Harness The Online Power of SEWP

Use the SEWP website to do market research, create an RFQ, make the award and track the order. BTW, there’s chat too!

Call it a catalog. Call it a Contract Database of Record. Call it a toolset. Call it filled with IT — and if it is an IT product, it is in scope on SEWP. Call it your online resource.

The SEWP website is filled with all the tools and information a buyer needs to do market research, create an RFQ, make the award and track the order – and chat too if needed!

Based On What You Want

“We do not have a static catalog that people can search on,” Joanne Woytek, SEWP PM told On The FrontLines in a recent video interview. “What we have is an on demand or semi-dynamic catalog (database) and orders are based on what the customer asks for and it is updated daily.”

What that means is you ask for products in your RFQ. If the specific product is not SEWP, it is added usually within 24-48 hours. Items are added to the catalog (database) based on those requests not having the requests based on the catalog (database).

But the best way to determine what is available through SEWP is to utilize the on-line RFQ Tool to obtain product availability information directly from the Contract Holders. Use RFQ tool for market research information (which can include information on products to be added shortly to the contracts) and quotes (which are based on items on contract at that time).

Woytek explains that customers routinely use the RFQ Tool to solicit bids and it automatically helps buyers meet Fair Opportunity (FO) requirements.

Providing Fair Opportunity

“You have to provide Fair Opportunity. The RFQ Tool embeds it into the process, so people know they are following the FAR by using the SEWP tool.”

It provides an online quote access capability so that as quotes come in you can go online and look at the quotes notes Woytek.

“There is a verification piece as well and it is done all done right on the site. It’s available throughout the contract and RFQ process and they can come back later and look at their orders. They don’t have to process or keep on your own system.”

A Tool For Every Job

According to SEWP, to find the general types of products available on SEWP, use the Manufacturer Lookup Tool. To determine the availability and price of a specific product(s), use the RFI/RFQ Tool.

• RFQ Tool: Obtain market research information and/or quotes from SEWP Prime Contract Holders. Create Market Research and Quote requests as well as retrieve previous requests, make modifications and cancel existing requests. Use this tool to meet Fair Opportunity requirements. Registration is required, yet simple.

• Manufacturer Lookup: Lists all Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) whose products are available on one or more SEWP contracts. Selecting a manufacturer will display more details including the SEWP Contracts with that Manufacturer and a link to the OEMs website. 

• Product Verification: Provides a snapshot of the current SEWP Products, which are updated continuously. It’s main use is to verify that products provided on a SEWP quote are on contract prior to issuing a delivery order.

Tracking Orders

Woytek says unabashedly that “we like to control things”. So DOs are sent to the SEWP BOWL not the Contract Holders.

“We want to see them and by doing that we can provide tracking to the customer to the contract holder and to ourselves,” explains Woytek.

“Orders come in by email or fax and in typically 1-day that order is processed into our system and sent to vendor and they have to acknowledge it so it can’t get lost”. The website shows the order and customers get email updates of any changes in status.

So, if issues arise and the contract holder can’t deliver on time, they will send out a note to our system that the delivery is delayed, both ourselves and the customers will be notified says Woytek. “When the product is shipped the contract holder notifies us and this gets sent to customer, so it’s a highly tracked system.” N