Any company wishing to do business with the Government must be registered in with their prospective Government customer. In the past, that would mean registering with perhaps dozens of different Government offices. The Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act set out to change that inefficiency and the Central Contractor Registration or CCR was born. The CCR is a way to eliminate the repetitive and error-prone function of written registration. As an electronic repository of contractor information, the CCR is an electronic database of information pertinent to procurement and financial business transactions. Registration in the CCR is the first step to being an electronic Federal trading partner.
The CCR provides contractors with a one-time registration process while providing the Government with a central database to query for contractor information. Once registered in the CCR, the Government can send you EDI solicitation documents like Requests for Quote. In addition, it allows the DoD to comply more efficiently with the Debt Collection and Improvement Act of 1996 (Section 31001 of Public Law 104-134), so you get paid more promptly.
The key features of the CCR are its ability to:
On September 15, 1997, the Director of Defense Procurement proposed to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to require contractor registration in the CCR database prior to award of any contract. The DoD anticipates this registration requirement will become effective March 31, 1998.
Other than the time it takes to collect the registration data, it costs nothing to register in the CCR. But it can cost you huge loses in potential business if you fail to register. Remember: Register in the CCR by March 31, 1998 or lose contract opportunities with the Federal Government.
There are a number of ways to register with the CCR. There is a method to suit your needs. If you are fully EDI-capable, you can provide a full set of electronic data to the Government via your DoD-certified Value Added Network and meet all the registration requirements. But there is also a two-page "short form" available for those organizations that are working to become EDI-capable. The short form is only a limited set of data but it meets the requirements of the March 31, 1998 deadline, so you won't have to worry about missing contract opportunities.
Regardless of the method you choose, you will need to be able to provide basic information about your organization such as location, points of contact at the university, and identification numbers (like Data Universal Numbering System, Standard Industrial Classifications, and Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Codes and Taxpayer or Employer Identification Number).
How do you register? There are three ways to become entered in the CCR:
1. If you are EDI-Capable, you will send an ANSI X12 transaction set 838, 3040 Version (Trading Partner Profile) via your DoD-certified VAN to the CCR in Columbus Ohio. Your submission will include the basic information noted above as well as optional data (e.g., security and quality standards met by your company, Federal Stock Classes/ Product Service Codes which apply to the goods or services which you sell). An 838 transaction set is the electronic version of the Standard Form 129, solicitation mailing list application. Once the 838 is received you will in turn receive a 997 functional acknowledgment from the CCR, an 838C Trading Partner Profile Confirmation, and a Trading Partner Identification number (TPIN). Your confidential TPIN is your pass code to electronic identification and commerce with the Government.
2. The on-line registration process is relatively straight forward. You complete an electronic questionnaire at the CCR web site http://ccr.edi.disa.mil. Your information will be processed by the Government and you will receive conformation of your registration and a TPIN within a few weeks. However, you can request the status of your registration via an on-line query service available through the same CCR web site.
3. For those firms who do not want to register electronically, you can complete the two page paper registration form and mail or fax the application to your appropriate Registration Assistance Center (RAC). For trading partners whose company name begins with numbers or the letters A-K, submit your registration to the following RAC:
CCR Registration Assistance Center
2000 South Loop 256, Suite 11
Palestine, TX 75801
Fax: 903-729-7988
For trading partners whose company name begins with the letters L-Z, submit your registration to the following RAC:
CCR Registration Assistance Center (CTC)
1450 Scalp Ave.
Johnstown, PA 15904
Fax: 814-262-2326
Contact the CCR Registration Assistance Centers at 1-888-227-2423 to receive the EZ form or to ask for help.
Remember: If you are not ready to be "fully EDI capable" with the Government, you can still register with the "short form".
For more information on CCR, go to the following web sites
http://www.acq.osd.mil/ec/policy.htm
http://www.acq.osd.mil/ec/fedreg/fedreg.htm