The following are some frequently asked questions regarding the OASIS+ Symphony Portal. The required URL for OASIS+ offerors is https://oasis.app.cloud.gov/.
Administration
How do I add other users?
You cannot add users to Symphony because all users must register with their unique email addresses and complete the multi-factor authentication (MFA) setup.
How do I assign the Open Market Proposal Manager or select more than one Proposal Manager?
You can only select one Open Market Proposal Manager at this time, but you can change it as necessary. A proposal manager is not required however only your SAM.gov POC administrator(s) (at the time they registered) or the Open Market Proposal Manager can submit your proposal(s). The Open Market Proposal Manager is the last option when managing users in Administration.
Why can't I find a user that requested activation?
If an administrator can't see a user in the list of users, that user may have registered under a different UEI and Cage or at a different website. Please confirm the UEI and cage that were used for the registration match and make sure you are both using the same website address. If you still need help, contact us.
Registration
Can my registration be revoked if I registered with the wrong UEI?
Yes. Contact us, and we can help move your account to the right UEI or revoke your registration. An Administrator cannot delete an account so a user can re-register.
How do I register or sign in to more than one company?
You cannot register for more than one company using the same email address. If you are submitting proposals on behalf of multiple companies, you will need to register and log in with a unique email address for each company (UEI).
Do users need to be listed as SAM POC(s) before registering in Symphony?
No. After your company's SAM POC(s) register for Symphony, they receive access to the administration link inside Symphony so that they can manage your company's users.
Dashboard
How do I find my submission easier?
The OASIS+ Symphony Portal has the option to mark the domain submission easier to find by using the Star icon to mark a submission as a favorite and then users can toggle to their favorites for quick access to their work.
My Company
SAM Data
Why is my UEI Not Populated in my SAM data in Symphony?
For OASIS contract holders, as long as your UEI and Cage are displayed next to your company name on the banner in the top left of the My Company tab, it's not an issue if the UEI not displaying in the other areas. However, if you would like to submit a proposal to OASIS+ with your UEI displayed, please send us a request to update your SAM data and we will let you know when the refresh is complete. Your SAM data in Symphony does not need to match your official SAM record.
Teaming/MRCLs
Subject to the conditions of the OASIS+ solicitation, an Offeror may take credit for any scored evaluation element, including QPs, FEPs, past performance, system(s), certification(s), and/or clearances from a parent company, affiliate, division, subsidiary and/or acquired company so long as there is a meaningful relationship to the Offeror and commitment letters are provided to the Government. The entity being used by way of an MRCL must be registered in SAM.gov and have a corresponding UEID Number.
Within the OSP, in order to add a company as an MRCL entity other than the Offeror, the UEID is required since the OSP pulls the data from SAM.gov. Any team member (including MRCL entities) must be registered in SAM in order to do business with the Government. Please review How to add MRCLs.
MRCL Entities Awaiting SAM Registration:
- When claiming credit by way of an MRCL entity, and the MRCL entity’s SAM registration is still pending at the time of proposal submission, Offerors may submit the commitment letter and verification documents for the claimed credit under the offering entity’s Projects / Past Performance or Business Factors, as applicable.
- The commitment letter and proof of pending SAM registration must also be uploaded in Submission Documents as a cover letter for each offer submission. If no commitment letter and proof of pending SAM registration is included, the credit being claimed by way of the MRCL will not be evaluated as part of the Offeror’s proposal.
Inactive MRCL Entities:
- When claiming credit for project experience and/or past performance of an MRCL entity that is no longer active and unable to obtain SAM registration, Offerors may submit the commitment letter and claimed project and past performance under the offering entity’s Projects / Past Performance, as applicable.
- The commitment letter must also be uploaded in Submission Documents as a cover letter for each offer submission. If no commitment letter is included, the QP or FEP being claimed by way of the MRCL will not be evaluated as part of the Offeror’s proposal.
Business Factors
Is there a fillable Section K within Symphony?
No. Symphony is only designed to have you claim the Representations and Certifications Business Factor, select your revenue and employee size values, and upload the documentation from your SAM record. Your Representations and Certifications are uploaded in the Business Factors section of your company assets for the Prime and your Team Members. It is found under Industry Certifications. Click on that factor to upload the relevant information from SAM, and then claim the factor.
Where do I upload the DCMA Approved Indirect Rates?
These are uploaded in the Business Factors section of your company assets. Please use the Adequate Accounting System option under Systems. Click on that factor to upload the relevant information and then claim the factor.
How do I get DSS added to the Cognizant Agency List?
Please choose DCSA in the Facility Clearance Business Factor. The Defense Security Service (DSS) was renamed the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) on July 4, 2019, by Nancy Cleveland.
How do I add a new document to a claimed Business Factor? How do I delete a Business Factor document?
Please use the unclaim button to unlock the Business Factor for editing, upload the new/additional document, and then reclaim the Business Factor. You can also remove documents when the Business Factor is unclaimed and use the close button to keep it unclaimed. Please scroll down if you do not see your files.
Cost/Price
Where is the Cost/Price option? Where do I upload my Basis of Estimate?
- Please Start in My Company and then use the Cost/Price button from the left navigation menu. It is below Business Factors.
- Upload the completed pricing spreadsheet as provided by the corresponding Solicitation and ensure that you upload a Basis of Estimate to support the Cost/Price methodology. Symphony is looking for an Excel template and a PDF document.
- Certify your claim and save your changes.
You can view, edit, or delete documents as needed by following the same process as Business Factors.
- Symphony will provide any validation errors in your submission for the corresponding Solicitation.
Projects - Starting Your Project Reference
How can I submit project experience where we served as a subcontractor, and the prime contractor for this project will not be a teaming partner or MRCL?
If you are adding a project where you performed as a subcontractor, since you are not contracting directly to the government, this would be considered a commercial project. You would then enter your subcontract information and you would be the Team Member on your contract.
How can a Prime Offeror claim a project performed as a member of a previous Joint Venture?
In the project reference tab, select your own company as the one that did the work. The teaming documents establishing the relationship between your company and the previous JV should be included with the uploaded project documents.
Why is the Funding Agency ID we need missing?
We get our data directly from FPDS. If the agency you need is not listed, please contact us with the FPDS code from your contract and your contract number so that we can assist. Submit a copy of the FPDS report to the Symphony Help Desk. If an FPDS report does not exist, please contact OASIS+ directly at OASISPLUS@gsa.gov.
Projects - Project Details
Where does Symphony require the Annual Value data?
If your project lasted longer than 1 year, the value is annualized so that both Total Contract Value and Period of Performance are used to calculate the Average Annual Value once you add the project to your submission and claim the performance factors for the project.
Do I have to enter costs or other questions that don't relate to the OASIS+ RFP?
No. When you add Projects to My Company, all the project details entered will be considered against the OASIS+ scorecard as they apply. Some project details are optional but may be required in future solicitations. The solicitation should always be used as the source of truth. Please reference How to Build Your Offer for OASIS+ for more information.
The Optional Question that does not relate to OASIS+ in any way is the following:
1. What is the Total Value of Other Direct and Indirect Costs? (File Reference Tag: COSTS).
Are all project details required?
No. If a question is not related to the solicitation then it is not a requirement and is not scored. We are not validating this data, nor are they evaluating these questions. You can choose to ignore them.
Where is the option to claim QP - Management & Staffing, Managing 3-5 or more first-tier subcontractors/teaming partners?
The first-tier subcontractor/teaming partners are pulled from your Core Project Details in My Company/Projects. Then, when you add your Projects to your Submission for each Domain/Solicitation, make sure to Begin or Modify the Performance Factors and claim the projects as Qualifying to see these scores reflected in the Live Score.
Is it necessary to add all Subcontractors separately (additionally) under My Company "Team Members"
If you are using the subcontractor's projects and they were the primes on those projects, you would need to add them as team members. If you are just claiming subcontractors as the prime on your project, you do not need to add them as team members. You only need to upload the supporting document in the respective project showing you managed subcontractors.
How do I quantify Past Performance? The portal is asking me to enter a value 0-5, how does that relate to Good, Very Good, Exceptional, etc?
Please see the solicitation (M.6.6.1) for information on calculating the Past Performance Rating and then entering the average rating that you calculate within Symphony.
Does the OSP calculate the average CPARS rating for a collection of task orders?
No. Symphony will only allow a single value to be entered for a Past Participation Rating. Enter the average rating that you calculate. For the Past Performance Rating on a Collection of Task Orders, the solicitation states, 'To calculate the Past Performance rating of a “Collection of Task Orders,” the past performance ratings of each project within the collection are averaged into a single project.' Please see the solicitation for information on calculating the rating.
Why don't I see an option to begin or modify performance factors in the Projects/Past Performance tab under My Company?
Performance factors are located in your submission. Please go to the Dashboard and Start your Submission, add your projects, and then BEGIN or MODIFY the Performance Factors so Symphony can start calculating your project scores.
Why is there a Contract Vehicle End Date not provided message in my project summary?
The Contract Vehicle End date is for validating the Period of Performance on Collections of Task Orders. It is optional for any other contract type. The message will not prevent a proposal from being submitted and will not make a project non-compliant if it doesn't apply.
Documents
Where do I upload the J.P-7?
Please go to My Company > Team Members. The direction to upload the teaming agreements on the documents tab is available when you add the Team Members to Symphony. This is also where the Subcontractor Letters of Commitment (LOCs) belong. Please reference How to Edit Team Members/CTAs and the image below for reference.
Is there any system limit on the number of supporting documents we can upload?
Symphony will allow you to attach as many files as you need to support all your claims, but the size limitation of 20MB will prevent you from uploading too large of a file. Please reference the Symphony FAQ for more information.
How do you delete documents in the document library?
The Document Library is a read-only view of all files that you upload to Symphony in My Company or your proposal. You can delete all files from the location where they were added. For Business Factors, please remove the claim and delete the documents that do not apply. Then close the factor to keep it unclaimed. Please reference the Industry Support articles for more information.
Where do I upload the SF 33 or the SF 30?
Go to the Dashboard and use the Submission Documents section when you Continue Your Submission to provide the SF 33 and/or SF 30 as needed. Select the document type from the dropdown menu and choose the file to upload. It will appear in the list at the bottom of the page and in the Review section.
Why are the SF 33s and 30s showing up in all domains but not the Document Library?
The Submission files are in Symphony and will be available in one folder across all domains within a solicitation for evaluation. Although the domains have different scorecards, they are under 1 solicitation, so you only need 1 form. As long as you can see them in your Submission Documents tab, they are part of your proposal. If you are also submitting under another SE solicitation, you will need to upload 1 SF 33 form there as well. "My Company" is for industry and the submissions are what the government will evaluate.
Submission - Building your proposal
How do I cancel a submission that was started by mistake?
Submissions begun in error can't be deleted, but the government will only receive proposals you certify and submit. If you take no further action on it, the submission won't go anywhere and you can consider it a "draft." Please use the Star icon to make finding the proposals that you do want to submit easier to access in your Dashboard Favorites.
How do I claim Qualifying project Scale, Auto-Relevance, Integrated Experience, etc?
Qualifying status, Relevance, and Integrated Experience are performance factors claimed when you add the project to your proposal. From your Dashboard, click Start (or Continue) Submission and go to Projects/Past Performance. Click the Begin (or Modify) button to go to the performance factors. Claim the scoring elements you are looking for credit on, make your file references, and save your changes. All tags are at your discretion.
In order to receive QP - Scale points, your project needs to meet both the minimum requirements to be a QP and also the requirements for Scale. QP requirements can be found in the RFP and the J.P-1 scoring matrix. It does not need to also be claimed as a Relevant QP.
Does the OSP calculate average annual values automatically from the POP dates and the contract value?
Yes. Symphony bases the calculation on the Period of Performance and the Total Contract Value entered in your project details when applicable. Your annual contract value is calculated in your submission when you Begin or Modify the Performance Factors for your added projects and Scale points are automatically awarded. Please see the solicitation for how the annual value is calculated.
Will Symphong verify the minimum average annual value for a QP per domain and for unrestricted RFP?
Yes. Symphony will make the calculation needed for each domain and solicitation once you add the project to your submission and claim the performance factors for the project.
How do I claim credit for working with three or more unique Federal Government Customers?
When you claim projects as Federal Experience Projects, Symphony calculates the FEP - Federal Agencies scoring element based on the customers you entered in your project reference. It will automatically award this point when your FEPs have three or more unique federal customers.
What information is to be placed in the first FEP area now that it has been split into Federal Experience Project and FEP Competitive?
Selecting the Federal Experience Project or Qualifying Project performance factor tells Symphony what type of project you are claiming.
- Selecting Federal Experience Project tells Symphony you are using the project as that type so it can calculate all points for FEPs. If you select FEP for 3 projects and each one has a different federal agency customer, you will get the point for FEP - Federal Agencies.
- For a project where you select both FEP and FEP - Competitive, you will receive the FEP - Competition in Multiple Award Environments point if the project has an eligible contract type. Claiming FEP is a prerequisite to getting points for FEP-Competitive. Having multiple agencies is not required.
Where do I assign the COCM and COPM for OASIS+?
Are offerors able to remove/alter information in the Symphony system after it’s been entered?
Yes, the program office team will only receive submitted proposals when the solicitation deadline is met. Up until the deadline, offerors may review and edit all elements of their proposals. Symphony will display the submission date and time, with the option to view the details of your proposal(s) after submission. Once the deadline is met, all assets are frozen.
How do I retract my proposal after submission?
Whoever can submit the proposal can retract your submission for editing.
- Use the View Details link and then click the Modify Submission button.
- Carefully review and resubmit before the deadline.
Symphony freezes your assets and closes once the Solicitation deadline is met.
Interpreting the Live Score and Alerts
Where are points calculated for Scale and Past Performance?
If you are not receiving points, please verify that you have added the project to your submission and claimed it as a Qualifying Project and/or a Federal Experience Project. Symphony is making the calculation needed for each domain and solicitation once you add the project to your submission and claim the performance factors for the project. Click Live Score to see any advisories that might indicate the project isn't eligible for the desired points. The messages will be in red.
Why is my project not counted as a Federal Experience Project?
Subcontracts are not eligible contract types for Federal Experience points. Please see section L.5.3.1 for eligible contract types. Please remove the claim if it was made in error or return to My Company > Projects/Past Performance to change the type.
Where are my FEP-Competitive, Advanced R&D, and Cost Reimbursement points?
- The first Federal Experience performance factor claim is not specifically for Federal Agency points and is a prerequisite to the other Federal Experience points.
- Please verify that the projects are an eligible contract type and that you have selected both Federal Experience and the Competitive or Advanced R&D boxes as needed for the domain.
- Then, please click on Live Score to bring up your scorecard and check for error messages relating to those projects.
Why does Symphony state that I need to have a Subcontracting Plan when I’m a small business and it is not required?
For unrestricted domains, if the Subcontracting Plan Requirement message doesn't apply to you then you can ignore it. It is there for OTSB and Symphony is not displaying it to only those companies. Warning and error messages are for advisory purposes only and will not prevent a SAM POC Administrator or Open Market Proposal Manager from certifying and submitting a proposal.
Where are the Management and staffing points for managing subcontractors?
To claim or verify these points, go to My Company > Projects/Past Performance.
- Create or edit your project and go to the Complete Your Project Details tab.
- Enter your subcontractors in the question, "Were Subcontractors/Teaming partners involved with this project?" and reference your supporting documents.
- When you claim the project as a Qualifying Project, it will automatically calculate your points based on both the core project details in My Company and the performance factors in the submission.
Why does Symphony state my 'Scale' points exceed the maximum?
Symphony is letting you know that it stopped counting your points because if you got all the points, then your score would exceed the maximum allowed for that element. Symphony displays these warning messages for reference and will not prevent you from submitting your proposal. This message is for information only.
Why does Symphony state my 'Integrated' points exceed the maximum?
Symphony is letting you know that it stopped counting your points because if you got all the points, then your score would exceed the maximum allowed for that element. Symphony displays these warning messages for reference and will not prevent you from submitting your proposal. Orange messages are for information only.
Why does Symphony display an “invalid score” error message?
- Per the J.P-1 the maximum number of Qualifying projects is 5 and FEPs can be separate. Additionally, in your performance factors, only 5 projects can be claimed as Relevant and Qualifying. They will have the QP and Relevant icons. This references the blue section in the J.P-1.
- Additional projects can be claimed as FEPs so that the maximum is after the other 5. These may or may not also be Relevant and Qualifying, but claiming Federal Experience lets Symphony know that it should score the green sections of the J.P-1. Symphony displays these warning messages for reference to guide you to this requirement. Please refer to the solicitation for clarification and always refer to it as the source of truth.
How can I request a receipt for Submission confirmation?
You are able to print and save the details of the submission through Symphony. Use the View Details option on the Dashboard where Symphony displays the submission date and time. We do not send out any confirmations outside of Symphony.
If you still need help, please contact us.
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