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SAM.gov problems as of 3/8/2023 Generating Bad Emails with “Someone updated the entity registration” Message

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Please note that many clients of Virginia PTAC are receiving messages from donotreply@sam.gov with the message that their SAM.gov entity registration was updated when no such update occurred.

A review of the current outages on the Federal Service Desk website reveals there is a SAM.gov outage AND that the cause of these emails are being investigated. The latest message on 3/8/2023 referenced “We believe the matter is related to a software issue” but we recommend checking for updates on the SAM.gov alerts page linked below.

Please do not click any links in those emails at this time and monitor the FSD.gov website for more information:

*As a friendly reminder, Virginia PTAC, an APEX Accelerator, is not connected to SAM.gov and is a separate resource provider. We help our clients navigate SAM.gov but do not have any control or access to the backend of the system.

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Virginia PTAC, an APEX Accelerator

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The Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP) is now under the management of the Department of Defense (DOD) Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) and has changed its name to APEX Accelerators. The Virginia PTAC, hosted by George Mason University, will be transitioning to the new name in the coming months. Please note, our mission and assistance will not change. We are still here to serve businesses with Local, State and Federal Contracting assistance within our service area. This change will enhance our scope and resources in order to do more for the businesses we serve. So, whether we are called a Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) or an APEX Accelerator, we continue to be here for you, our clients, for all your government contracting needs. Note: APEX is not an acronym, it is a destination.

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New eVA Platform!

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Beginning at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022, the Virginia Department of General Services brought the old eVA platform down and on Tuesday, Nov. 1, the new eVA platform will be live! Suppliers should get oriented by reviewing the resources on the new system including video overviews, infographics, and step-by-step guides: https://dgs.virginia.gov/procurement/eva—virginias-eprocurement-portal/eva-customer-care-forms/supplier-training-materials/

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CVE Stops Taking SDVOSB and VOSB Applications until January

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CVE will cease accepting new applications for verification or reverification in the Vendor Information Pages (VIP) Portal on Monday, October 24, 2022, at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time to implement the transfer of the verification function from VA to the Small Business Administration (SBA). Applications must be submitted as of October 24, 2022. Initiating an application is not sufficient to meet this deadline. Submitting change requests will still be permitted. The change affects only the receipt of new or reverification applications as of October 24, 2022.

Read more on CVE’s Frequently Asked Questions page here: https://www.va.gov/osdbu/faqs/veteran-business-certification-changes.asp

Review the most up to date information on the grace period for those who are self-certified SDVOSB in SAM in this Memorandum from 9/23/2022: https://www.va.gov/osdbu/docs/memorandum-guidance-for-self-certified-sdvosbs-concerning-transfer-of-verification-function-to-sba-20220923.pdf and on this SBA Press release from 11/3/2022: https://www.sba.gov/article/2022/nov/03/administrator-guzman-announces-path-forward-veteran-small-business-certification-program?fbclid=IwAR34FLk80wCIaLJyCBdKCI_4AVbondjGYFdMNqYAtp5usgU7otJaptXqCFI

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Doing Business with the EPA

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EPA’s Superfund Program cleans up the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned
releases of contamination at polluted sites. There have been many hazardous
commercial and industrial wastes that have been mismanaged across the country
which has resulted in thousands of contaminated sites that have posed risks to
human health and the environment. Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
(BIL), the Biden-Harris Administration, plans to invest $3.5 billion in environmental
remediation at the Superfund National Priorities List sites. This is considered to be
one of the largest investments in American history to address the legacy pollution
that harms the public health of communities and neighborhoods.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Small and Disadvantaged
Business Utilization (OSDBU)
is committed to leveraging targeted initiatives and
strategies focused on the expansion of the utilization of socioeconomic small
businesses within its Superfund remedial acquisitions. We are looking for capable
and qualified socioeconomic small businesses that specialize in Design and
Engineering Services, Remediation Environmental Services, and Environmental
Services and Operation
with an emphasis on those businesses operating under
the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes of 541620
(Environmental Consulting Services) and 562910 (Remediation Services)
.

We are requesting socioeconomic small businesses follow the simple steps outlined
in the attached flyer to register for the EPA OSDBU Small Business Vendor Database.
Registration in the EPA OSDBU Small Business Vendor Database will assist EPA
acquisition officials with market research and vendor engagement activities and the
ability to streamline and expedite the identification of qualified vendors for individual
Superfund remedial acquisitions.

All questions and concerns related to this request can be sent to Dianna Price, EPA
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law , Small Business Specialist at OSDBU@epa.gov. Thank
you so much for your assistance!

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Don’t miss the GMU Vendor Expo – register by 9/15 to exhibit

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George Mason University
Offices of Contracts & Finance and Purchasing
September 21, 2022
10:00 – 1:00 located in the Johnson Center Dewberry Hall on the Fairfax Campus of Mason

Bringing together key contractors, vendors, suppliers and buyers to support better procurement decisions
throughout the fiscal year. Faculty and Staff are welcome to attend as well as other localities and state agencies.

Staff from Mason’s Contracts and Purchasing Departments will be available to discuss the needs of Mason. This is an opportunity for both buyers and vendors to strengthen existing relationships as well as to form new relationships/contacts for a varied group of goods and services.

Interested Vendors:
Interested in a table? Register through Mason’s Facilities website: https://secure.touchnet.com/C20788_ustores/web/store_cat.jsp?STOREID=22&CATID=244&SINGLESTORE=true until September 15, 2022. There is a $50, non-refundable, registration fee per table. Space with electrical outlet access is limited, please be sure to reserve early.

If you have any questions, email sborzi@gmu.edu for more information.

Note: There may be photographs taken at this event and used in education, news and promotional materials, whether in print, electronic or other media sources. By participating in this event, you grant Mason the right to use your name and photograph for such purposes. All postings become the property of Mason and may be displayed, distributed or used by Mason for said purpose.

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Notarized Letter Requirement for SAM.gov Entity Administrators

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Courtesy of the federal service desk knowledge base

What to include

SAM.gov requires a notarized letter to give access to new Entity Administrators on existing registrations where there is no existing administrator to approve your role request. Letters must be submitted to the Federal Service Desk (FSD.gov). Your notarized letter needs to:

  • Be on your company/organization letterhead, and be signed by your company President, CEO, or other authorized signature authority
  • Contain your company / organization Unique Entity ID
  • Contain the new Entity Administrator’s name, phone number, and email address and match exactly how its displayed on your SAM.gov individual account
  • Provide a justification for the change
  • Contain this statement (see templates) above the signature block of your letter and insert the appropriate names where noted

How to Submit Notarized Letter to Federal Service Desk

The letter must be notarized, scanned, and submitted to the Federal Service Desk (FSD.gov).

Note: The new Entity Administrator must have an individual SAM.gov user account created with the e-mail address provided in the notarized letter for the FSD to process your request.

Follow the steps below to submit the scanned notarized letter to FSD.gov: 

  1. Sign in to FSD.gov
  2. Select “Create an Incident” (scroll to bottom of page)
  3. Select System for Award Management (SAM) in the “System Name” field (drop down menu) 
  4. Select SAM: Notarized Letter in the “Issue Type” field
  5. Fill out all remaining fields
  6. Select the “Paperclip” icon (attachments button) and attach your scanned notarized letter 
  7. Once you have filled out all required information and attached your notarized letter, click “Submit”

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Blue Origin Seeking AS9100 and ASO9000 Certified Small Business Suppliers

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Blue Origin is an aerospace company based out of Kent, WA whose vision is millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. They have recently started a Supplier Diversity program and are interested in AS9100 and ASO9000 certified suppliers whose NAICS code qualifies them as a small business to add to their supply base. For more information on how to become a supplier for Blue Origin, please email SupplierDiversity@BlueOrigin.com.

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SAM Address Validation Training Session

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A message from GSA IAE:

If you are attempting to register for the first time in SAM.gov, renewing your SAM.gov registration, or trying to only get a Unique Entity ID (the identifier that replaced the DUNS number in April 2022), you need to validate your entity.  GSA will host a series of events to share information about how the entity validation process has changed and the improvements we’re making to the current experience.

You can register here for the first session that will happen on August 3, 2022 at 1:00 PM EDT that will cover the various steps of the entity validation process, review requirements for documentation, and address the most common user questions. This session is focused on assisting entities that have begun the registration process or are currently renewing their registration.

The August 3 session will cover topics such as:

  • What is entity validation?
  • How does entity validation work in SAM.gov?
  • What documentation is required and accepted, and what isn’t?
  • What do I do next after my entity is validated?
  • Where do I get help?

We will be holding additional sessions in the near future specifically for entities that are planning to update their SAM.gov registration or submit a new registration in the coming weeks or months. These training sessions will cover the entity validation process phase of SAM.gov registration. If you want to learn more before you begin, the next session later in August will be the session for you.

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