OASIS+ FAQ

Listed below are frequently asked questions about the OASIS+ Symphony Portal (OSP) at https://oasis.app.cloud.gov/ or https://idiq.gsa.gov/.

Interpreting the Live Score and Alerts

Where are points calculated for Scale and Past Performance?

If points are not received, verify the project was added to the submission and claimed as a Qualifying Project (QP) and/or a Federal Experience Project (FEP). 

1. Symphony is making the calculation needed for each domain and solicitation once the user adds the project to their submission and claims the performance factors for the project. 
   
   
2. Click Live Score to see any advisories that might indicate the project isn't eligible for the desired points. The messages will be in red.

Why is a project not counted as a Federal Experience Project? 

Subcontracts are not eligible contract types for Federal Experience points. 

• See section L.5.3.1 for eligible contract types. 
• Remove the claim if it was made in error or return to My Company > Projects/Past Performance to change the type. 

Where are the FEP-Competitive, Advanced R&D, and Cost Reimbursement points the proposal received?

1. The first Federal Experience performance factor claimed is not specifically for Federal Agency points. It is a prerequisite for the other Federal Experience points. 
     
2. Please verify that the projects are an eligible contract type and that you have selected both Federal Experience and the Competitive or Advanced R&D boxes as needed for the domain. 
     
3. Then, click on Live Score to bring up your scorecard and check for error messages relating to those projects. 

Why does Symphony state that a Subcontracting Plan is required even though it is not required for a small business? 

For unrestricted domains, the Subcontracting Plan Requirement message doesn't apply to small business applicants. That message can be ignored. It is there for OTSB (Other Than Small Business) organizations. 

Where are the Management and staffing points for managing subcontractors?

To claim or verify these points:

1. Go to My Company > Projects/Past Performance. 
2. Create or edit the Project and go to the Complete Your Project Details tab. 
3. Enter subcontractors in the question, "Were Subcontractors/Teaming partners involved with this project?" and reference the supporting documents. 
4. When a project is claimed as a Qualifying Project, Symphony automatically calculates points based on both the core project details in My Company and performance factors in the submission.

Why does Symphony state 'Scale' points exceed the maximum?

This Symphony notification informs the user that the platform stopped counting points because the maximum number of points available were received for a particular element. Symphony displays these warning messages for reference. This notification does not affect proposal submission. 

Why does Symphony state 'Integrated' points exceed the maximum?

This Symphony notification informs the user that the platform stopped counting points because the maximum number of points available were received for a particular element. 

• Symphony displays these warning messages for reference and will not prevent proposal submission.
• Orange messages are reminders for additional information only.

Why does Symphony display an “invalid score” error message?

• Per the J.P-1, the maximum number of Qualifying projects is five (FEPs can be separate). Additionally, only five projects can be claimed as Relevant and Qualifying performance factors. They will have the QP and Relevant icons. This refers to the blue section in the J.P-1.
  
  
• Additional projects can be claimed as FEPs so that the maximum is after the other 5. These may or may not also be Relevant and Qualifying, but claiming Federal Experience lets Symphony know that it should score the green sections of the J.P-1. Symphony displays these warning messages for reference to guide you to this requirement. 
  
  Please refer to the solicitation for clarification. The solicitation requirements supersede the Symphony platform.

How is the receipt for submission confirmation requested?

Users can print and save the details of their submission through Symphony. 

• Use the View Details option on the Dashboard where Symphony displays the submission date and time. 
• We do not send out any confirmations outside of Symphony.

Open Solicitation FAQ

SAM.gov Data

Why is the user's UEI not Populated in their System for Award Management (SAM) data in Symphony?

If the OASIS+ contract holders' Unique Entity Identifer (UEI) and CAGE (Commercial and Government Entity) code are displayed by the company's name on the top left corner of the My Company tab, the information is not displayed elsewhere on the platform.

• The user's SAM data in Symphony is not required to match their SAM record.
• If the user prefers to submit a proposal to OASIS+ displaying their UEI, send us a request to update the SAM data and we will notify that user when the refresh is complete. 

Teaming/MRCLs

If permitted by conditions of the OASIS+ solicitation, an Offeror can take credit for scored evaluation elements, including QPs, FEPs, past performance, system(s), certification(s), and/or clearances from a parent company, affiliate, division, subsidiary and/or acquired company if there is a meaningful relationship to the Offeror and commitment letters are provided to the Government. The entity being used by a MRCL must be registered in SAM.gov and have a corresponding UEI.

To add a MRCL, or entity other than the Offeror, on the OSP, its UEI is required since its data is drawn from SAM.gov. Any team member (including MRCL entities) must be registered in SAM.gov to do business with the Government. 

MRCL Entities Awaiting SAM Registration: 

1. When claiming credit through an MRCL entity, and the MRCL’s SAM registration is pending when the proposal is submitted, Offerors can submit a commitment letter and verification documents for the claimed credit under the offering entity’s Projects / Past Performance or Business Factors (in Symphony), as applicable. 
     
2. The commitment letter and proof of pending SAM registration must also be uploaded in Symphony under Submission Documents as a cover letter for each offer submission (see Figure 1). If a commitment letter and proof of pending SAM registration is omitted, the credit being claimed for the MRCL will not be evaluated by the government as a part of the Offeror’s proposal.

Inactive MRCL Entities: 

1. When claiming credit for project experience and/or past performance of an inactive MRCL that cannot obtain SAM registration, Offerors may submit the commitment letter and claimed project and past performance under the offering entity’s Projects / Past Performance, as applicable. 
     
2. The commitment letter must also be uploaded in Submission Documents as a cover letter for each offer submission (see Figure 1). Without a commitment letter, the QP or FEP being claimed for the MRCL will not be evaluated by the government as a part of the Offeror’s proposal.

Figure 1. Upload supporting inactive MRCL documents under the Cover Letter option in the proposal's Submission Documents section.

Business Factors

Is there an editable Section K within Symphony?  

No. Symphony is only designed for claiming the Representations and Certifications Business Factor; selecting the company's revenue, employee count values, and uploading the supporting documentation before the solicitation deadline. 

1. Representations and Certifications are uploaded in the Business Factors section of company assets for the Prime Offeror's and Team Members under Industry Certifications.
     
2. Click on that factor to upload the relevant information from SAM and the Request for Proposals (RFP). 
     
3. Claim the factor.

Where is DCMA (Defense Contract Management Agency) Approved Indirect Rates information uploaded?  

That information is uploaded in the Business Factors section of a company's assets. 

1. Use the Adequate Accounting System option under Systems. 
     
2. Click on that factor to upload the relevant information and then claim the factor.

How is a company's DSS added to the Cognizant Agency List?

Choose DCSA in the Facility Clearance Business Factor. The Defense Security Service (DSS) is now known as the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA).

How is a new document added to a claimed Business Factor? How is a Business Factor document deleted?

• Use the unclaim button to unlock the Business Factor for editing, upload the new/additional document, and then reclaim the Business Factor. 
• Documents can also be removed when the Business Factor is unclaimed and the close button is used to keep it unclaimed. 
• Scroll down to find the files.

Projects - Starting a Project Reference

How does someone submit their subcontracting experience even though the prime contractor they worked with is not a teaming partner or MRCL for the upcoming project?

1. Such project experience as a subcontractor, since it was not directly for the government, is considered a commercial project.  
     
2. The applicant would then enter their subcontracting information and would become the Team Member on the upcoming government contract.

How can a Prime Offeror claim a project performed as a member of a previous Joint Venture (JV)? 

In the project reference tab, the Prime Offeror should choose their own company as the one that did the work. The teaming documents establishing the relationship between their company and information on the previous JV should be included with the uploaded project documents.

Why is the Funding Agency ID missing? 

Symphony receives data directly from the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). If the agency a user seeks is not listed, that user should contact us with the FPDS code from their government contract and its contract number so we can provide assistance. 

• Submit a copy of the FPDS report to the Symphony Help Desk. 
• If an FPDS report does not exist, contact the agency or your Contracting Officer about adding the agency to FPDS. Once complete, please let us know so we can add it to Symphony.

Projects - Project Details

Where does Symphony require the Annual Value data?  

If a project lasted longer than a year, the value is annualized so that both Total Contract Value and Period of Performance are used to calculate the Average Annual Value once the user adds the project to their submission and claims its performance factors. 

Is it required to enter costs or other questions unrelated to the OASIS+ RFP?

No. When Projects are added to My Company, all the project details entered will be considered against the OASIS+ scorecard as they apply. 

• Some project details are optional but may be required in future solicitations. 
• The solicitation requirements supersede the Symphony platform.

Are all project details required?

No. If a question is not related to the solicitation then it is not a requirement and is not scored.  We are not validating this data, nor are they evaluating these questions.  These questions can be ignored.

Where is the option to claim QP - Management & Staffing, Managing 3-5 or more first-tier subcontractors/teaming partners?

1. The first-tier subcontractor/teaming partners are pulled from Core Project Details in My Company > Projects. 
2. Then, when Projects are added to a Submission for each Domain/Solicitation, make sure to Begin or Modify the Performance Factors and claim the projects as Qualifying to see these scores reflected in the Live Score.

Is it necessary to add all Subcontractors separately (additionally) under My Company "Team Members"?

How is Past Performance quantified? The portal wanted a value 0-5 entered, how does that relate to Good, Very Good, Exceptional, etc?

See the solicitation (M.6.6.1) for information on calculating the Past Performance Rating and then entering the average rating that is calculated within Symphony.

Does the OSP calculate the average CPARS rating for a collection of task orders?

No. Symphony will only allow a single value to be entered for a Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) Rating. 

• Enter the average rating that will be calculated in Symphony. 
• For the Past Performance Rating on a Collection of Task Orders, the solicitation states the past performance ratings of each project within the collection are averaged into a single project. See the solicitation for information on calculating the rating.

Why is there a "Contract Vehicle End Date Not Provided" message in the project summary? 

The Contract Vehicle End date is used to validate the Period of Performance on Collections of Task Orders. 

• It is optional for any other contract type. 
• The message will not prevent a proposal from being submitted and does not make a project non-compliant if it isn't applicable. 

Documents

Where is the Attachment J.P-7 (Joint Venture) uploaded?

Go to My Company > Team Members. 

• The direction to upload the teaming agreements on the documents tab is available when Team Members are added to Symphony. 
• This is also where the Subcontractor Letters of Commitment (LOCs) belong (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Upload Team Member agreements and letters of commitment in the Team Member or MRCLs Documents section.

Why are the SF 33s and 30s displaying in all domains except the Document Library? 

The Submission files are in Symphony and will be available in one folder across all domains within a solicitation for evaluation. 

• Submission Documents are uploaded directly into the submission, not to My Company for addition to a submission later.
• Although the domains have different scorecards, they are under one solicitation, so only one form is required. 
• If files can be viewed in the Submission Documents tab, they are part of the proposal. 
• If submitting under another solicitation, an SF 33 form must be upload there as well. 
• "My Company" is for company assets and the submissions are what the government will evaluate.

Submission - Building your proposal

Does the OSP calculate average annual values automatically from the POP dates and the contract value? 

Yes. Symphony bases the calculation on the Period of Performance and the Total Contract Value entered in the project details, when applicable. 

• The annual contract value is calculated for the submission when starting or modifying Performance Factors for added projects and Scale points are automatically awarded after making the applicable claim.
• See the solicitation for information about how the annual value is calculated.

Will Symphony verify the minimum average annual value for a QP (Qualifying Project) per domain and for the unrestricted RFP? 

Yes. Symphony will make the calculation needed for each domain and solicitation once you add the project to your submission and claim the performance factors for the project (see Figure 3). 

Figure 3. Use the Begin button after adding a project to the Submission. 
The Solicitation Name and Pool or Domain are displayed in the top left corner.

How is credit for working with three or more unique Federal Government Customers claimed?

When projects are claimed as Federal Experience Projects, Symphony calculates the FEP - Federal Agencies scoring element based on the customers entered in the project reference. It automatically awards this point when the FEPs have three or more unique federal customers. 

What information is to be placed in the first FEP area now that it has been split into Federal Experience Project and FEP Competitive?

Selecting the Federal Experience Project or Qualifying Project performance factor tells Symphony the type of project the user is claiming. 

1. Selecting Federal Experience Project tells Symphony the user is using the project as that type so it can calculate all points for FEPs. 
   • If FEP is chosen for three projects, and each one has a different federal agency customer, the proposal will receive a point for FEP - Federal Agencies. 
2. For a project where both the FEP and FEP - Competitive classifications are selected, the user receives the FEP - Competition in Multiple Award Environments point if the project has an eligible contract type. 

• Claiming FEP is a prerequisite for receiving FEP-Competitive points. 
• Having multiple agencies is not required.

Are offerors able to remove/alter information in the Symphony system after entry? 

Yes, the program office team only receives submitted proposals when the solicitation deadline is met. 

• Up until the deadline, offerors may review, retract and edit all elements of their proposals. 
• Symphony displays the submission date and time, with the option to view the details of the proposal(s) after submission. 
• Once the deadline is met, submission changes are not allowed.