If you have ever dealt with federal bidding and contracts, you are probably very familiar with the aforementioned acronyms. If you haven't then you're in for a treat. In today's digital age, everything is electronic, and so are several of the databases that the government uses to classify companies and the goods or services they sell.
The Office of E-Government and Information Technology (E-Gov) is headed by the Federal Government's Chief Information Officer. This office develops and provides direction in the use of Internet-based technologies to make it easier for businesses to interact with the Federal Government and streamline participation. Many of the systems I'll address were born out of this office and the E-Gov initiative.
CCR is the Central Contractors Registration database. It is the primary registrant database for the US Federal Government. The CCR collects stores and disseminates data to support agency acquisition efforts. Since October 1, 2003, any business wishing to do anything with the federal government MUST be in the CCR, period.
ORCA is the Online Representations and Certifications Application. ORCA is part of an E-Gov initiative designed by the Integrated Acquisition Environment (IAE) to replace the old manual Representations and Certifications process. As of January 1, 2005, ORCA is mandated by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). ORCA is a complimentary system to CCR but a CCR record does not replace OCRA. If you are responding to a solicitation that requires and active CCR registration, then an ORCA record is required.
GLS is the General Login System used by SBA. This General Login System is where all electronic versions of all SBA applications are submitted. This includes electronic submissions of 8(a), Women-owned Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business to name a few.
These three are just a few of a plethora of systems the federal government uses. The one stop shop, if you will, to find all of the resources/databases available is the Business Partner Network (BPN) found at bpn.gov . The BPN is the single source for all vendor data for the Federal Government. This one site should be considered your hub to all things government.
Researching federal marketplace can be an intimidating task. I encourage you to use the resources here to familiarize yourself with the public information that is available and then get help. Can you do it alone? Of course you can. The real question is, should you? If you are running a successful business, then, your time is more profitably spent outsourcing time-consuming, non-revenue generating tasks. So handle your business, and leave this - the business of contracts and certifications - to the experts.
Author Resource:-
Myra Cisse is the founder of 8aTheEasyWay.com. Her company - Certification Consultants, LLC - assists women and minority business owners obtain certifications necessary to compete in the federal marketplace. To get your Free CD and White Paper and to receive informative articles answering the most pressing questions about Women and Minority certifications, like us at facebook.com/8atheeasyway
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