Alert
Alert
09.04.19
GSA has managed federal acquisition and assistance processes on 10 different websites, known as the “legacy system.” These ten websites include: (1) System for Award Management (SAM.gov); (2) Federal Business Opportunities (FBO.gov); (3) Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS.gov); (4) Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS.gov); (5) Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS.gov); (6) Wage Determinations OnLine (WDOL.gov); (7) Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS.gov); (8) Federal Procurement Data System - Next Generation (FPDS-NG.gov.); (9) Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA.gov); and (10) Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act Subaward Reporting System (FSRS.gov).
GSA is in the process of consolidating these 10 essential websites into one website with a single sign-on. The new website (beta.SAM.gov)—currently in its development stage—will offer contractors a powerful search tool, a robust reporting tool, and a single workspace where contractors can access the information and tools they need to make, receive, and manage federal awards. Once GSA retires the current SAM.gov website, the beta website will be renamed “SAM.gov.” As of today, CFDA.gov, PPIRS.gov, and WDOL.gov have been decommissioned and moved to beta.SAM.gov. Other legacy websites, such as FBO.gov, SAM.gov, and FPDS-NG.gov are in the process of being transitioned and decommissioned. GSA plans to decommission FSRS.gov, eSRS.gov, FAPIIS.gov, and CPARS.gov in the near future.
Once the transition is complete, beta.SAM.gov will have the same federal business opportunity capabilities that are currently found on FBO.gov. The new website, however, will provide contractors many enhanced capabilities: (1) the ability to search for opportunities by number, keyword, or location for more precise results; (2) the option to access previous versions of opportunity notices with one click; (3) the ability to set up notices, with a simple click, that will notify the user when frequently used contract opportunities are updated; and (4) a user-friendly design with logical navigation and industry best practices embedded. The “FedBizOpps” name will be replaced with the name “Contract Opportunities” on the new website. The transition from FBO.gov to SAM.gov should be completed soon, by the first quarter of fiscal year 2020. GSA released an FBO transition fact sheet to assist contractors in preparing for the change. Contractors will likely welcome the transition and changes to FBO.gov, which has long been criticized as outdated and difficult to use.
More generally, contractors may use the search tool on beta.SAM.gov to find the same data that currently exists on the legacy websites. Contractors will not have to make any changes, since entity registrations and historical contract data will automatically transition to the new website once the current version of SAM.gov is retired. But contractors will have to sign up on the new website even if they have accounts on the legacy websites (e.g., SAM, FBO, CFDA, FPDS).