ECS III Is Customer Driven  

By Jeff Erlichman

ECS III is a trusted, proven source for IT products from 64 vetted suppliers.

The Electronic Commodities Store GWAC has been serving customers for 15 years. Now in its third iteration, ECS III is a trusted, proven source for IT products from 64 vetted suppliers ranging from laptops to scientific workstations; from operating system software to maintenance and support along with services such as installation and maintenance.

Customers buy using a web-based Request for Quotation (RFQ) system and a streamlined procurement process due to pre-qualification of vendors. It offers reverse auction features, a low 1/2% processing fee and Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) compliant products.

In a recent interview with 1105 Government Information Group Custom Media, Millicent Manning, CO for ECS III said that the contract’s 10 year span – and 1/2% fee – has allowed the contract to grow and evolve as their customer’s needs have evolved.

“Each vendor has a niche that is mapped within the online RFQ system which is divided into Lots or categories,” said Manning. “Each vendor within a Lot gets the RFQs submitted by customers. For example a customer puts in request for a laptop with their specs online and the vendors in that Lot respond online.”

Then, according to Manning, it’s up to each HHS institute or government agency to use their own contracting shop to place their own delivery orders and they use the contract number to identify that the ECS III is the contracting vehicle.

In this way the customer benefits from one delivery order with options from one RFQ, while the vendor only needs to do one, not multiple responses to an RFQ.

Keeping In Scope

One reason ECS III has been a success due to the Technology Refreshment Proposal (TRP) process that allows new products to be added to the contract.

“We don’t have a certain time span that vendors are allowed to present their TRP packages,” explained Manning. “They can do it at any time. It is a customer driven contract; whenever a customer wants a product on the vendors can put it on the contract.”

In their TRP packages vendors submit products they want to be added to contract, which then goes through a technical evaluation through the NITAAC technical evaluation team explained Manning.

The time it takes for all this to happen is fast. At the NITAAC Industry Day in June, vendors were told small proposals generally take 1-3 days and large proposals will take somewhat longer depending on the number of CLINs. However, rush proposals can generally be determined the same day.

Keep Improving

Manning said presently ECS III helps customers buy green products through the use of the EPEAT assessment tool which tells buyers how green products are. “We can tell customers how they can meet some of their EPEAT goals and what language they can add to their SOW to be greener,” said Manning.

While ECS III runs through 2012 Manning and the NITAAC team are already thinking and planning ahead for a future ECS IV. But they are going to have to go far to improve on a contract that already provides government with cost effective, value-added IT products and services.

Right now ECS III provides customers with a web-based Request for Quotation (RFQ) system and a streamlined procurement process due to pre-qualification of vendors. It offers reverse auction features, a low 1/2% processing fee and Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) compliant products.

Providing more is a challenge the NITAAC team will deliver on.