GSA/FTS/OITI, 5203 Leesburg Pike, Suite 1100, Falls Church, VA 22041-3467

D -- ONLINE "AGGREGATION AND AUCTIONING" DEVELOPMENT POC Mr. Manny DeVera, (703) 605-9760 or Ms. Sarah Fiduk, (703) 605-9772 E-MAIL: To participate in discussions or to submit comments,, manny.devera@gsa.gov or sarah.fiduk@gsa.gov. The General Services Administration (GSA), Federal Technology Service (FTS), Office of Information Technology Integration (OITI) is issuing this Request for Information to obtain industry input for developing an online "Aggregation and Auctioning" site similar to FreeMarkets (www.freemarkets.com), Mercata (www.mercata.com), PriceWatch (www.pricewatch.com), etc. within the constraints of Federal procurement policies and regulations. We are conducting preliminary market assessments to doing business in this manner. This on-line aggregation and auctioning capability is a value added enhancement for commodity purchases to complement our IT Solutions Shop (ITSS, the current e-commerce system being used by the Federal Technology Service, Office of Information Technology Integration). A limited number of industry solutions may be tested and prototyped within the next two to three months. An industry working group will be established to help explore the feasibility of implementing an on-line aggregation and auctioning capability for the IT Solutions Business Line within FTS. A primary goal of this FTS initiative is to provide our customers and government agencies with an easy-to-use tool to aggregate similar products and potentially some services from multiple customers throughout government, compare prices, make a decision as to which company represents the best price and/or value, and place an on-line order with the contractor. In concept, we contemplate creating a portal with several proposed technology solutions similar to the ones mentioned above and to allow customers to select which solution they wish to execute a commodity purchase applying aggregation and auctioning. Initially, we may prototype "aggregation and auctioning" using e-commerce tools with only a limited number of commodities. While seemingly easy to execute in a commercial consumer environment, several complex issues arise in the federal government resulting from multiple funding sources and credit cards, multiple shipping locations, various invoicing procedures from multiple customers, and a business cost model that is suitable to both industry and government. We believe government and industry can address these issues and work to provide joint solutions. To facilitate this initiative, there will be industry and government discussions held on January 6 at the McLean Hilton, 7920 Jones Branch Drive, McLean VA, 22102 beginning at 9:30AM and lasting until 11:00AM. If you intend to participate, please reserve a space by e-mailing Sarah Fiduk (sarah.fiduk@gsa.gov) with a copy to Manny DeVera (manny.devera@gsa.gov). Please make the subject of the e-mail "Aggregation and Auctioning." The above discussions will take place immediately following Manny DeVera's presentation at a breakfast starting at 7:00AM on the same date (January 6, 2000) and at the same location. Persons interested in also hearing his presentation may call 703-610-8758 or 703-610-8700. We would like your detailed comments on the existence in the commercial marketplace of technology solutions that permit aggregation and auctioning and suggestions on your e-commerce capability to implement the technical and functional attributes of sites like FreeMarkets (www.freemarkets.com), Mercata (www.mercata.com), PriceWatch (www.pricewatch.com), and accompany.com, yet still operate within the constraints of applicable government procurement policies and procedures. We also seek your comments regarding creative solutions on the complex issues facing the implementation of aggregating and auctioning in government cyberspace. All comments should be in electronic format (Word) and e-mailed to Sarah Fiduk (sarah.fiduk@gsa.gov) with a copy to Manny DeVera (manny.devera@gsa.gov). Responses are due no later than January 11, 2000. This is not a formal solicitation but a request for information and suggestions on various e-commerce high-volume commodity technology solutions for government purchasing, supply chain management, and outsourcing of commodity purchasing of IT products and services. The Government will not reimburse companies for costs incurred in responding to this RFI.***** Posted 12/20/99 (W-SN410072). (0354)

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