ATTACHMENT C- SEWP Contractor Holder User Manual.pdf

Contact Information:

If you have any questions please contact the

Contract Holder Help Desk:

chhelp@sewp.nasa.gov

301-286-4555

Table of Contents Contact Information ……………….. 2

General Overview

Contract Holder Personnel mailto:chhelp@sewp.nasa.gov

Finance

Provider Submission Guidelines

Variably Priced CLINs

Technology Refreshment (TRs)

End of Life (EOL) all CLINs from a Single Provider

TR Responses

Backup Data

Email Addresses

Quote Request Types

General SEWP Rules

SEWP Quoting Rules

Order Processing

SEWP Order Process

Ordering Guide

Debrief Guidance

Customer Requirements/Quotes Outside of the QRT

Excessive Discounts

Credit Card Policy

Prohibited Technology

Sensitive/Classified Information

Atlassian Marketplace Guidance

UNSPCS Codes

Contracting Requirements

Assignment of Claims (See FAR 32.802(e)

Approved Contractors

Contract Modifications

Debarment/Suspension

Delivery Orders with Options (DOWOs)

ESRS Reporting

End-User License Agreements

Limitations on Subcontracting

NAICS Codes

Novation and Change of Name Agreements

Novation Agreements

Agreements

Small Business Jobs Act of 2023

Subcontracting Plan

System for Award Management (SAM)

Re-representation (5 Year)

Trade Agreements Act

Veteran Small Business Certification Program (VetCert)Database

Contract Holder Off-Ramp

General Overview

The SEWP Contract is a dynamic set of contracts that enables the federal government to purchase the latest in IT equipment with ease.

The Contract Holder User Manual is designed to give SEWP Contract Holders practical guidance on how to use the SEWP contract to meet the needs of the federal government while maintaining the integrity of the contract and following the rules set forth by the SEWP program office.

This manual also provides:

• A detailed description of how to use the Contract Holder Only Page (CHOP) and its many tools

• Information to Help the Contract Holder stay informed

• Guidance on reports to the SEWP Program Management Office (PMO) as required by their

SEWP contract

• Guidance on providing quotes to the government

• Information on Performance Requirements to remain in good standing with the PMO

It is required that all quotes from all Contract Holders for any RFQs issued by the government through the SEWP Quote Request Tool pass through the Quote Tool on the CHOP. The CHOP should be the Contract Holder’s primary tool in responding to customer’s order changes and Request for Quotation RFQs.

This manual should be used to enhance the Contract Holder’s experience while using SEWP. This manual will be updated periodically to remain in accordance with contractual and policy updates.

Contract Holder Personnel

The Contractor Holder Program Office will consist of, at the very least, a designated Program Manager (PM) and Deputy Program Manager (DPM). The PM and DPM will serve as the main Points of Contact between the Contract Holder (CH) and the SEWP PMO. The POCs are responsible for ensuring all contractual and program requirements are fulfilled. The PM’s & DPM’s full contact information must be provided and maintained on the SEWP Home website and at the SEWP PMO.

The Program Manager & Deputy Program Manager must be dedicated solely to a single Contractor.

The Program Manager’s duties are as follows, but not limited to:

• Attending annual SEWP Program Manger’s meetings

• Ensuring all Contract Holder staff and partners are adequately trained

• Ensuring all reports are on time and accurate

• Respond to SEWP Program Requests in a timely manner

• Respond to SEWP customer issues in a timely manner and ensure an adequate resolution has been reached

• Sending all financial reports and quarterly payments to the SEWP PMO

• Granting CHOP access to all Contract Holder employees

Finance

Administrative Handling Fee:

The SEWP contract agreement A.1.26 Contractor Collection of Agency Administrative Handling Fee

An Agency Administrative Handling Fee, not to exceed 0.34% of the total price of the delivery order, shall be applied to all orders under the SEWP VI contracts. The SEWP VI website will post the Agency Administrative Handling Fee percentage, and the Contractor shall be notified via email by the SEWP PMO. The handling fee collection shall be done in accordance with the procedures outlined below.

Contractor Responsibilities:

(a) In providing quotations to agencies, the Contractor shall be responsible for including the SEWP fee within the total amount of the quote inclusive of all costs including handling, and travel costs.

The fee may be rounded to the nearest whole dollar.

(b) The fee shall NOT be listed separately on quotes or orders. The fee must be included within the price of the quoted offerings.

(c) The fee will apply to all such orders. These include, but are not limited to, original orders, modifications to orders, etc. On modifications that reduce the original price of an order, a credit for the handling fee may be included in the new total amount.

- If a fee cap exists, the cap applies to each order and each separate modification to the original order. This includes any modification that exercises an option or provides additional funding.

The fee cap is applied on an individual invoice basis

(d) The Contractor shall invoice the ordering agency for the entire amount of the order (including the handling fee).

(e) Quarterly, the Contractor shall be responsible for sending a payment to NASA/Information Technology Office, SEWP, Code LP013, reflecting the total administrative handling fee collected during that period. The Contractor will be only responsible for forwarding payment on handling fees invoiced and collected. The Contractor shall determine the timing of the initial quarterly payment.

The payment is to be made via electronic methods payable to NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, at the following website:

https://www.nssc.nasa.gov/specials/nssc-pay/

Coinciding with the payment, the Contractor must send an “Agency Administrative Handling Fees Collected” report electronically to the SEWP Program Office. The report must be an Excel Spreadsheet and include the SEWP Control Number (SCN) and/or Agency Order number, the Total Order Amount, and the administrative handling fee collected for each order reflected in the total payment. The report must be sorted by SCN or by Agency Order number. The report must have totals for the Total Order Amount and the Agency Administrative Handling Fee Collected. This report must be submitted electronically to gsfc-dl-sewp-finace@mail.nasa.gov. Reports should be submitted as described in the Contract Holder User Manual.

(f) Before a Contract Holder processes their first electronic payment they must contact the SEWP Financial Department via email and get their unique customer number. If you have any questions about the above process, please contact gsfc-dl-sewp-finace@mail.nasa.gov.

Surcharge Statements

The Contractor Holder can run Surcharge statement reports at any time through the CHOP tools. This report shows all outstanding orders and partial payments that are showing due to the SEWP office. This Statement is to be used to reconcile your finance records with the statement and let the finance office know of any issues or corrections. This statement is NOT an invoice and will not be an acceptable reason for your payment being late to the SEWP Office. All individuals pulling reports of the CHOP must have a company email address. (example: no AOL, YAHOO or Gmail).

https://www.nssc.nasa.gov/specials/nssc-pay/ mailto:gsfc-dl-sewp-finace@mail.nasa.gov mailto:gsfc-dl-sewp-finace@mail.nasa.gov

Fee Calculation

The fee is not 0.34% of the total order amount which would mean SEWP is charging a fee on top of the fee. The .034% is applied against the total order amount minus the fee. So the percentage against the total order amount (including the fee) is 0.003388479170819215.

Provider Submission Guidelines

1. Do not send in names of companies in all capitals.

2. Do send in the name of the company in the full form as the name of the parent company – you can usually find the official parent name at the bottom of the page or in the legal section.

3. Do not send in names of products as names of companies – i.e. Casecomplete is the software product. That should be entered as a searchable product name; not the company or alias name

4. Supply Chain Level are not required but encouraged. You do not need to have an identified relationship with a provider to offer their products. However, providing false information will result in an Information Distribution strike in program performance.

Supply Chain levels are as follows:

i. Manufacturer - Contract Holder is the manufacturer of the products. The SEWP PMO will make this designation. (Contract Holders cannot set this designation using the Provider Tool)

ii. Authorized/Approved Reseller - Contract Holder is an Authorized/Approved Reseller for all items produced by the provider, meaning that the provider is aware that the Contract Holder is selling product whether through direct sourcing from the Provider themselves or a second or third tier relationship that they provider is aware of. *(Must provide Provider POC)

iii. Subset Reseller - Contract Holder is an authorized reseller for a clearly identified subset of items produced by the provider. If you are only approved for a subsidiary company and not the parent company, you should use this designation as well. * (Must provide Provider POC and used in conjunction with TR keywords)

iv. The Contract Holder obtains the products from an unidentified or unknown source.

*Point of Contact must be identified and contact information provided.

** Default Status

5. Do not put http:// in front of URLS. If you look at the screen it lists http:// and then the text box – start with the address after the //’s, for example:

a. Company name requested: Serlio Software Development Corp. not CASECOMPLETE

b. Aliases are acceptable but do so in Initial capitals not all caps; e.g. correct alias: Serlio

Software ; Incorrect alias: SERLIO SOFTWARE

Required Provider Fields:

• Company Name

• Parent Company’s Headquarters Physical Address

• Website URL

• Company Description

Variably Priced CLINs The following CLINs and their descriptions will be added to the Contract to cover non-product line items which have a varying price associated with them: When, utilizing these CLINs the quote must clearly state the dollar amount and fully describe the specific use of the CLIN for the given quote.

1) TRAVEL-Z: Travel expenses based on the current Government rates for per diem and transportation. Any other travel cost related to an order fulfillment e.g. installation, shall be negotiated on a per order basis. Travel will be reimbursed at actual cost in accordance with the limitations set forth in FAR 31.205-46.

Profit shall not be applied to travel costs. Contractors may apply indirect costs to travel in accordance with the Contractor’s usual accounting practices consistent with FAR 31.2.

2) CREDIT-Z: Credit Discount. Any credits such as trade-ins. This must always be quoted as a negative dollar amount and is the only contract line item that can be quoted as a negative amount.

3) DELIVERY-Z: Delivery Fee. See Section A.1.25 of your SEWP contract.

4) GOVERNMENTAL-Z: External Government imposed fees such as California Waste fee, tariffs, etc). Additional costs imposed by a Governmental entity not directly specific to the SEWP contracts. Detailed description must be included on the quote. Supporting documentation may be requested by the ordering agency as the ordering agency will assess the impact of the tax laws of its jurisdiction.

5) PURCHASECARD-Z: surcharge for Government payment using a Government Purchase Card or similar authorized credit card. Use of this CLIN must follow the requirements in

A.1.43 GOVERNMENT PURCHASE CARD

6) ODC-Z: Other Direct Cost. Supporting documentation may be requested.

7) Overhead-Z: Expenses directly related to the management of an order’s award. Supporting documentation may be requested.

8) GENERALADMIN-Z: expenses incurred in the day-to-day operations of a business.

Supporting documentation may be requested.

Technology Refreshment (TRs)

Technology Refreshments (TRs) are the process in which Contract Holders update their offerings on the SEWP contracts.

In order to provide technology refreshments to the Contract, the Contractor must be able to provide a technology refreshment report reflecting which items are added. The technology refreshment report will be provided via:

1) Uploaded via the Contract Holder Only Page (CHOP) with the technology refreshment request in textual format (.txt). The text must follow a keyword - value format with predefined keywords. The keywords and values must be separated by an agreed upon delimiter ([). When submitting, email should contain no other attachments, logos, html or social media links.

2) Other mutually agreed upon electronic format

TR requests can:

- Add products to contract.

- End-of-Life (EOL) products from contract.

- Increase or Decrease pricing

- Update product Description

TR requests must follow these limitations:

• No larger than 5,000 line items

• One regular TR a day

• Up to 10 Provider TRs a day. (2 during business hours 7:30 AM ET to 6:00 PM ET daily)

A provider TR is a TR of 5,000 line items from one single provider

• If an item is excluded, TR may be sent in that day to fix the issues that caused the exclusion (e.g. to improve the description)

TR Submissions Guidelines

1) Multiple TRs a day should be limited to a reasonable number. Reasonable would be typically 1 to 2 regular TRS; 1 to 2 “fixer” TRs (e.g. to fix CLINs that were denied); and 1 to 2 “bundle” TRS (TRs containing only bundle).

2) Companies sending in more than a reasonable number of TRs a day will be monitored and notified if we find a pattern of unreasonable number of submissions. If a company, after notification that they are exceeding the reasonable TR limit, continues to do so, their TRs will only be processed at the rate of 2 per day – no matter how many they send in.

3) If you occasionally need to send in a third or even fourth TR, just do so. Point number 2, listed above, is for companies that continuously send in large numbers of TRs a day. Do not send us emails asking for permission to send in a TR because you forgot something, or for any other reason. Submit as needed. We will let you know if there is an issue.

4) Provider TRs (formerly Catalog TRs) during business hours, 7:30 AM ET – 6:00 PM ET are limited to two (2). You are still allowed to submit ten (10) total for the day, however, the other eight (8) must be submitted between 6:00 PM ET – 7:30 AM ET.

5) Consolidate your TRs and try to avoid any TR with one- or two-line items.

(See Sample -1.A on page 39 for template, For a bundle TR See Sample -1.C on page 44)

TR Tips

TRs should be limited to a reasonable number. Reasonable would be typically 1 to 2 regular TRS; 1 to 2 “fixer” TRs (e.g. to fix CLINs that were denied); and 1 to 2 bundle-only TRS.

Consolidate your TRs. Try to avoid any TR with one- or two-line items. Pick a time for your company to put all new CLINs together into one TR.

Travel CLINs

• Do not submit travel-related CLINs. Use TRAVEL-Z to quote travel.

Delivery CLINs

• Do not submit delivery-related CLINs. Use DELIVERY-Z to quote shipping or delivery charges.

Training CLINs

• The following information must be provided.

o Class name or list of topics covered.

o Length of class.

o Number of students.

• The required information can be provided in the long description or through backup data.

Labor CLINs

• Labor rates must be added to the contract first.

• Labor rates must be either hourly or daily.

• CLINTYPE for labor rate CLINs must be “L”.

• Any labor CLIN for more than a day needs to be a bundle.

Labor Bundles

• A statement of work (SOW) must be submitted to chhelp@sewp.nasa.gov and approved and the CLIN long description must contain a short statement of the work to be done. For minor work, the long CLIN description can be sufficient if detailed.

• Labor Bundle should then be submitted for the specific requirement.

• CLINTYPE for labor bundles is “S”.

• BACKUPDATAFLAG should be set to the ticket number of the approved SOW (if necessary).

Maintenance CLINs, including non-returnable disks

• If one product is being supported.

o CLIN long description must contain the following:

Product supported.

Period of performance.

If price is not fixed, data must be provided that shows how the price was derived.

o CLINTYPE must be “M”.

• If multiple products are being supported.

o Submit backup data containing:

Complete list of products being supported.

Period of performance for the support.

Detailed data that shows how the price was calculated.

o When backup data is approved.

Submit CLIN for approval.

CLINTYPE must be “M”.

BACKUPDATAFLAG should be set to the ticket number of the approved backup data.

Non-returnable disk example:

Non-Returnable Disk Plus - (24) 800GB SSD Hard Drives for EF5X0 Enclosure - 36 Month Service - Media Retention

Reinstatement Fees

• Submit backup data containing:

o Product(s) whose support has lapsed.

o Period of the lapse.

o Detailed data that shows how the reinstatement fee was calculated.

• When backup data is approved.

o Submit CLIN for approval.

o CLINTYPE must be “M”.

o BACKUPDATAFLAG should be set to the ticket number of the approved backup data.

End-of-Life (EOL) CLINs

• To remove products from your contract submit the CLIN on your contract with the EOLDATE filled in.

• If you mistakenly EOL a CLIN it can be re-added via your TR.

Zero Dollar ($0) CLINs

• Contract Holders cannot quote a CLIN at zero dollars ($0) if the CLIN has a contract price greater $0. If you intend on quoting an item and there is already a version of that CLIN on your contract with a price, you will need to add a new $0 version of that CLIN to your contract.

*When you are required to submit “What is covered?” by a CLIN i.e. maintenance serial numbers will not suffice. You must submit either the actual description of the product or the part number.

Additional Tips

• If a part has a variable price to it because of different configurations, support options, or other differences, then each time that part is added, you must use a new CLIN and the description must provide distinct and specific information indicating what the price is based on.

• You CANNOT have a CLIN on contract that you reuse for different configurations, pricing strategies, support options, etc. If we find that you are using a single CLIN to quote different pricing and instances of a variable priced part, you will receive a downgrade in contract adherence for each time you do so. Each CLIN must be distinct and priced based on a specific requirement.

• If you have a quantity – such as months or years of warranty – if possible, add a single unit

CLIN and the set the bundle CLIN to indicate the quantity. This will reduce many denials we now send because of apparent pricing issues.

End of Life (EOL) all CLINs from a Single Provider In order to end-of-life (EOL) or remove, a single provider’s entire set of CLINs from your contract a Contract Holder can submit a one CLIN TR with the CLIN listed as ‘EOL-ALL-MFR’ and identify the provider they desire to EOL in the provider keyword field. They must also include the EOL Date they want the products removed from their contract. (See Sample 1.B - Page 43 for example)

TR Responses

TR Responses Meaning “Test TR Received…” The TR has been received by our

Test system if no issues are present and FORWARDNOERRORFLAG set to Y, TR will be forwarded to the production system. If errors present, they will be identified in this email.

“TR Received…” The TR has been received by our production system and is in queue for review

“Possible Problem CLINS…” Identifies CLINs they will face additional scrutiny during review. No action is necessary.

“TR Approved in Full…” All CLINs on TR have been approved and have been added to your contract.

“TR Approved with Deletions…” All CLINs EXCEPT the ones identified at the top of the email response have been added. Denied CLINs should follow the instruction given in the TR response for that specific CLIN.(i.e. submit for backup data, correct PROVIDER or CLINTYPE etc.

“TR Overwritten…” No CLINs on the TR have been added to your contract. Review instruction for resubmission if you so choose.

Backup Data

1. Send in your BACKUP DATA request to chhelp@sewp.nasa.gov. CLINs requiring SOWs are as follows:

a. Maintenance Bundle– Any maintenance that includes a long list of items to be covered by the support. Please include the list of products covered, quantity and cost for each, maintenance level for each product, and period of performance.

b. Labor Bundle – reviewed for scope to ensure service provided falls within the SEWP scope.

c. CLINs denied via TR- submission should include denial email as well as supporting documentation as to why CLIN should have been approved.

d. Provider backup data- If a Provider has been denied or you are unsure if Provider is in scope, Contract Holders can submit back up supporting why provider/supplier should be added.

2. WAIT FOR THE SUBMISSION TO BE REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY SEWP. You will get an email response from SEWP to your SOW request that says “Approved”. However, if more documentation is needed, it will be detailed in the response.

3. After your Backup Data request has been approved, send in your TR and set the backup data flag to include your ticket number. (Only the numbers after the hyphen are required)

Example: CASE 12345

On your TR include the following keyword as a separate line for the CLIN in question:

BACKUPDATAFLAG[12345

Failure to follow step 2 above will result in the entire TR being overwritten.

*Pricing information provided to SEWP will not be shared with any additional parties*

Backup Data Tips

• If you are sending backup data in advance of a TR, please state that this is in advance of a TR.

• When an item is denied because the price is too high or because it needs backup data, please do not send us a quote you received from a manufacturer, distributor or partner unless there is more information in that quote than you provided on the TR. We are not concerned with the price that was quoted to you. We are reviewing if that price is within a similar range to others and/or if we can tell from the description how the price was derived. If the price is higher than others, you will need to provide an explanation (not a quote) as to why the price is higher. If we request backup data, we usually require more information – not a repeat of what was provided in the TR.

• If you are submitting a maintenance / warranty requirement for one or a small number of items, do not send backup data. Submit each instance as a separate CLIN and fully describe each CLIN. Then you can create a bundle, if necessary.

• If you have a large number of items (e.g. pages/spreadsheets of line items) to be warranted in a single bundle, then you can send backup data in advance for review and approval.

• If you are sending backup data in response to a TR denial, you are required to include the TR rejection email. If you do not do so, we will not review the backup until the rejection email is submitted.

• When submitting Backup data for a large dollar amount of services Contract Holders are required to submit written requirements that clearly document the services being requested by the customer. When Backup Data is requested by the PMO for large dollar amount CLINs, SEWP will not accept that the requirements were based on a phone call or conversation with the customer. The SEWP PMO will need to see the actual written requirements to ensure that what is being requested is in scope. Without the proper documentation the SEWP PMO will not approve the Backup Data in order for the CLIN to be submitted on your TR.

Email Addresses

These are the emails to use for any correspondence you are to have with the SEWP Program Management office. Each address listed below has its specific function.

Email Address for Requests and Questions:

chhelp@sewp.nasa.gov – Questions regarding SEWP procedures, policies, and orders.

Email Addresses for SEWP Reports:

TBD – Submission of Technology Refresh orders01@sewp.nasa.gov – Order receipt acknowledgement.

sewporders@sewp.nasa.gov – Order submission. (In the event a customer sends the Contract Holder an order without having sent it to the SEWP office first, the Contract Holders should email the customer and CC this email address with a copy of the order attached.)

Quote Request Types

Request-For-Quote (RFQ): Contains specific requirements. CLINs must be on contract at time of quoting, quote must include verification file. Generally results in an award.

mailto:chhelp@sewp.nasa.gov mailto:sewpvtr@sewp.nasa.gov mailto:orders01@sewp.nasa.gov mailto:sewporders@sewp.nasa.gov

Request-For-Information (RFI): General in nature, does not have specific requirements.

CLINs do not have to be on contract at time of quoting, verification file not required.

Market-Research-Request (MRR): Customer is researching specific requirements. CLINS must be on contract at time of quoting, quote must include verification file.

Sharing of Request information

Government issued RFQs are not to be shared or “directly fed” to the public. They should only be provided to companies for whom you accept contractual and programmatic responsibility and oversight and with whom you have a business relationship to have them work with you and assist you in responding. Formal source selection for the SEWP contracts contained requirements that discussed the various “relationship” levels that are an important aspect of the SEWP Program. In addition, the Supply Chain Risk Management portion of the Program specifically addresses the different levels of the supply chain and reinforces the importance of “relationships” between a SEWP Contract Holder and Industry.

Your company is responsible for how the information you share is used and all actions by any companies related to those RFQs. If a company obtains a SEWP RFQ from you and uses that information for any reason other than to assist your company with a quote, your performance rating will be negatively affected. Examples of misuse would include but are not limited to contacting the customer without your knowledge and oversight, providing quotes or other information outside SEWP, questioning the customer on their requirements, requesting information concerning awards, contacting the customer post-award to complain about their selection, etc. All communications must be coordinated through and with your company.

Since the subject of sharing RFQs can be sensitive due to possible proprietary information, sensitive and/or classified requirements, etc. the SEWP Program is concerned about any “direct feeding” of RFQs to the public and/or any fees that a SEWP Contract Holder may be charging to provide that direct feed service. The practice of not only direct feeding to the public, but of possible fee charging for this service can lead into legal, contractual, and program performance concerns if a Contract Holder is found doing so.

General SEWP Rules

1. Contract Holders (CH) are required to have no less than one representative at every Program

Manager’s (PM) Meeting.

2. Two POCs should be always listed on the SEWP website for each Contract Holders, this includes the Program Manager and Deputy Program Manager. Each must have individual contact information, no email aliases.

3. For help questions, Contract Holders (CH) are to e-mail chhelp@sewp.nasa.gov. CH sales reps should contact their PM first prior to using the chhelp email address.

4. If you receive Government contact information from the SEWP Program you cannot use that contact info to populate any marketing database. It can only be used for the purpose of corresponding with the customer on the matter at hand.

5. Do not in any form coerce, demand, or harass the customer about the date a Request (RFQ/RFI/MRR) closes.

6. Contract Holders can begin fulfillment of orders only after they have received the order, which has been assigned an SCN, from the SEWP PMO.

7. Customers may request that an order or modification be signed by the Contract Holder prior to the order being submitted to the SEWP PMO. Once the order is signed, the Contract Holder should send the order back to the customer who should then submit the order to the SEWP PMO. The Contract Holder shall not, under any circumstances, begin fulfillment of the order until they have received confirmation from the SEWP office that the order has been processed and assigned a SEWP Control Number (SCN). Processing an order or modification without it first being processed by the SEWP PMO will result in a Program Performance strike.

8. Once an RFQ has closed Contract Holders are allowed one business like contact of the customer to inquire about the status of an RFQ. Continued contact may be construed as harassment, and will result in a customer satisfaction strike in program performance.

9. If a customer sends you an order or modification to you, you are allowed to send the order to sewporders@sewp.nasa.gov. You should not direct the customer under any circumstance to send the order to you directly.

10. As a prime Contract Holder your company is solely responsible for the fulfilment of the order regardless if you are utilizing sub-contractors to assist you in the complete fulfillment. All communication should be with the prime Contract Holder and you should be involved in every step of the process.

SEWP Quoting Rules

1. When a request is issued vie the Quote Request Tool (QRT) the contract holder must respond via the Contract Holder Only page (CHOP) with a quote in an image file, MS Word, or Excel document or mutually agreed upon format. The quote must be accompanied verification file listing all CLINs quantities and prices matching exactly what was in the quote.

2. The SEWP Program Office has ZERO TOLERANCE for sending quotes outside the SEWP Quote tools when that is where the request originated. If the RFQ, RFI, MRR was issued through the SEWP Quote-Request-Tool, and if the customer requests a quote to be emailed to them, the SEWP Program will encourage the customer to use the “Request Updated Quote” Feature of the SEWP QRT.

If the customer asks for a revised quote, you must tell them that you can only send them a revised quote through the SEWP system using the “Request-Updated-Quote” feature. Be clear with the customer that this does not reopen the RFQ. It is a process that allows SEWP to verify the CLINS on your quote are on contract and properly priced. But you cannot send a quote to them even if the customer has requested it. If the customer insists that they want a revised quote and will not re-open the RFQ, you only have 2 options:

i. Decline to provide them a quote.

ii. Have the customer contact the SEPW PMO for further guidance at help@sewp.nasa.gov

iii. Only if the customer requests a courtesy copy can you send them the quote via email, but it must match exactly what you have uploaded to the CHOP quote tool first.

iv. If this is a credit card micro-purchase and the customer contacted you directly for a quote and you provided a quote to the customer, then you can send them an updated quote via email even if they may have used the SEWP tools.

3. All quotes must indicate the period they are valid for.

4. The CLIN checker must be used on all CLINs, including the five variably priced “Z” CLINs:

TRAVEL‐Z, CREDIT-Z, DELIVERY-Z, GOVERNMENTAL-Z, ODC-Z, OVERHEAD-Z,

PURCHASECARD-Z, and GENERALADMIN-Z.

5. If you quote it, you must be able to provide it.

mailto:help@sewp.nasa.gov

6. Salespeople are not to force customers to re‐open RFQs or change Fair Opportunity selections.

7. Partial quoting is only allowed if indicated by the customer in their request. If you are unable to respond to the entire solicitation the Contract Holder must provide a no-bid for the opportunity.

8. Each individual item on a quote should be clearly marked with its Trade-Act-Agreement (TAA) status. Items whose statuses are unknown should be clearly marked as non-compliant.

9. Once an order has shipped, Contract Holders must provide the customer with the shipment tracking number.

10. “No bids” are not required but encouraged.

11. All questions, comments or other correspondence with customers during the RFQ process must only be through the Q & A feature; if the customer has turned the feature off, then and only then should the “Would Quote” option be used. Direct e-mails or phone calls to the customer during an RFQ will be considered a customer satisfaction strike, unless the customer initiated the correspondence or indicated clearly in their RFQ that direct communication was allowed.

12. If the customer selects Market Research Request (MRR) and there is no pricing information induced in the contract holder’s response. The contract holders should use the credit-Z CLIN at the price of Zero dollars ($0) as their verification file submission. Ex. Credit-Z|$0|1

Order Processing

SEWP Contract Holders shall not begin fulfillment of an order until it has been assigned a SEWP Control Number (SCN) by the SEWP Program office.

The order or order modification (mod) should be submitted by the customer or contract holder to the SEWP PMO via fax (301-286-0317) or to sewporders@sewp.nasa.gov.

Once received from the customer, SEWP will log the order and check that the order total matches the verification file at time of quoting.

If the total does not match or customer did not use quote request tool, the Contract Holder will be required to provide an updated or new verification file* via order review tool on the CHOP (Contract Holder Only Page).

SEWP Order Process

1. Customer or Contract Holder submits orders to SEWP Program via email

(sewporders@sewp.nasa.gov) or via fax 301-286-0317.

2. SEWP PMO enters order into system and assigns the order a case number.

3. If an RFQ number is provided with the order, the CLIN list provided by the

Contract Holder during quoting is re-verified against the order total and assigned a SEWP Control Number (SCN).

*If the totals do not match or the RFQ number is not provide the Contract Holder will have to renter the CLIN verification file using the CHOP order tool, within one(1) business day. An SCN will not be assigned until the CLIN list is verified. (A CLIN list is required for all new orders and order modifications that change the dollar amount of the order)*

4. Once the order has been verified the Contract Holder is sent an email that an order has been entered by the SEWP PMO

5. The Contract Holder must then acknowledge receipt of the order by replying directly to the order email, or using the “Mark as Received” button on the CHOP, within one (1) business day.

The following Information is required for each order:

• Date of order

• Signature (direct, electronic, or implied through pre-approved method) of authorized

Government Ordering Official;

o Contracting Officer for Order o Credit Card Holder Name for credit card orders

• Name and phone number of authorized Government Ordering Official

• Name of Issuing Agency

• Name of Ordering Agency (if different from Issuing Agency)

• Order Number o Unique order number for the Ordering Government entity - Ordering Agency determines the Order Number

• Contractor Name and SEWP Contract Number

• Appropriation and accounting data

• Billing and Invoice Address

• Shipping Address

• SEWP CLINs (Contract Line Item Numbers) and product descriptions to be delivered

• Total order amount

• Additional mutually agreed upon Terms and Conditions, Statement of Work, etc.

• Period of performance for any associated services

CLIN Verification Reports

Prior to the assignment of an SCN and therefore prior to the contractor processing an order, Contractors are required to supply to the SEWP PMO a CLIN Verification file that matches the product and price information on the order and/or mod. The following information is required in the verification file:

a. Unique identifier (if the verification file is associated with a quote provided in the SEWP Quote Request Tool, this will be the SEWP RFQ Number)

b. For each item ordered: CLIN, unit price, quantity

The total of the items listed in the verification file must equal the total amount of the order.

For order modifications/updates, a new verification file must be provided that includes all information associated with the original order and all subsequent modifications to date.

To avoid delays, contractors can submit verification files at the time of a quote, even if the quote is provided outside the SEWP on-line Quote Request Tool.

If a contractor has not provided a verification file or the total in the verification file does not equal the order amount, the order will not be assigned an SCN and cannot be processed until a verification file that matches the order is provided. Any resultant delay will count against the contractor’s delivery performance if the reason for the delay is caused by the contractor.

(See Sample -2 on page 45 for template)

Order Status Updates

Contractors are required to supply to the SEWP PMO an order status report via the CHOP within two business days of a status change to an order. Contract Holders are responsible for managing status of deliverables/services, to include Period of Performance and/or estimated ship date. Status changes include, at least, the following changes:

a. Update to expected delivery date

b. Ship date

c. Proper order status (i.e. Pending, Reviewing, etc.)

Ordering Guide

The Contractor shall publish an electronic ordering guide suitable for downloading and printing by SEWP customers. The guide shall be available prior to placement of the first delivery order after contract award. Updated versions shall be available no later than 10 business days following each contract modification. The ordering guides should contain the following components:

1) Program support information including:

a) How to obtain a quote for hardware, software, or services, including names, telephone numbers and email addresses of appropriate sales representatives.

b) Policy and procedural information regarding installation, basic warranty, extended warranty, technical support, software support, and other post-delivery issues. This will include the names, telephone numbers and email addresses of appropriate support staff.

c) How to troubleshoot a problematic order including names, telephone numbers and email addresses of appropriate support staff.

2) Overview information about the Contractor and the SEWP contracts.

*There is no defined template.

Debrief Guidance Once an RFQ has closed Contract Holders are allowed business like contact of the customer to inquire about the status of an RFQ. Continued contact may be construed as harassment and will result in a customer satisfaction strike in program performance.

• Orders less than $6 Million o Post-award debriefs and award notification are at the Issuing Agency’s discretion.

o Quote Request Tool includes optional Award Notification function.

• Orders of $6 Million or more o Post-award debriefs shall be provided upon request.

o Contracting Officer shall notify unsuccessful bidders.

• Protests (FAR 16.505(a)(10): No protest under subpart 33.1; except o Protests that the order increases the scope, period, or maximum value of the contract.

o Orders over $10 Million for agencies other than NASA, DOD, USCG o Orders over $25 Million for NASA, DOD, USCG

Customer Requirements/Quotes Outside of the QRT

SEWP does not review, or control information and processes defined by our customers during Request for Quote (RFQ)/Quote interactions.

Some customers, due to concerns about the transmission of classified/sensitive data, utilize a different mechanism from the normal Quote Request Tool (QRT)/CHOP process. For example, if the customer has a classified/sensitive request for which they are obtaining SEWP quotes, the SEWP process allows the customer to notify Contract Holders via the QRT or another mechanism of their choice.

This helps the customer directly and securely submit that material to the Contract Holders via their own agency method.

If you receive an RFQ that requires a direct response to the customer to obtain a Statement of Work or Bill of Materials, follow the directions as provided by the customer to obtain that information and submit your quote by the method they have identified. All CLINs on that quote must still be on your SEWP contract. If they require you to submit any documentation via SEWP that verifies you have submitted your quote to them through the means they have identified, submit that documentation via the CHOP and include a verification file that uses CREDIT-Z, Quantity 1, $0.00.

Excessive Discounts The SEWP PMO reviews orders where SEWP has determined an unjustified excessive discount was given based on the contract holders SEWP price. Oftentimes contract holders are giving discounts upwards of 90%, or using CLINs as ceiling CLINs, which means the Contract Holder is adding the CLIN at high price and then quoting various prices for the same CLIN on multiple orders, both of which are not allowed.

The SEWP PMO will assess program performance penalties for contract holders using ceiling CLINs and contract holders who are frequent offenders of excessively discounting CLINs. Any contract holder found using ceiling CLINs will receive an automatic downgrade in contract adherence for each individual instance of ceiling CLIN and the CLINs will be immediately End-of-Lifed (EOL’d) from your contract. For contract holders receiving e-mails from the SEWP PMO with more than 3 orders a week where CLINs are excessively discounted the contract holder will receive a strike in contract adherence.

However, the SEWP PMO does understand there may be times where a contract holder may have special or registered pricing for an order that is a justified reason for offering such a discount. If you are contacted by the SEWP PMO for an excessively discounted CLIN(s) on an order and inform the SEWP PMO that this is a registered deal, SEWP will allow the discount to remain, but the CLIN can only be quoted once for that order and should not be found on any other orders. If the SEWP PMO can identify the CLIN being quoted multiple times, then that indicates to the SEWP PMO this CLIN is not a “registered” deal and you will need to add a separate CLIN for each instance of that part number.

Once you are contacted by our office and it is determined you will need to add a new CLIN to your contact you will need to complete that process within the time specified in the email which is three

(3) business days. Failure to respond will result in a contract adherence strike. Since the quoted price and description are not changing, a modification for the order will not be necessary. The SEWP PMO will require you to add a new contract CLIN priced for the unique opportunity and submit a verification file for the order using the newly added CLIN. Remember, the process is not complete until you have uploaded a new verification file via the CHOP Order Review tool for the order.

For clarification, a part number is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), also known as the Provider, part number unaltered. For example, an OEM may have one part number that they use to identify a certain model of laptops. That part number can be on your contract multiple times to represent several different configurations of that laptop configuration. However, each unique configuration must be represented on your contract as its own separate CLIN. The same goes for maintenance, every unique iteration of maintenance or support on your contract should be represented by its own unique CLIN, whether it is a different Period of Performance (POP) or level of service, the CLIN must be unique. Bundle CLINs are also subject to excessive discount review. Bundle CLINs should be added at a reasonable price which is equal or less than the total of the individual CLINs.

Many contract holders have asked, “What constitutes excessive?” There is no set percentage; but consider what a reasonable person would consider excessive. Clearly a 10% discount is ok. Even a 30% discount may not be excessive. But if it is 75% or 95%, then the price being quoted does not reasonably match the reality of the initial (contract/SEWP) price.

Additional CLIN Guidance

• When quoting option years, each year should be represented by its own CLIN.

• Contract holders should not add or quote service CLINs with small dollar amounts (i.e. $1.00) and use quantities to affect the price - service CLINs need to be added and quoted at the full extended/total price with a quantity of 1.

• If you have an order with several option periods, SEWP would advise against EOL’ing any CLINs from the base or previous periods if the order still has open options years the customer may wish to exercise at a later date.

Credit Card Policy

The contract holder must accept payment via EFT and Government Purchase card or other Agency approved credit card payment regardless of the order size. If a credit card surcharge is applicable, the quote must clearly state such including the amount to be charged. The credit card surcharge is to be quoted using the PURCHASECARD-Z CLIN. If the quote did not specify the surcharge, the surcharge cannot be added after the quote is submitted. Purchase card surcharges are regulated by the appropriate State authority.

The following limitations apply to imposed credit card surcharges:

• The surcharge amount is limited to the specific and negotiated acceptance rate of a contract holder and the networks; meaning that contract holder is not allowed to profit from choosing to assess surcharges. For example, if a contract holder’s negotiated acceptance rate with VISA and MasterCard is 3%, the contract holder is allowed to impose a surcharge of no more than 3% of the total transaction value. Please note that the total surcharge rates a contract holder can impose cannot exceed 4% in any State.

• Contract Holders are prohibited from imposing different surcharge amounts for different networks. For example, a contract holder cannot impose a 3% surcharge for a VISA or MasterCard network product and a 2% surcharge for a non-VISA or MasterCard network product. In this example, the contract holder would only be able to add a surcharge of up to 2% for all charge cards and credit cards accepted.

• Contract Holders must provide the SEWP Program Office with their surcharge percentage which will then be posted on the SEWP Website.

Prohibited Technology

There is a list of technologies that have been prohibited from purchase against the SEWP contracts.

Any attempts by a Contract Holder to quote this technology against its SEWP contract will result in an immediate downgrade in contract adherence. The list is as follows:

• AO Kaspersky Lab

• China Mobile International USA Inc.

• China Telecom (Americas) Corp.

• Pacific Network Corp/ ComNet USA, LLC

• China Unicom (Americas) Operations Limited

• Huawei Technologies Company

• ZTE Corporation

• Hytera Communications Corporation

• Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company

• Dahua Technology Company

Contract Holder should also follow guidance as outlined in Section 889 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization act.

If you have any questions regarding this list or are unsure of a product please contact chhelp@sewp.nasa.gov.

Sensitive/Classified Information

Any classified, Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or other For Official Use Only (FOUO) documents should be transmitted outside of the SEWP tools through a secure methodology as decided upon between the Contract Holder and Issuing Agency.

There is a minimal amount of information needed to be provided to SEWP in these situations. The amount of the order, some indication as to what is being purchased, a point of contact, an agency and who the Contract Holder is. If any of that info falls under classified data, please contact the SEWP PMO for further instruction.

Atlassian Marketplace Guidance

The Atlassian Marketplace is a platform for Atlassian customers to discover, try, and buy apps for Atlassian products. SEWP will no longer allow these applications to be added to contract with Atlassian as the Provider. Instead, CHs will need to associate all Atlassian Marketplace CLINs with the company that has developed them. Since SEWP realizes many of these companies only develop software applications for Atlassian products, we are defaulting “A” statuses for Contract Holders that are Atlassian approved resellers. The POC for these defaulted statuses is the SEWP PMO. This defaulted status will only apply to Atlassian Marketplace Providers that SEWP has deemed as a company whose purview does not go beyond the development of software applications.

UNSPCS Codes

To properly identify products and services all CLINs in the SEWP database of record must have an associated United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC) code. The United Nations Standard Products and Services Code® (UNSPSC®), managed by GS1 US® for the UN Development Programme (UNDP), is an open, global, multi-sector standard for efficient, accurate classification of products and services. Full information concerning UNSPSC is located at:

https://www.unspsc.org/ . A full list of all currently identified in-scope UNSPSC codes for in-scope offerings will be made available for download via the Contract Holder Only Page (CHOP). As the UNSPSC keyword database and ICT/AV technology evolves, the provided list will be updated. Note that within the full list:

https://www.unspsc.org/

1) Column “SEWP Notes” provides key information such as whether a given code is restricted to offerings as part of an in-scope solution. For example, hand tools are in-scope only if purchased as part of a networking solution.

2) UNSPSC coding has cascading 4 2-digit identifiers for an 8 number value. The first two digits identify the Segment, e.g. 43 is for “Information Technology Broadcasting and Telecommunications”; the second two digits identify the family; e.g. 21 is for “Computer Equipment and Accessories”; the third identifies the Class; e.g. 15 is for Computers; and the last two identifies the commodity; e.g. 09 is for “Tablet computer”.