Contract Management Support

What are CMS services?
Contract Management Support (CMS) services are specifically designed to provide contract
closeout support services to federal government contracting offices. CMS services will help
mitigate the critical government shortage of contract specialists by focusing on providing
post-contract award administration support services that are not inherently governmental
functions. The AbilityOne Program is providing critical support to government contracting
offices by freeing up time for the contracting workforce to address more mission-critical and
inherently-governmental functions, while at the same time facilitating the return of unused
obligated contract funds to the government.

What is the AbilityOne Program?
The AbilityOne Program’s mission is to provide employment opportunities for people who are
blind or have other severe disabilities in the manufacture and delivery of products and services
to the federal government. Employment opportunities are created through the placement of
products and services on the AbilityOne Procurement List. These products and services
include office products, janitorial/sanitation products, medical and food products, call centers,
high-tech distribution and warehousing, and facilities maintenance. The Procurement List is
managed by the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled
and assisted by two Central Nonprofit Agencies (CNAs) – National Industries for the Blind
(NIB) and NISH. The product or service is then executed through a nationwide network of
associated nonprofit agencies.

How will the AbilityOne Program provide CMS services?
In June 2010, NIB, as the prime contractor and CMS program manager for the AbilityOne
Program, executed an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with the Department
of the Army for provision of CMS contract closeout support services for all of the Department
of Defense (DoD). CMS closeout services were added to the mandatory AbilityOne Procurement
List concurrently with the DoD-wide IDIQ contract. With these essential building blocks in
place, individual task orders from across DoD will flow to the AbilityOne Program via NIB.
These executed task orders will assist with a DoD-wide backlog of contracts by NIB and/or
NISH associated agency personnel delivering "ready to close" contract files to the government
contracting officer. Teams working through the AbilityOne Program provide nationwide
coverage, either at the government contracting location or at a secure contractor location,
dependent on customer needs. The teams will gather the data, forms, and pertinent
documentation necessary to close the contracts in accordance with the Federal Acquisition
Regulation, Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, and local procedures, to
include the preparation for signature of any deobligating modifications required.

What are the benefits to the government and the AbilityOne Program?
CMS contract closeout support services are a true “win-win” solution for the government.
Government contracting personnel shortages are mitigated through quality and timely
service delivery through the AbilityOne Program. The government regains use of obligated
contract funds that were not expended in the completion of the contract. Employees working
through the AbilityOne Program, to include Wounded Warriors and Service Disabled Veterans,
gain much needed employment opportunities in a career-oriented, upwardly-mobile
professional field. The strategically-sourced DoD-wide IDIQ provides the government with
a single point-of-contact, standard operating procedures, demonstrated quality service, a
performance-based pre-priced menu of available services, and decentralized execution at
multiple delivery points. This approach is an efficient and effective example of strategic
sourcing that benefits both the government customer and contracting officer.

For more information contact Johnette Lee at 210-531-1545.