U.S. General Services Administration
Buyers guidance and resources
The HCaTS program has created a variety of materials to guide buyers through the acquisition process.
How to Use HCaTS
HCaTS U, HCaTS SB, and HCaTS 8(a) contracts will help your agency acquire human capital and training solutions more efficiently and economically.
There are two ways to access HCaTS:
1. Direct-Buy Acquisition- Federal Contracting Officers follow these steps to use HCaTS:
- Receive an HCaTS Delegation of Procurement Authority Certificate. Go to the Request a Delegation of Procurement Authority page for more information.
- Conduct market research and acquisition planning.
- Define the requirement, build and issue the task order solicitation.
- Conduct source selection and award the task order.
- Email the task order document to hcats@gsa.gov.
- Administer and close- out the task order.
Notes for Direct-Buy Acquisition:
- Optional scope review and requirements advisory services are available at no cost. To request a scope review, complete our Request a Pre-Award Scope Review form.
- Ordering Contracting Officers are required to comply with their roles and responsibilities described in the DPA Certificate and the HCaTS Master Contracts.
- If you have any questions regarding the Direct-Buy Acquisition process, email us at hcats@gsa.gov.
2. Assisted Acquisition Services
GSA’s Office of Assisted Acquisition Services provides custom acquisition, project, and financial management support services to federal agencies. AAS helps you acquire the services you need to advance your mission, guiding you through every stage of the acquisition process. AAS is staffed by Program Officials, Contracting Officers, Project Managers, and other contracting and acquisition professionals who partner with you to support the full spectrum of the acquisition lifecycle, so you can focus less on acquisition management and more on your agency’s core mission activities.
To learn more about AAS or to get started, call Lawrence Unger, AAS Director, at 646-306-9270 or complete this form.
Notes for AAS:
- AAS performs the acquisition on your behalf and provides pre- and post-award support.
- An additional AAS fee will be applied based on the magnitude and complexity of the requirement.
- Agencies enter into a Memorandum of Agreement with GSA to issue a task order. MOAs can be for cradle-to-grave services. GSA has specific statutory authority under 40 U.S.C. 501 to purchase supplies and non-personal services on behalf of other agencies. Therefore, the Economy Act does not apply to HCaTS orders.
- Expert services that AAS can perform include:
- Develop and Sign the Interagency Agreement
- Perform a Requirements Analysis and Market Research
- Develop an Acquisition Strategy and Plan
- Help develop the Independent Government Estimate
- Help develop the SOW/PWS
- Ensure compliance with applicable Federal Acquisition Regulations
- Develop and issue the solicitation
- Review and evaluate proposals
- Perform legal review, if necessary
- Award the task order/contract
- Manage milestones, schedule and costs
- Monitor the industry partner’s performance
- Perform problem resolution
- Chair progress reviews
- Provide project and financial management
- Handle all acquisition issues
- Accept and pay invoices
- Handle contract close-out
- HCaTS Ordering Guide [PDF - 447 KB] (revised June 2024)
- HCaTS Ordering Guide Summary [PDF - 1 MB] (revised June 2024)
HCaTS SB, 8(a) and Unrestricted Contractor Lists [XLSX - 112 KB] (Updated monthly)
Email links to all contractors within each pool are included in the table below.
Warning:
- Unauthorized personnel are prohibited from using Pool Links to send emails
- Only authorized Government officials may use these links
- Non-authorized individuals may contact prime contract holders directly, but not through Pool Links
Purpose:
- Authorized Government officials can use Pool Links to issue Requests for Proposals, Information, Sources Sought Notices, and other Market Research requests
- Reach all prime contract holders in a specific pool with a single email address
- Alternative to using GSA eBuy
- Each pool is a separate Multiple Award Task Order Contract
- When issuing RFP, only solicit one contract vehicle (HCaTS U, SB, or 8(a)) and one pool (1 or 2)
- Select appropriate pool based on predominant NAICS Code assigned to solicitation
Note: If clicking on the email link does not automatically open a draft email, please copy and paste the link into your email To: line.
| Task Order Type | Pool 1 NAICS Codes: 611430, 611699, 624310 | Pool 2 NAICS Codes: 541611, 541612, 541613, 541618, 611710 |
|---|---|---|
| Full and Open Task Orders | Pool 1 Contractors | Pool 2 Contractors |
| Small Business Competitive Set-Aside Task Orders | SB Pool 1 Contractors | SB Pool 2 Contractors |
| 8(a) Small Business Competitive Set-Aside Task Orders | 8(a) Pool 1 Contractors | 8(a) Pool 2 Contractors |
1Includes sub set-aside for WOSB/EDWOSB/HubZone/VOSB/SDVOSB
Note: For Small Business or 8(a) Small Business Sole Source type task orders, contact the prospective contractor individually using the contact information from the contractor lists file available for download above.
The list of contractors is also available on GSA eLibrary by searching for HCaTS and clicking on the name of your desired contract vehicle and pool.
Section 889 Part B of the FY 2019 National Defense Authorization Act went into effect on August 13, 2020. This prohibits the Government from entering into a contract (or extending or renewing a contract) with companies that use any equipment, system, or service that uses prohibited telecom as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system, unless a waiver is obtained or an exception applies. Protecting our supply chain is a critical value proposition to our customer agencies.
To support this implementation of 889 Part B, a mass modification was issued for all HCaTS and HCaTS Small Business contracts to include the reporting clause FAR 52.204-25 (AUG 2020). All HCaTS contracts have accepted the modification. Additionally, all HCaTS 8(a) contracts, which were awarded in December 2020, include the reporting clause FAR 52.204-25 (AUG 2020).
GSA offers a complementary scope review to analyze the scope and pool assignment of your proposed HCaTS (Unrestricted, Small Business, or 8(a)) task order requirement. This scope review will be conducted in an effort to determine if the requirements for the submitted project are within the scope of the HCaTS contract based on the predominant work of the project.
Request a Pre-Award Scope Review
- Complete the online HCaTS Scope Review Request Form.
- If you are unable to complete the online request form, please email hcats@gsa.gov for assistance.
Check out this video on the topic: The Importance of Scope Reviews
- HCaTS Task Order Solicitation Template [DOCX - 34 KB]
- HCaTS Task Order Statement of Work Samples
- HCaTS RFI Response Form Template [PDF - 2 MB]
Request a Delegation of Procurement Authority
To help you obtain a Delegation of Procurement Authority, the HCaTS Program offers training via webinar or in-person.
Research Tools
These tools are designed to help buyers make better program and business decisions.
The Professional Service and Human Capital Categories portfolio created a tool that takes its data to the next level. HCaTS stakeholders can now view and segment HCaTS information to make better program and business decisions.
With the PSHC Dashboard, you have the ability to:
- Explore HCaTS and HCaTS SB data by federal agency and industry partner; and
- Build customized reports and download them to your computer.
Notice to Users: GSA strives to comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Some of the dashboard content presented through .swf files may not be completely accessible to users of assisted technology. If you experience technical issues, please contact BIEDW Support.
The CALC tool helps federal contracting officers and others find awarded prices to use in negotiations for labor contracts. It offers ceiling prices, fully burdened costs, services data, and worldwide rates.
Contract-Awarded Labor Categories
GSA’s eBuy Open, is a web platform that provides access to all electronic Requests for Quote/Proposal submitted through the GSA eBuy system from FY14 forward. A variety of data filtering, formatting and reporting features are available to analyze the data.
GSA eLibrary is your one source for the latest GSA contract award information. GSA offers unparalleled acquisition solutions to meet today’s acquisition challenges. GSA’s key goal is to deliver excellent acquisition services that provide best value, in terms of cost, quality and service, for federal agencies and taxpayers.
Performance-Based Acquisition can be daunting, and guides on the subject can easily run up to 50, 75 and even 100 pages. That can make learning PBA appear more complicated than it really is. A successful acquisition answers four questions: what do I need, when do I need it, who needs to get it to me, and how do I know it’s good when I get it?
This guide, geared toward the greater acquisition community (especially program offices), breaks down performance-based service acquisition into eight steps. Within the steps you will find information, references, examples, best practices and templates. The steps cover each aspect of a performance-based acquisition and are recommended to be followed in order. However, you may wish to jump straight to the step on which you are working or that which is of most importance to the work you are doing.
Other Resources
Contact the National Customer Service Center for general customer inquiries.