U.S. General Services Administration Launches New Pilot Program Increasing eBuy Transparency



One Year Pilot Program with Select GSA Contracting Offices to Study Effects on Competition, eBuy Usage


Washington, DC - - (October 17, 2018) - - The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has launched a pilot project aimed at improving transparency and increasing competition through the use of GSA’s eBuy, an online Request for Quote (RFQ) system. The eBuy Open GSA First pilot aims to draw more vendors to participate in the federal marketplace by publicly releasing post-award eBuy RFQ information on GSA procurements on FedBizOpps.

“Providing more transparency into how the federal government buys products and services will help contractors and our agency customers make more informed decisions when considering GSA contracts,” said GSA Administrator Emily Murphy. “Making this data public will be especially helpful for small businesses who often aren’t able to dedicate resources to navigate the government contracting process. Increasing competition and improving transparency supports the priorities I have established while leading GSA and will ultimately enable GSA contracts to produce greater value for the American taxpayer.”

“Stakeholders have been asking for access to eBuy for some time, this pilot enables GSA to explore the best options to improve transparency in the eBuy program,” said Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Alan Thomas. “Not only will publishing post-award RFQ information publicly give our industry partners greater insight, but it will also encourage more vendors to pursue opportunities with GSA.”

The one-year eBuy Open GSA First pilot will collect and analyze data from a test group and a control group. The test group includes contracting officers from the GSA Office of Internal Acquisition, and the FAS Region 7 Southwest Supply and Acquisition Center for GSA funded procurements. These test groups were selected because they are the most active on eBuy.

During the pilot, the test group will upload the award notice of each individual eBuy award, including a copy of the RFQ, on FedBizOpps for public viewing. Enter the keyword “eBuyPilot” in the search box on FedBizOpps to find these award notices.

The pilot will run until October 9, 2019.


Credit: U.S. General Services Administration