Over the years, the federal government has worked hard to make it easier for government agencies to find and purchase products from the companies that manufacture and sell them. Part of this push was the development of DOD EMALL, an online marketplace of product vendors for government supplies.
When DOD EMALL was first created, it was designed to be a bridge between vendors and their customers. GSA.gov describes DOD EMALL as “the single entry point for military, federal agency, and contractor purchasers to find and acquire off-the-shelf, finished goods and services from the commercial marketplace and government sources.”
While DOD EMALL functioned well for this purpose — connecting small businesses with customers through thousands of commercial catalogs — over time, it became clunky and outdated. Now, DOD EMALL has partnered with IBM to create FedMall, an online shopping application that completely streamlines the process for purchasers. Their hope was to create an app that had a more commercial look and a smoother process for registration, ordering, and researching products.
FedMall Updates: What Has Changed?
Those who are unfamiliar with the transition from DOD EMALL are likely wondering what changes they’ll notice in the shift from the old platform to the new. Most importantly, while DOD EMALL forced buyers to navigate through various online shopping venues to locate the product they were looking for, FedMall will feature all options in a single venue. The overall presentation will be more updated and modern, as well, allowing for a more pleasant and user-friendly experience.
In addition to this, FedMall is doing away with the onerous administrative and contractual procedures that were needed for vendors to get started on DOD EMALL. On FedMall, the approval process is quick and easy.
Once a vendor is up and running, the FedMall updates allow the vendors to easily manage the catalog themselves, from setting pricing to running promotions and sales — requiring no modifications to contracts to do so.
The technical infrastructure of the new FedMall interface is also updated, with standards that are based on item identification and interface protocols.
What Do I Need to Do to Shift From DOD EMALL to FedMall?
If you were already part of DOD EMALL, your company and products already meet the requirements to be part of the DLA eMall program. If you’re new to the program, you must either have a long term federal contract such as Government Service Agreement (GSA) contract, a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA), or a Long Term Agreement (LTA), or be a part of the DLA’s Schedule Contract Program.
As DOD EMALL works to move vendors over to the new platform, it has begun emailing Catalog Templates to all participants. Completed templates will contain all the information necessary to transition each vendor’s products into the FedMall application.
For additional information about Catalog Templates and submission instructions, visit the FedMall website.
It’s important to be aware that FedMall only features product schedules and not services.
No Time For Templates? We Can Help!
Unfortunately, although the new FedMall system will be easier to use and more streamlined, getting your products featured there can be quite time-consuming, especially for those who aren’t familiar with working with these kinds of templates. This is especially frustrating for owners of small businesses, who typically spend all of their energy running the business itself and don’t have time to organize a catalog template.
Thankfully, Government Contract Services has expertise in this field. From expertise on navigating the complex requirements and terminology of government contracts to preparing your templates to help you transition from DOD EMALL to FedMall, we’re pleased to help.
We can also get you started if you’re working to acquire a government contract. Contact us today to get started!
