Questionnaire to Assess the Impact of Bankcards on the Warranted Contracting Officers Program in the Water Resources Division In Reply Refer To: Mail Stop 442 May 23, 1996 MEMORANDUM To: Administrative Employees From: Alice A. Sabatini Administrative Officer, Water Resources Division Subject: Questionnaire to Assess the Impact of Bankcards on the Warranted Contracting Officers Program in the Water Resources Division REPLY REQUESTED BY JUNE 14, 1996 The Water Resources Division (WRD) Senior Administrative Officers have had on-going discussions about the impact of Bankcards on the purchasing function in our cost centers. Much of this discussion has been in response to the debate within the Bureau and the Department about the feasibility of centralizing the procurement function, and whether the need for Warranted Contracting Officers (WCO's) in the field is at the same level as in the past. In order to assess the impacts of the Bankcard program and keep us informed of continuing needs, we would appreciate your response to the following questionnaire. Please accept this activity at face value. We are gathering data to support a WRD position on what will certainly become a contentious issue. We would rather be proactive in determining our continued needs rather than reactive to mandates from outside the Division made without this information. Completed questionnaires should be sent, electronically if possible, to your servicing Senior Administrative Officer by June 14, 1996. The responses will be tabulated, discussed at the June Senior Administrative Officers meeting, and shared with all cost centers. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Attachment Copy to: Senior Staff ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Attachment 1 WATER RESOURCES DIVISION PROCUREMENT QUESTIONNAIRE (Note: If your office does not have a warrant, please indicate that in your response and answer only the questions that pertain to the regional procurement office that provides this service for your office.) 1. How many warrants to do you presently have in your cost center? 2. List the number of purchase orders that were issued in fiscal year (FY) 1995 for each warrant. (example: warrant 1: 50; warrant 2: 25; warrant 3: 0) 3. Approximately how many purchase orders were issued during FY 1995 that could NOT have been made with a bankcard? 4. What are some typical examples of items purchased in your office last fiscal year (or this) that could not be purchased with a bankcard? (Bankcard regulations outline items the bankcard cannot be used for, so we would prefer you list a few actual items purchased.) 5. What percentage (in number of orders and dollars) of FY 1995 purchases were sent to your central procurement office because they exceeded the limitations (above dollar thresholds) of your warrant(s)? 6. If you have only one WCO, and the person departed, would you need to obtain a replacement warrant for the office or would it be feasible to have another WRD office issue purchase orders for you? Why or why not? 7. If you have more than one WCO, and one departed, would you need to maintain the same number of warrants in the office as in the past? Why or why not? 8. Do you feel your District requires the services of a WCO? Why or why not? 9. Based on current experience, what would be the impact on your cost center if you no longer had a warrant and were required to go to a regional procurement office for processing? 10. Since bankcards have been implemented, has there been a noticeable improvement in length of time for processing orders that had to go to your regional procurement office? If yes, please quantify the change. 11. Is the service and length of time currently required for processing requisitions under $25,000 by regional procurement offices satisfactory? 12. What do you think is a reasonable amount of time for processing requisitions under $25,000? 13. What turn around time frame are you currently experiencing from the regional procurement office? 14. Is there a significant improvement in service/timeframes from a regional procurement office when your office has provided a total package, i.e. specifications, justifications, competition, suggested vendors and/or market searches? Please quantify the change. 15. Should you be required to prepare these packages to obtain the decreased processing time? 16. How many actions were solicited, competed, negotiated, and prepared by your WCO, but were sent to a regional procurement office for signature because the dollar amount exceed the limitations of the warrant in your office? 17. Is your office provided enough information by your regional procurement office on the available alternatives, such as procurement methods, timeframes, other national contracts, etc. on large purchase requirements (contracts)? Use your experience with large procurements awarded in the last three years to determine your response. If no, how were your requirements met? 18. Have you used the Division's procurement liaison (Judy Claussen) to assist in writing specifications, developing requirements and working with you and procurement in the last three years? Why or why not? 19. Are regional procurement offices responsive to emergency requests and/or situations? If not, give an example. 20. Have you discussed your satisfaction/dissatisfaction with service received with your regional procurement office? What was the result? 21. What suggestions can you offer that would improve service in your regional procurement office? 22. Do you feel your current WCO could be trained to process service contracts over $2500 and construction contracts over $2000 without impacting other assigned duties? Consider the costs of the training and the additional work involved in responding. 23. Would your office be willing to accept the responsibilities associated with a Level I Contracting Officer's Warrant ($25,000 open market award limitation)? 24. Do you think an increase to $25,000 for a Level I Contracting Officer's Warrant would have a positive or negative impact on your cost center? Explain. 25. With necessary training, do you feel that field WCO's can satisfy the duty requirements currently held by regional Small Purchasing Offices? 26. Should the size of a District be taken into consideration when determining levels of warrants and/or purchasing authorities. 27. What impact do you think GSA's efforts to eliminate mandatory federal supply schedules will have on your office? (Present plans are for most mandatory federal supply schedules to be eliminated by 1999. This would require that all awards using these non-mandatory schedules be made using open market criteria and warrant thresholds.) Have you already experienced problems associated with this change? Please provide any other comments that you feel will help clarify your responses. Submit completed questionnaire to your servicing Senior Administrative Officer by June 14, 1996.