The Contracting Education Academy

Contracting Academy Logo
  • Home
  • Training & Education
  • Services
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / Archives for breach

April 9, 2018 By AMK

Paper submittals will soon be required of all SAM.gov registrants

Effective April 27, 2018, the General Services Administration (GSA) will be requiring each entity that wants to renew or update their electronic registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) to mail-in an original, signed notarized letter that confirms the identity of the account’s authorized administrator.

This comes as a follow-up to an announcement make about two and a half weeks ago that GSA is engaged in “an active investigation into alleged third-party fraudulent activity” within SAM.

SAM is essentially the vendor database of the federal government.  GSA is in the process of integrating a total of ten databases within SAM.

At present, before a new SAM entity registration is activated, the entity establishing the new record in SAM must submit an original, signed notarized letter identifying the authorized “entity administrator” who is associated with the entity’s DUNS number.  With GSA’s latest announcement, the notarized letter also will be required of all existing SAM registrants who wish to update or renew their record.

The alleged breach of the SAM database was identified by GSA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), and there is ongoing concern that vendors’ financial information and points of contact could be exposed.  This creates risk that grant and contract payments could be diverted.

In GSA’s first announcement of the problem, GSA advised that “entities should contact their Federal agency awarding official if they find that payments, which were due their entity from a Federal agency, have been paid to a bank account other than the entity’s bank account.”   SAM contains bank routing information on each entity.  GSA’s advice was later updated to say: “If an entity suspects a payment due them from a Federal agency was paid to a bank account other than their own, they should contact the Federal Service Desk.”

The Federal Service Desk can be contacted by phone at 866-606-8220 (toll free) or 334-206-7828 (internationally), Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (EDT).

The notarized letter, on company stationery, is to be mailed to the Federal Service Desk.  Details for the letter appear at: https://www.fsd.gov/fsd-gov/answer.do?sysparm_kbid=d2e67885db0d5f00b3257d321f96194b&sysparm_search=kb0013183.

Update: GSA has produced a template for the notarized letter.  It is available at: SAM_Notary_Letter_Template_4.12.18_GSA_version

 

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: breach, cyber incidents, cyberattacks, financial risk, fraud, GSA, hack, SAM, vendor registration

March 23, 2018 By AMK

SAM hacked: New vendor registrations require paper documentation

The General Services Administration reports that there is “an active investigation into alleged third-party fraudulent activity” within the System for Award Management (SAM).

SAM is essentially the vendor database of the federal government.  GSA is in the process of integrating a total of ten databases within SAM.

The alleged breach was identified by GSA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).  GSA is concerned that vendor’s financial information and points of contact could be exposed.

GSA reports that entities whose financial information has changed within the last year are in the process of being notified and are being advised to validate their registration information, particularly their financial information.  GSA’s notification process began on March 22, 2018.

An “entity” is any company, business, or organization who has registered within SAM as a federal contractor or would-be federal contractor.

In the announcement of the breach, GSA advises that “entities should contact their Federal agency awarding official if they find that payments, which were due their entity from a Federal agency, have been paid to a bank account other than the entity’s bank account.”   SAM contains bank routing information on each entity.

New SAM registration procedures are now in effect, presumably temporarily.  An original, signed notarized letter identifying the authorized Entity Administrator for the entity associated with the DUNS number must be submitted before a new SAM entity registration will be activated.

Update: GSA has produced a template for the notarized letter.  It is available at: SAM_Notary_Letter_Template_4.12.18_GSA_version

Information on GSA’s work-around SAM registration process is detailed on the Federal Service Desk’s web site at: https://www.fsd.gov/fsd-gov/answer.do?sysparm_kbid=d2e67885db0d5f00b3257d321f96194b&sysparm_search=sam

 

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: breach, cyber incidents, cyberattacks, financial risk, fraud, GSA, hack, SAM, vendor registration

January 17, 2017 By AMK

Updated OMB breach response policy includes required breach-related provisions for federal contracts

On Jan. 3rd, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued an updated breach response policy for federal agencies, replacing a policy last updated in 2007. 

The policy, set forth in memorandum M-17-12, provides minimum standards for federal agencies in preparing for and responding to breaches of personally identifiable information (PII).   In addition to setting forth requirements for federal agencies to prepare for and respond to breaches, the policy also includes required contractual terms regarding breach preparedness and response for certain federal contractors.

The policy states that the contractual requirements should be inserted into any contract, cooperative agreement or other similar instrument where the contractor collects or maintains PII, or uses or maintains an information system, on behalf of the Government.

Keep reading this article which details contractor requirements here: https://www.insideprivacy.com/data-security/data-breaches/updated-omb-breach-response-policy-includes-required-breach-related-provisions-for-federal-agency-contracts/

Read OMB’s Jan. 3, 2017 memorandum here: Preparing for and Responding to a Breach of Personally Identifiable Information – OMB m-17-12 – 01.03.2017

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: breach, cyber, cybersecurity, encryption, IT, OMB, personally identifiable information, PII, regulation, technology

Popular Topics

abuse acquisition reform acquisition strategy acquisition training acquisition workforce Air Force Army AT&L bid protest budget budget cuts competition cybersecurity DAU DFARS DHS DoD DOJ FAR fraud GAO Georgia Tech GSA GSA Schedule GSA Schedules IG industrial base information technology innovation IT Justice Dept. Navy NDAA OFPP OMB OTA Pentagon procurement reform protest SBA sequestration small business spending technology VA
Contracting Academy Logo
75 Fifth Street, NW, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30308
info@ContractingAcademy.gatech.edu
Phone: 404-894-6109
Fax: 404-410-6885

RSS Twitter

Search this Website

Copyright © 2023 · Georgia Tech - Enterprise Innovation Institute