Procurement portal expanding service

FedBizOpps

Vendors will be able to repond to agency solicitiations online following

a major advance planned for the government's electronic procurement system,

the General Services Administration announced Wednesday.

GSA runs the FedBizOpps site, formerly known as the Electronic Posting System.

The system provides a place for agencies to post solicitations online and

for vendors to download those solicitations.

Within the next six months, GSA plans to put in place a "secure vendor upload"

section where vendors can respond to agency solicitations, said Delia Davis,

director of the GSA Office of Electronic Government.

The Office of Federal Procurement Policy in August submitted a proposal

to change the Federal Acquisition Regulation to make FedBizOpps the single

online entry point for government business opportunities, and GSA has now

received all of the comments on the proposed rule.

Most of the comments have been favorable, but in addition to the need for

vendors to be able to respond, agencies also are now requesting that GSA

provide an extended search and statistics capability "so they can have some

data on how the system is being used by their own agencies," Davis said.