Chapter 34 - IT Contract Administration

34.2.2 Monitor supplier certifications and reporting

The contract administrator needs to ensure that the contract file includes all certifications, registrations and/or licenses required by the agency, solicitation and contract award. The procurement lead may have obtained these prior to award; however, the contract administrator must validate the file. These may include small (SWaM) business certification, eVA registration validation, current authorization by the State Corporation Commission to transact business in the Commonwealth, Anti-Lobbying certification, insurance certificates, bond guarantees, federal or state debarment compliance, e-Verify compliance, Virginia Tax compliance or payment schedule verification to mention a few. Throughout the contract’s duration, validations and/or renewals of these should be conducted by the contract administrator no less than annually. 

The contract may call for the supplier’s monthly submission of administrative reporting including, but not limited to: SWaM participation, project status, performance status, sales or usage status, and for VITA statewide contracts only, sales and IFA reporting. The timely reporting by supplier must be monitored by the contract administrator to ensure the supplier is contractually compliant. Copies of all such reports should be made available either in the contract file or electronically. Failure by supplier to comply with its contractually obligated Supplier Procurement and Subcontracting Plan may prohibit or delay any renewals of the contract. For agencies, the plan may be called the Small Business (SWaM) Subcontracting Plan. For VITA, the plan will be called the Supplier Procurement and Subcontracting Plan. 

Here are two “musts” when monitoring the supplier’s performance in this administrative area: 

• Supplier must comply with contractually required certifications, licensing and reporting must be verified prior to the execution of any contract modification increasing the contract’s value or scope or any benefit or incentive to the supplier. 
• Careful records of any non-compliance must be maintained in the contract file and shared with contract stakeholders, who may be measuring or collecting the supplier’s total project performance independently. 

 The following information may assist the contract administrator’s supplier validation process for the above concerns: 

• Validate supplier state debarment status on eVA website at: eVA Inactive Vendor List 
• Validate supplier federal debarment status on federal website if federal funds support the contract at: https://sam.gov/content/home 
• Validate supplier state tax compliance status (e.g., no interception being conducted currently) by calling 804-367-8380 or by email to: Irms.Support@tax.virginia.gov)  
• Validate supplier SWaM reporting compliance according to the agency’s individual protocol and process (VITA only) Validate supplier sales/IFA reporting compliance 
• Validate supplier has a current authorization to transact business in the Commonwealth through obtaining a copy of supplier’s current registration form and SCC identification number