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-
- GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
- Washington, DC 20405
-
-
- FIRMR BULLETIN C-21
-
- TO: Heads of Federal agencies
-
- SUBJECT: Purchase of telephones and services (POTS) contracts
-
- 1. Purpose. This bulletin provides guidance on the use of POTS
- contracts. POTS contracts cover the purchase, installation,
- maintenance, repair, removal, and relocation of new and used
- telephone equipment.
-
- 2. Expiration date. This bulletin contains information of a
- continuing nature and will remain in effect until canceled.
-
- 3. Contents.
-
- Topic Paragraph
-
- Related material..........................................4
- Information and assistance................................5
- Contractor performance..................................5a
- Bulletin board..........................................5b
- POTS manual.............................................5c
- Other information.......................................5d
- Acronyms..................................................6
- Program description.......................................7
- Mandatory sources or optional usage.....................7a
- POTS can be used for....................................7b
- POTS cannot be used for.................................7c
- Locations where POTS is not available...................7d
- Using the POTS contracts................................7e
- Exemption from the use..................................7f
- Agency responsibilities...................................8
- GSA responsibilities......................................9
- Cancellation..............................................10
- GSA Zones and Telecommunications Operations
- Branch Offices Attachment A
-
- 4. Related material.
-
- a. FIRMR Part 201-24 - GSA Services and Assistance
- b. FIRMR Subpart 201-39.8 - Required Sources of Supplies and
- Services
- c. FIRMR Bulletin C-17 - Information Resources Service Center
-
- TC 90-1 Attachment
-
- FEDERAL INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT REGULATION
- APPENDIX B
- FIRMR Bulletin C-21
-
-
- 5. Information and assistance.
-
- (a) Contractor performance. Problems or concerns regarding
- the POTS contractors should be reported to the GSA zone or branch
- offices for resolution. See Attachment A for a list of telephone
- numbers.
-
- (b) Bulletin board. Up-to-date information on POTS is
- available through an electronic bulletin board known as the GSA
- Information Resources Service Center. FIRMR Bulletin C-17
- describes how to access the center.
-
- (c) POTS manual. A manual describing how to use POTS
- contracts is available from GSA offices listed in Attachment A.
-
- (d) Other information. Further assistance or information
- about the program may be obtained by contacting:
-
- General Services Administration
- Technical Contract Management Division (KVT)
- 18th & F Streets, NW
- Washington, DC 20405
-
- Telephone: FTS 241-3881 or (202) 501-3881
-
- 6. Acronyms.
-
- CPE Customer premise equipment
- POTS Purchase of telephones and services
-
- 7. Program description.
-
- a. Mandatory sources or optional usage. Some POTS contracts
- are mandatory sources of supply for purchase of CPE by agencies at
- most GSA-consolidated local telecommunications service locations.
- They are available for optional use at other locations in
- accordance with the terms of the contracts. 1990 and future POTS
- contracts will be optional for use at all locations.
-
- b. POTS can be used for. In addition to being used for the
- purchase of new and used equipment, POTS contracts can provide
- maintenance and repair services on most Government-owned telephone
- equipment. Equipment available under POTS contracts includes
- single and multibutton non-proprietary telephones, proprietary
- electronic key systems and PBX telephones, electronic key
- equipment, and PBX's. Cable and wiring is available in various
- sizes and types for purchase and installation. Cross-connecting
- services are also available and should be considered
-
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- FIRMR Bulletin C-21
-
-
- for use where existing wiring is satisfactory. Lease-to-ownership
- plans (LTOP) are offered for acquisition of relatively expensive
- equipment, such as a PBX.
-
- c. POTS cannot be used for. POTS contracts cannot be used to
- service, maintain, or repair CPE leased to the Government or any
- CPE covered under another contract.
-
- d. Locations where POTS is not available. The Aggregated
- Switch Procurement (ASP) contract, currently in place in Vermont,
- New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, and Rhode Island,
- provides for equipment (including CPE) and services. A separate
- POTS contract is not available for these states. The Washington
- Interagency Telecommunications System (WITS) contract provides for
- the acquisition of CPE and related services in the Washington, DC
- metropolitan area. A separate POTS contract is not available for
- this area.
-
- e. Using the POTS contracts. Agencies using POTS contracts
- should administer and place orders directly with the POTS
- contractor. FIRMR 201-39.8 requires that the contracting officer
- informally analyze prices or examine the market to support a
- determination that using a nonmandatory POTS contract is the most
- advantageous alternative to the Government.
-
- f. Exemption from the use. Users at consolidated local
- service locations may request that the GSA Regional
- Telecommunications Offices exempt them from the mandatory use of
- POTS, if they have--
-
- (1) A need for special equipment or services not available
- from the contractor;
-
- (2) Unique budget problems that require lease rather than
- purchase;
-
- (3) A short-term requirement that is more economically
- served by a lease; or
-
- (4) Other reasons approved by the GSA Regional
- Telecommunications Office.
-
- 8. Agency responsibilities.
-
- a. The FIRMR requires agencies to use POTS contracts when
- their requirements are within the scope of these contracts and the
- equipment or services are for use at certain GSA consolidated local
- service locations.
-
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- FIRMR Bulletin C-21
-
-
- b. Agencies at other locations may use a POTS contract when
- requirements are within the scope of the contract and the
- contracting officer determines that placing the order would be the
- most advantageous method of fulfilling requirements.
-
- C. Agencies should assure availability of funds for GSA's
- administrative surcharge. By use of the contracts, agencies agree
- to pay their bills as rendered by GSA.
-
- 9. GSA responsibilities.
-
- a. With the exception of telephone station equipment that has
- been turned over to agencies, GSA will continue to manage
- consolidated local service telephone systems and will be
- responsible for oversight and administration of the POTS contracts.
-
- b. GSA will provide administration of all POTS contracts
- through its GSA zone or regional offices. These offices will also
- serve as liaison between the POTS contractors and the agencies. In
- addition, GSA will issue regional bulletins on the use of POTS
- contracts, announce POTS contract awards, and list the locations of
- existing POTS contracts.
-
- c. GSA will recover the cost of administering the POTS
- contracts by imposing a surcharge on their use.
-
- d. POTS users will be billed through the On-Line Payment and
- Collection (OPAC) system. Simultaneously, GSA's Office of Finance
- will transmit to the appropriate United States Treasury account
- orders to transfer funds from the agency account into the GSA
- Information Technology (IT) Fund. Non-OPAC customers will receive
- a GSA Form 789, along with backup documentation, for payment.
-
- 10. Cancellation. FIRMR Bulletin 20, Revision 2 is canceled.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Thomas J. Buckholtz
- Commissioner
- Information Resources
- Management Service
-
-
-
-
- 4
- FIRMR Bulletin C-21
- Attachment A
-
-
- GSA ZONES
- AND
- TELECOMMUNICATIONS OPERATIONS BRANCH OFFICES
-
- Zone Office and States City Telephone Numbers
- FTS Commercial
- Eastern Zone
- Operations Br. (Reg. 1)
- serving ME, VT, NH, MA,
- RI, and CT Boston 835-5750 (617) 565-5750
-
- Operations Br. (Reg. 2)
- serving NY, NJ, PR, and VI New York 264-1257 (212) 264-1257
-
- Operations Br. (Reg. 3)
- serving PA, DE, MD, WV,
- and VA Phila.* 597-4901 (215) 597-4901
-
- Central Zone
- Operations Br. (Reg. 4)
- serving GA, AL, MS, FL,
- SC, NC, TN, and KY Atlanta* 841-3039 (404) 331-3039
-
- Operations Br. (Reg. 5)
- serving WI, MN, MI, IN, OH,
- and IL Chicago 886-3800 (312) 886-3800
-
- Western Zone
- Operations Br. (Reg. 6)
- serving KS, MO, LA, Kansas
- and NB City 926-5615 (816) 926-5615
-
- Operations Br. (Reg. 7)
- serving TX, NM, OK, AR, Ft.
- and LA Worth* 334-2371 (817) 334-2371
-
- Operations Br. (Reg. 8)
- serving CO, UT, WY, MT, SD,
- and ND Denver 776-7191 (303) 236-7191
-
-
-
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-
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- 1
- FIRMR Bulletin C-21
- Attachment A
-
-
- GSA ZONES
- AND
- TELECOMMUNICATIONS OPERATIONS BRANCH OFFICES
-
- Zone Office and States City Telephone Numbers
- FTS Commercial
- Pacific Zone
- Operations Br. (Reg. 9)
- serving CA, NV, AZ, HI, San
- and Guam Fran.* 484-8592 (415) 744-8592
-
- Operations Br. (Reg. 10)
- serving WA, OR, ID, and AK Auburn 396-7529 (206) 931-7529
-
- Capital Zone
- Zone office serving the
- District of Columbia (DC) Wash.* 458-5380 (202) 708-5380
-
- * Zone headquarters office
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