specific data formats will be provided to successful offeror(s) upon award.

: Can you confirm the key countries and currencies where GSA anticipates the most activity, and are there specific local banking or payment requirements we should address?

Rationale: Understanding GSA’s international focus will help [Company] prioritize its global issuance and billing capabilities.

Currently, section C.2.1 General Scope of Work of the GSA SmartPay 3 master contract requires global purchase and payment solutions to support authorized purchases. Additionally, section C.3.3.16.2 Foreign Currency Conversion addresses requirements for foreign currency conversion. The government intends to retain or enhance current functionality for global operations and foreign currency needs for a potential charge card pilot project.

Can you provide more details on the departments, teams, or agencies expected to participate in the pilot, including the estimated number of users and their geographic distribution?

The potential scope for a charge card pilot project may include specific accounts for purchase, travel, and fleet. If and when a solicitation is issued competing a potential charge card pilot project, specific information about accounts, departments and teams will be provided to successful offeror(s) upon award.

Success Metrics and KPIs

Timeline for Card Issuance and Pilot Duration:

Integration Requirements:

: Beyond modernizing the card experience, what specific success criteria or metrics (e.g., approval times, compliance rates, time to reconciliation) has GSA defined for the pilot, and how will these be measured?

Information about success criteria or metrics will be provided if and when a solicitation is issued competing a potential charge card pilot project. Please note that offerors may be required to propose and define success criteria or metrics for consideration, based on the solution(s) proposed.

Once the pilot is awarded and integrations are complete, when do you expect cards to be in the hands of pilot users, and how long will the pilot run to assess its success?

Information about card issuance and transaction period length will be provided if and when a solicitation is issued competing a potential charge card pilot project.

Can you specify which government systems (e.g., HRIS, ERP) will require integration for the pilot, and are there any specific security or data protocols (e.g., FedRAMP, SAML for SSO) that must be prioritized?

Government system information and specific security or data protocol requirements will be provided if and when a solicitation is issued competing a potential charge card pilot project.

Specific security requirements including FedRAMP will be provided if and when a solicitation is issued competing a potential charge card pilot project.

FedRAMP: Does GSA expect the contractor to be FedRAMP High or FedRAMP moderate ?