GSA Schedule holders must pass a Contractor Assessment Visit, or CAV, conducted by an Industrial Operations Analyst (IOA). Any sort of assessment or inspection may seem like a cause for stress, but actually a CAV can increase your chances of success in the government marketplace. It highlights the high expectations that GSA contract holders are expected to meet, and encourages you to implement the best internal systems for identifying any issues. What’s more, your continued compliance could allow you to extend your GSA contract for another five years. We’ll explain what the Contractor Assessment Visit entails and how you can prepare.
- How to Prepare for Your Contractor Assessment Visit
- Requested Information During a CAV
- What to Expect During a CAV
- GSA Contractor Assessment Visit Report
- Are You Prepared for Your Contractor Assessment Visit?
What is a Contractor Assessment Visit?
During the CAV, an Industrial Operations Analyst will review your records, evaluate your business activities, and check your contractual compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Industrial Funding Fee (IFF), Trade Agreements Act (TAA), pricing, sales reporting and other regulations. It’s important to note that a Contractor Assessment Visit is not the same as an OIG audit.
Formerly, Contractor Assessment Visits were carried out half way through your GSA contract and during the final year. Nowadays, CAVs are conducted more frequently for GSA vendors who either have revenue of $150,000 or more, are suspected of GSA regulation violations, have previous assessment compliance issues, or who hold a Schedule that has a high rate of non-compliant vendors.
How to Prepare for Your Contractor Assessment Visit
The best way to ensure that you are ready and compliant for your Contractor Assessment Visit is to understand the GSA’s compliance requirements when your Schedule is awarded and keep the correct documents from then on. After all, it’s much easier to maintain good habits from the start than to frantically try to arrange everything at the eleventh hour.
Your Industrial Operations Analyst will notify you about the documents they require prior to your CAV, which we will explain in more detail below. They will also provide a preliminary date for the actual meeting. Since the pandemic, CAV meetings are almost always held virtually.
If you’re unsure exactly what to expect, you can get an overview of the process and your obligations in the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Contractor Assessment Reference Guide that GSA released in 2020. You can use this guide as a tool to prepare for your CAV.
Requested Information During a CAV
The documents requested by your IOA will vary depending on your Schedule type. Here is the list of documents and information that are most commonly requested for your Contractor Assessment Visit:
- Your original Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract, including the Final Proposal Revision (FPR) letter.
- All approved modifications and price lists for your GSA contract.
- Commercial and GSA sales reporting, demonstrating compliance with the Price Reductions Clause.
- Proof that you have paid IFF when reporting sales through the FAS Sales Reporting Portal (SRP).
- Proof that you have opted into Commercial Sales Practices (CSP) or Transactional Data Reporting (TDA).
- GSA and non-GSA quotes, proposals, invoices and statements of work.
- Resumes, timesheets, and other documentation related to your labor categories.
- Any Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) awarded.
- Letters of supply and country of origin information.
- Listing of GSA-authorized dealers.
What to Expect During a CAV
Before the CAV meeting, your Industrial Operations Analyst will analyze all the information you have submitted and look out for any discrepancies. They will discuss these with you during the meeting. It’s important that all relevant staff members attend the meeting with IOA, because the Contract Assessment Visit isn’t just the CEO’s business. The IOA will want to know about the internal processes, implemented to successfully manage your GSA Schedule. This is a company-wide responsibility that includes anyone with a role in your GSA business, for example in sales, marketing, accounting, shipping and other departments.
GSA Contractor Assessment Visit Report
A week or two after your CAV is complete, the Industrial Operations Analyst will issue a report that evaluates their findings and indicates their assessment score, with applicable notes. They will make it available both to you and your GSA Contracting Officer. This is an extremely important document that showcases your ability to comply with the terms and conditions of your contract. If your IOA happens to find any compliance discrepancies, their report will also highlight any areas for improvement. You can use this to further develop your business strategy.
Are You Prepared for Your Contractor Assessment Visit?
Do you need help preparing for your Contractor Assessment Visit? Price Reporter’s consultants have over 15 years of experience assisting businesses like yours with GSA contracts, and will effortlessly steer you through the entire process of the Contractor Assessment Visit, through the following steps:
- Efficiently prepare you for the upcoming CAV by reviewing the documents the IOA will request.
- Assess your commercial and GSA price lists to point out any potential discrepancies.
- Rehearse your video conference call with the IOA to prepare you for assessment.
- Mitigate risks during the GSA CAV while serving the best interests of your company.
Check out the Price Reporter website and contact us today for a free consultation.
