Contract Management Support

What are CMS services?

Contract Management Support (CMS) services are specifically designed to provide contract closeout support services to federal government contracting offices. CMS services will help mitigate the critical government shortage of contract specialists by focusing on providing post-contract award administration support services that are not inherently governmental functions. The AbilityOne Program is providing critical support to government contracting offices by freeing up time for the contracting workforce to address more mission-critical and inherently-governmental functions, while at the same time facilitating the return of unused obligated contract funds to the government.

What is the AbilityOne Program?

The AbilityOne Program’s mission is to provide employment opportunities for people who are blind or have other severe disabilities in the manufacture and delivery of products and services to the federal government. Employment opportunities are created through the placement of products and services on the AbilityOne Procurement List. These products and services include office products, janitorial/sanitation products, medical and food products, call centers, high-tech distribution and warehousing, and facilities maintenance. The Procurement List is managed by the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled and assisted by two Central Nonprofit Agencies (CNAs) – National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and NISH. The product or service is then executed through a nationwide network of associated nonprofit agencies.

How will the AbilityOne Program provide CMS services?

In June 2010, NIB, as the prime contractor and CMS program manager for the AbilityOne Program, executed an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with the Department of the Army for provision of CMS contract closeout support services for all of the Department of Defense (DoD). CMS closeout services were added to the mandatory AbilityOne Procurement List concurrently with the DoD-wide IDIQ contract. With these essential building blocks in place, individual task orders from across DoD will flow to the AbilityOne Program via NIB. These executed task orders will assist with a DoD-wide backlog of contracts by NIB and/or NISH associated agency personnel delivering “ready to close” contract files to the government contracting officer. Teams working through the AbilityOne Program provide nationwide coverage, either at the government contracting location or at a secure contractor location, dependent on customer needs. The teams will gather the data, forms, and pertinent documentation necessary to close the contracts in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation, Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, and local procedures, to include the preparation for signature of any de-obligating modifications required.

What are the benefits to the government and the AbilityOne Program?

CMS contract closeout support services are a true “win-win” solution for the government. Government contracting personnel shortages are mitigated through quality and timely service delivery through the AbilityOne Program. The government regains use of obligated contract funds that were not expended in the completion of the contract. Employees working through the AbilityOne Program, to include Wounded Warriors and Service Disabled Veterans, gain much needed employment opportunities in a career-oriented, upwardly-mobile professional field. The strategically-sourced DoD-wide IDIQ provides the government with a single point-of-contact, standard operating procedures, demonstrated quality service, a performance-based pre-priced menu of available services, and decentralized execution at multiple delivery points. This approach is an efficient and effective example of strategic sourcing that benefits both the government customer and contracting officer.

For information, contact Shane Steele at 210-204-3394.