Introduction to Argonne Procurement

The objective of the Argonne National Laboratory procurement system is to provide quality products and services in a timely manner to procurement customers. The Argonne Procurement Department will accomplish this by using a variety of practices that comply with the Department of Energy (DOE) Prime Contract mandates and statutory requirements. Argonne spends approximately $130,000,000 annually through procurements to a diverse group of large and small business concerns for a broad range of products and services which support the laboratory's overall mission.

Argonne Small Business Program Office

It is the policy of the Argonne National Laboratory that socioeconomic business concerns will be provided the maximum practicable opportunity to participate in the performance of subcontracts awarded by Argonne consistent with DOE's Small Business policies. Argonne will procure a fair proportion of its goods and services from small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses, veterans and service-disabled veterans who own and operate small businesses and HUBZone businesses.

Questions regarding the Argonne Small Business Program should be directed to:

Karl Duke
Small Business Liaison Officer
SBLO@anl.gov

Procurement Terms and Conditions

Argonne's Standard Terms and Conditions are available online for viewing and downloading.

Depart of Energy Forecast of Opportunities

To assist in financial planning, the DOE's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization publishes upcoming procurement projections online. This Web site provides efficient and effective access to the DOE's forecasted requirements over $100,000 for fiscal years 2004-2007.

These procurement projections are based on the best information available from DOE's contributing headquarters, field, laboratory and prime contractor offices. These projects and the requirements that drive them are subject to revision or cancelation, depending on changing program priorities, needs and funding. Final decisions on any aspect of the procurement action will not be made until each requirement has been initiated.

Central Contractor Registration

The Central Contractor Registration (CCR) is the primary vendor database for the U.S. federal government. The CCR collects, validates, stores and disseminates data in support of agency acquisition missions.

As of December 2002, the CCR system has eliminated the requirement to register separately within the Small Business Administration's PRO-Net database. A vendor only needs to input business information in the CCR database, which will then automatically populate the Small Business Adminstration database. Please note that if you are interested in receiving Small Disadvantaged Business, HUBZone or 8(a) certifications, you will need to refer separately to the Small Business Administration to complete that process.

Both current and potential government vendors are required to register with the CCR database to be awarded contracts by the government. Vendors are required to complete a one-time registration to provide basic information relevant to procurement and financial transactions. Vendors must update or renew their registration annually to maintain an active

How to Register with the CCR Database

1. Before you start be sure you have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number. The DUNS number is a unique nine-digit identification number provided by the commercial company Dun & Bradstreet (D&B). Call D&B at 1-866-705-5711 if you do not have a DUNS number. The process takes about 10 minutes and is free of charge. You will need a different DUNS number for each of your company's different addresses or physical locations, as well as for each legal division that may be co-located. When you register online with the CCR database, enter your DUNS number as numbers only, without dashes or spaces. NOTE: As a result of obtaining a DUNS number you might be included on D&B's marketing list, which is sold to other companies. If you do not want your name or company included on this marketing list, contact D&B at the number noted above to request removal from the marketing list.
2. Once you have the appropriate DUNS numbers, visit the CCR online registation Web site and click on "Start New Registration."
3. Complete and submit the online registration. If you already have the necessary information on hand, the online registration takes approximately 30 minutes to complete, depending upon the size and complexity of your company.

Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA)

The Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) is an e-Government initiative designed by the Integrated Acquisition Environment to replace the paper based Representations and Certifications process. Depending on the procurement requirements, any supplier responding to an Argonne solicitation, such as a Request for Quotation or a Request for Proposal, will be required to submit its ORCA and a Pre-Award Information form, either PD-158 or PD-159. If your company does not have a completed ORCA, and you are responding to a solicitation, then you will be required to complete and submit along with your offer a Pre-Award Information form, either PD-158 or PD-159, and Representations and Certifications, ANL-70A or ANL-70B, as instructed in the solicitation package. Argonne's Pre-Award Information forms, PD-158 and PD-159 and Representations and Certifications documents, ANL-70A and ANL-70B, can be found on Argonne's Standard Terms and Conditions Procurement Web page.

Supplier Information Form

Interested suppliers may complete and submit a Supplier Information Form to be included in Argonne's vendor database. Suppliers are advised that there is no guarantee that any solicitations or awards will be sent to the supplier by submitting a supplier information form; however in the event a solicitation is sent to the supplier from an Argonne procurement official, and the supplier can provide the required goods/services under the solicitation, a more formal quotation/offer may be required, which may include the submission of a Pre-Award Information and Booklet of Representations and Certifications or ORCA, as described in the solicitation package.