Keep Your GSA eBuy Quote Out of the Trash

GSA’s eBuy is a Request for Quote (RFQ)/Request for Information (RFI) system designed to allow government buyers to request information, find sources, and request and receive quotes from GSA contractors who have been awarded a Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract.  eBuy is an increasingly important tool as it, when used correctly, meets all task order competition requirements and allows for streamlined acquisition.

It is important for GSA contractors responding to RFQs/ RFIs through eBuy to quote only Schedule contract items through the system. As you recall, GSA has already determined the prices awarded on GSA Schedule contracts to be fair and reasonable (FAR 8.404(d)).  Products or services that have not been awarded on their MAS contract, commonly referred to as “open market items”, have not already had their pricing deemed “fair and reasonable” and therefore should not be included in quotes.

Why does this matter? Per Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 8.404(a), ordering activities may not consider or compare open market items with Schedule items and they are considered nonresponsive. Any quotes submitted through the eBuy system containing open market items just clog up the system, waste the contractor’s time in preparing them, and waste the ordering activity’s time in having to sift through them.

Additionally, it is also not permissible for contractors to quote items from another contractor’s Schedule contract without any formal agreement.  To bid another contractor’s Schedule items, you must either have an authorized dealer agreement or a Contractor Team Arrangement (CTA) (www.gsa.gov/cta).  Contact your Aprio Consultant for additional information.

Source:  GSA Steps, Winter 2012

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