Acquisition Lead-Times, Deadlines, and Required Documents for Procurement Request (PR) submissions in the Federal Business Management System (FBMS); Fiscal Years (FY) 2020 and 2021

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

COLORADO STATE OFFICE 2850 YOUNGFIELD STREET

LAKEWOOD, COLORADO 80215-7210

In Reply Refer To: 1510 (CO-951) I

December 4, 2019

EMS TRANSMISSION: 12/4/2019

Information Bulletin No. CO-2020-008

To:                   All BLM Colorado Employees

From:               State Director, Colorado

  Subject:            Acquisition Lead-Times, Deadlines, and Required Documents for Procurement Request (PR) submissions in the Federal Business Management System (FBMS); Fiscal Years (FY) 2020 and 2021

This Information Bulletin (IB) establishes the procurement submission cut-off dates for FY 2020 and FY 2021, outlining the processes and documents required to initiate a procurement action.

The Colorado State Office’s (COSO) objective is to complete work supporting the mission of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) with allocated fiscal resources. The COSO acquisition section (CO-951) strives to award all complete and timely procurement requests received each FY. The CO-951 seeks to maximize accomplishments by granting awards as soon as possible, which then redirects unobligated funds to additional projects. Establishing deadlines and collaborating with CO-951 early in the planning phase of the procurement action is essential.

The CO-951 must receive complete information before initiating a procurement action (contract, interagency agreement, or cooperative agreement). The earlier the completed information is received, the earlier the procurement action can be awarded. The requesting office must stay engaged with CO-951 throughout the procurement process and promptly respond to inquiries during the solicitation and evaluation phases for a timely award.

To ensure successful procurement awards and year-end closing, follow the steps below:

1. Communicate early – The requesting office must communicate as early as possible (i.e., during the planning phase of the procurement) with the CO-951 points of contact (POC) in the table below. Offices can process requests while the BLM operates under a Continuing Resolution Authority (CRA).

* Primary point of contact (POC)

** Charge cards should be used for purchases under the Micro-Purchase threshold, which is $2,000 for construction, $2,500 for services subject to the Service Contract Act and $10,000 for supplies. (If you do not know which Micro-Purchase threshold applies to your purchase, contact a contracting officer for guidance).

҂ New function being added FY 2020

2. Utilize the Funded PR with Subject to Availability of Funds (SAF) option – The CO-951 will accept Funded PRs with SAF and all necessary documentation. The CO-951 will work the requirement up to award before certified funding is in place. Plan and submit requirements early, particularly if they have a long lead-time. Once funding is certified, the requesting office must uncheck the SAF within the Funded PR. For additional guidance, see the Funded PR with SAF PR instructions: FBMS_BLM_Funding SAF PR document. Each district will be responsible for submitting 25% of their total PRs using the Funded PR with SAF PR option, quarterly within the fiscal year.
3. Plan for procurement lead-times – Different procurement actions require different lead-times. The requesting office must consider estimated value and complexity when establishing a reasonable lead-time. The CO-951 calculates a tentative award date after receiving a completed request with all necessary documentation. The table below outlines lead-times by award value:

4. Submit complete requests for procurement actions – Requesting offices must submit completed PRs to CO-951 by the respective cut-off dates. Follow the appropriate checklist (Acquisition Requirement Package Checklists), fill it out, get an electronic signature from the approving official, and attach it to the PR along with all required documentation in FBMS. For Financial Assistance, email blm_co_agreements_spi@blm.gov. Any PRs that do not adhere to the identified standard will be rejected back to the requestor.

Note: All required documentation must be included with the Purchase Requisition to be considered actionable and ready for acquisition assignment.

5. Honor strict cut-off dates – The CO-951 will strictly adhere to the established cut-off dates, which promote proactive planning and proper use of funding throughout the FY. Any late submission requests must be documented via memorandum and are subject to approval by the Branch Chief of Business Services. Requests for unanticipated or emergency events will be accepted without memorandum and approved by the Branch Chief of Business Services. See the table below for cut-off dates for each procurement type: