Items offered under the ECS III contract comply with Federal Information Technology Accessibility standards as required by Section 508. However, it is the COTRs or CORs responsibility for verifying that any item (for example software) developed for their agency is 508 Compliant as part of their user acceptance testing.
ECS III FAQs
Yes. All products and services on the ECS III contract are commercially available and all applicable clauses are already included in the ECS III master contract. You may include additional agency specific clause(s) at the time of processing your order in the RFQ System.
Vendors cannot sell refurbished products. All equipment and software sold under this contract, by statute, must be new. You can tell them that prototype, beta test products, discontinued, announced discontinued, used, refurbished, remanufactured, or reconditioned products are not acceptable.
Yes. You may elect to close your RFQ in 1 day. However, leaving an RFQ open for less than three days may result in no bids received. NITAAC recommends leaving the RFQ open for at least 3 days.
Yes. Changes to an RFQ can be made anytime prior to closing. If you elect to amend an RFQ within 24 hours of the closing date and time, the RFQ System will automatically extend the closing of the RFQ by 24 hours.
Yes. Sometimes a comparable product that fits your requirement is not manufactured domestically or by any of the countries with which the Government has a Free Trade Agreement. Non-TAA compliant items may be purchased through this contract for orders/requirements exceeding the WTO GPA threshold (currently $203,000). However, the Federal Government must comply with Trade Agreements Act (19 U.S.C. 2512) and FAR Subpart 25.4, Trade Agreements, in making any award. This means that you must document the reason for your decision. FAR Subpart 25.5, Evaluating Foreign Offers – Supply Contracts, provides guidance for evaluating offers and making an award determination.
Yes. You may have items shipped to multiple locations as long as the locations are identified in the solicitation/requirements document.
FAR Subpart 11.104(b) states “brand name or equal purchase descriptions must include, in addition to the brand name, a general description of those salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics of the brand name item that an “equal” item must meet to be acceptable for award. Use brand name or equal descriptions when the salient characteristics are firm requirements.”
Yes. You can purchase warranties and maintenance plans even if the original warranty was purchased elsewhere.
Yes. Lot 6 services include leasing services. Personal computers, network servers, telecommunications equipment and printers are just a few of the items that can be leased on ECS III.
ECS III is a fixed price contract. Professional service categories such as developer, engineer, or training services that are billed at an hourly rate are not allowed. If the service can be packaged and delivered at one fixed price, including any development, engineering or training services that might be involved, then it is allowable.
Likewise, if a service can be delivered at a fixed price, including any travel involved, it is allowable. However, travel expenses alone cannot be purchased and the cost of travel cannot be added to the price of the original line item.
You can use ECS III to purchase/install/configure all the computer systems, cabling, elevated flooring, racks/enclosures, software, etc.. However, the following are not in scope and will not be considered: construction or modification of building structures, electrical wiring, plumbing, HVAC equipment, etc. (Those services are not considered Information Technology as defined in FAR 2.101.)
Lot 6 provides customers with items such as hardware and software installation, training, software and hardware configuration and integration, equipment leasing, subscription service and IT assessments for a fixed price. (Direct labor rates, such as, Developer per hour rates and categories, such as “Travel” or “Project Manager”, are outside the scope of ECS III.)
Lot 5 provides customers with items such as technical support, repairs, software upgrades, hardware (firmware) updates and replacement. These products are generally purchased for a term of 1, 3 or 5 years. Customers may purchase extended warranties and maintenance plans from ECS III even if they purchased their original warranty elsewhere. (Software licenses, unless otherwise described by the manufacturer, are typically offered in Lot 1 or Lot 4.)
You may purchase services alone.
No. You only need to provide a “fair opportunity” to all eligible contract holders to review and respond, which is accomplished simply by using NITAAC’s RFQ System.
Yes. Before setting aside an acquisition, the contracting officer shall determine if there is a reasonable expectation of obtaining offers from two or more responsible small business concerns that are competitive in terms of market prices, quality, and delivery. Our RFQ System automatically shows you the number of contract holders capable of responding to your small business requirement when you create your RFQ. (For more information see FAR Subpart 19.502-2.)
Yes. ECS III is an Indefinite-Delivery Contract and allows small business set-asides. From FAR Subpart 16.505(b)(2)(i)(F): "In accordance with section 1331 of Public Law 111-240 (15 U.S.C. 644(r)), contracting officers may, at their discretion, set aside orders for any of the small business concerns identified in 19.000(a)(3). When setting aside orders for small business concerns, the specific small business program eligibility requirements identified in part 19 apply."
Yes. All contract holders on the ECS III contract are U.S. based companies and all services they offer are considered Trade Agreement Act (TAA) compliant. These contract holders also offer many TAA compliant products. However, some products sold by these companies are not TAA compliant. From FAR 25.4, Trade Agreements: If your order/requirement is equal to or exceeds the WTO GPA threshold of $203,000, you must acquire only U.S.-made or designated country end products or U.S. or designated country services, unless offers for such end products or services are either not received or are insufficient to fulfill the requirements. (Note: The Buy America Act does not apply to commercial information technology products as are offered by this contract.)
For orders/requirements that meet the WTO GPA threshold:
The following clauses should be included in your solicitation and contracts: 52.225-5, Trade Agreements, and 52.225-6, Trade Agreements Certificate. (See FAR Subpart 25.11, Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses)
Unless otherwise specified in your agencies regulations, FAR Subpart 25.5, Evaluating Foreign Offers – Supply Contracts provides the steps to follow to evaluate the offers received.
Yes. The system allows you to request Trade Agreement Act (TAA) compliance information from the quoting ECS III contract holder by checking a box on the Create RFQ page. The contract holder must then indicate on their quote whether or not each CLIN is TAA compliant.
The ECS III RFQ System was designed with ease of use in mind. Basically, you upload a list of the items you want to purchase (specifications/requirements) into the RFQ System and the system notifies all qualified ECS III Contract Holders that you have requested a quote. Contract holder quotes are delivered back to you via the RFQ System. Once the RFQ has closed and you have made your selection, you make the award according to normal business processes. The RFQ System Training on the NITAAC website walks you through the process of submitting and viewing quotes, selecting the winning vendor and sending notification of award decision.
Completed orders remain in the system for the life of the ECS III contract.
NITAAC’s innovative E-TIMS tech refresh process allows our contract holders to add items to the contract in as little as 2 hours.
Yes. Vendors may be contacted as long as you have provided an opportunity to all eligible contract holders to review and respond to the requirement. This opportunity can be easily given to all contract holders through the use of the RFQ System.
Yes. You may use the RFQ System to submit your RFQ to the vendor of your choice if the requirement is a micro purchase (under $3,000).
The contract access fee is capped at $10,000 for each individual delivery order, modification or exercise of an option. For example
Example #1: A delivery order for $3M will have a CAF of $10,000
Example #2: A base plus an option year delivery order. Base amount is $2M and has a CAF of $10,000. Option year is $1.5M and has a CAF of $7,500.
Yes. The NITAAC Contract Access Fee is listed as a separate line item on the vendor’s quotes. The fee for the ECS III contract is .5% with a $10,000 cap per delivery order, modification or excercise of option.
No. There is no percentage limitation for maintenance on the ECS III contract.
Some examples of Lot 5 items are:
Onsite and send-in damage/component repair such as Cisco’s SMARTnet Service
Helpdesk support for software or hardware including telecommunications (Usually conducted by phone; some offer online help as well.)
Extended warranties for software or hardware such as the AppleCare Protection Plan
Software maintenance updates such as Oracle’s “My Oracle Support” or Microsoft’s “Windows Update”. (Updates might be downloaded or automatically pushed to your computer by the software company.)
Preventive maintenance for hardware. (Might include cleaning or replacing parts/cables/wires/connections/power supplies etc.)
Some examples of Lot 6 items include:
Install MS SQL-Server Administrator software and train staff on usage
Maintenance and tech support on leased printers
Install servers, racks/enclosures and network cabling in a data centers
Install telecommunication in an office building
Install IT video conferencing equipment and cabling. This does not include any furniture that is not designed specifically for use with a computer. Furniture is outside the scope of the contract
Subscription based Technical Support, such as security “network intrusion/hacking” monitoring services
Subscription based software where users can access a database service on-line
Training on Oracle Financials software
Integrate SAP software with Sharepoint on a computer network
Build servers/computer workstations to custom configurations and integrate with existing network. (In this example, the customer identifies the components and the vendor assembles the machine. The vendor may install and configure any software that is required. The vendor then connects the cables and tests to make sure it all works with their network.)
Perform an assessment of an organization's IT infrastructure
The ECS III Request for Quotes (RFQ) System provides an expedited ordering process that allows you to quickly upload the specifications/requirements and supporting documentation for your RFQ. Responses from qualified contract holders can be received in as little as three days of RFQ submission.
Additionally, the system’s built-in processes assists you in meeting FAR ordering requirements, including Fair Opportunity to be Considered (FAR 16.505). The RFQ System supports your documentation needs. Key documentation is printable for keeping a record in your official files. Step-by-step instructions are available on the NITAAC website under RFQ System training.
Create your Purchase/Delivery Order in your contract writing system by using the winning contractor’s ECS III contract number. (NIH customers utilizing the NBS PRISM system will use the PRISM document number.)
After award, return to the RFQ System and select the winning quote by clicking the Vendor Quote Details link for the desired vendor and click the Select this Quote button to complete the order.
The Delivery Order Confirmation page will appear and will provide you with an ECS III Tracking number. For your convenience, a copy of the delivery order can be uploaded into the RFQ System to keep track of all completed orders using the ECS III contract.
To place the order, provide your contracting office with a requisition containing the RFQ Number, the NITAAC Delivery Order Authorization Number (assigned when the Convert To Order button is clicked), and printed quotes.
It is important to document your ordering process and the ECS III E-Ordering System can help make documentation easier. Using your browser menu, or the print button provided, you can print the necessary documentation for your official delivery order file. To be compliant with FAR documentation requirements, you should print the following items from the ECS III E-Ordering System:
A copy of the RFQ (and other supporting documentation)
A justification to the fair opportunity process (if applicable)
A best value determination if not awarding based on lowest price
The quote from the chosen vendor
In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (EIT) accessible to people with disabilities.
Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology.
Under Section 508, agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is comparable to the access available to others. Visit http://www.section508.gov for more information and to access the “Buy Accessible Wizard”.
EPEAT is a system that helps purchasers evaluate, compare and select electronic products based on their environmental attributes. The system currently covers desktop and laptop computers, thin clients, workstations and monitors. For more information on EPEAT environmental standards please visit www.epeat.net.
The ECS III contract offers computer hardware and software that allows government users the ability to configure systems for their specific needs. This includes sources for network and telecommunications equipment, scientific research workstations, and related warranty, maintenance, and support services. ECS III products and services are divided into the following six Lots:
Lot 1: Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) desktop, laptop and handheld computing devices (including peripherals), workstations, software and networking equipment
Lot 2: Commercial telecommunications equipment items related to telephony (including, but not limited, to network routers, switches, repeaters and cabling)
Lot 3: Scientific research workstations, and other electronic devices and systems
Lot 4: Software (including operating systems)
Lot 5: Warranty and maintenance services
Lot 6: Support services
Any Federal Government employee involved in the procurement of IT products and related services can use the ECS III E-Ordering System.
