Symphony for Industry FAQ

The following are some frequently asked questions Industry users have regarding Symphony.

Topics

• Administrative Tasks
• Clarifications
• Company Assets (My Company)
• Contract Management and Contract Performance
• Documents
• Proposal Submission(s)
• SAM Data
• Security Protocols
• Teaming

Administrative Tasks

How do I restrict user access?

All registered and active users have full access to all data in Symphony under their company's UEI (Unique Entity Identifier) and CAGE (Commercial and Government Entity) code. This is done so that the user responsible for submitting the proposal can verify that the information provided and uploaded is done accurately. (See Administration Basics ).

How can I change my profile information?

All users can sign out or update their profile information from the top-right icon. Users can change their password and add or update an authenticator app by scanning the QR code for their login. (See Using MFA ).

Clarifications

Why can't I respond to a clarification?

Only authorized users can respond before the Clarification Deadline (see FAQ for Clarifications). 

• Authorized users are administrators and Open Market Proposal Manager(s).
• Contact an administrator for access. 
• Administrators can assign others a role with the necessary permissions (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. The Proposal Manager assignment in Administration can respond to Clarifications.

Company Assets (My Company) 

Are Symphony portals linked across different opportunities? If we upload our company certifications and documents for one, can they be pulled into another?

No. Information is not shared between Symphony websites, so anything entered for one website needs to be re-entered in the next.

How do we add a missing Funding Agency ID? 

If the agency is not listed, send us the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) code from the contract, the contract number, and include a copy of the FPDS report for verification. We get our data directly from FPDS. 

If necessary, reach out to the agency or your Contracting Officer about adding the agency to FPDS. Once complete, contact us so we can add it to Symphony. 

How do we identify projects/past performances performed as a subcontractor?

If users add a project to My Company where the organization performed as a subcontractor, they are not contracting directly to the government. This would be considered a commercial project. The company is the Team Member for the subcontract.

Contract Management

Why can't I see my contracts?

Users can find their Symphony-managed contract(s) in the My Company link if they registered under the correct company and used the correct link for the Contract Vehicle.

• Alliant 3, OASIS+, and Polaris do not include Symphony-managed Contracts. 
• In some instances, contracts may only link to a company when the Contract Manager who received the invitation to Symphony registers. (See Working in Symphony as a Contract Holder).

Contract Performance

How are orders and announcements different?

Orders are targeted to eligible recipients, while announcements are general information. 

Users can only see and respond to an RFI/RFP if released to their company and the selected socioeconomic and market segments (see the Contract Holder FAQ). 

Documents

Do we need to combine the documents we will have more than one of?
No, the documents users upload to My Company are reusable. Symphony will keep everything organized for business users and the evaluators in the appropriate Document Library.

How do I delete documents?

• If a user has started a proposal, they must first navigate to their submission before deleting documents. Select Projects/Past Performance and click the "Modify" button for the respective project. Remove the references from the claims and delete them after returning to My Company > Projects.
  
  
• If a user is attempting to delete a document uploaded as a Business Factor, remove the claim from the Prime or Team Member's Business Factor and delete the documents that do not apply. Then close the factor to keep it unclaimed or certify and save the changes to update the claim.

Proposal Submission(s)

How do I cancel a submission I started by mistake? 

Users can't undo a submission started in error, but the government will only receive proposals that authorized users certify and submit. If a company takes no further action, it won't go anywhere and it can be considered a "draft." (See FAQ for Proposal Submission(s)).

How do I add more tags to Symphony?

The Tag legend only applies to projects in My Company because these details are reusable. Enter the unique tags after using the "Begin" button to access the Performance Factors for Projects in a Submission (see the Tagging FAQ ).

System for Award Management (SAM) Data

How do we get our DUNS to display?

DUNS numbers are not actively being used and will not be displayed in company information added to Symphony after SAM.gov instituted the Unique Entity Identifier. If the UEI is for the correct company, a proposal will be credited correctly.

Security Protocols

How do I change the timeout logout?

The timeout is set to 15 minutes. This is a security requirement from GSA security.

What security protocols are in place to protect my proprietary data? 

Symphony is hosted on cloud.gov with a Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) Moderate 3-year ATO (Authorization to Operate). All data is encrypted in transit and rest. Details can be requested from the General Services Administration Information Technology (GSA IT) Security office.

Teaming 

Do subcontractors or JV members' accounts auto-populate their data when I add them to my team members?

No. To upload information for a proposal, the subcontractor or JV member must register under the UEI and CAGE code for the company that will be the prime offeror. No documents uploaded to a different UEI will auto-populate into another account.

Users should be aware that the information on this website may not reflect the official positions of the Federal Government. The views and opinions expressed by agents of Apex Logic, Inc. are those of its employees and do not necessarily reflect those of the Federal Government or any of its officials. Guidelines and requirements provided by the Federal Government in the form of solicitations, amendments, modifications, or any other communications supersede any information provided by Apex Logic, Inc. If you have questions about this disclaimer, please contact us.