A new and improved Vendor Support Center (VSC) is just around the corner! GSA announced they are overhauling the VSC website and will be updating it based on user feedback. This is a welcome change coming in the next few months, where every aspect of the site is under review.
The end goal is to transform the Vendor Support Center into a user-friendly, easy to navigate resource for potential and existing GSA contractors. With this in mind, GSA’s VSC redesign involved:
- Reorganizing the website content
- Updating the content and simplifying the language
- Highlighting the most in-demand content
GSA’s Vendor Support Center New Features
Search Bar
What are some the new features you can expect to see on the redesigned VSC? Without a doubt, the most requested feature that users wanted was search bar functionality, which will thankfully be on the new site! Gone are the days of aimlessly browsing the VSC looking for answers to your questions. The new website will allow you to easily search for all of your questions on the home page of the site.
Help Desk Accessibility
Better help desk accessibility is also on the way. GSA listened to the feedback of how locating the help desk needs to be more intuitive. On the redesigned website, the help desk will be located directly on the front page, instead of having to click through the site to find it.
User Journeys
To improve navigation, GSA took the user journey into great consideration. The new website features three main user journeys for visitors looking to: 1) obtain a contract, 2) manage their GSA Contract, and 3) report contract sales.
POC Lookup
Based upon website statistics, GSA determined many people visit the Vendor Support Center in order to locate important contacts. GSA contractors will be happy to know the new website includes a section on the homepage to identify points of contact for your GSA Contract, including your:
- Procurement Contracting Officer (PCO)
- Administrative Contracting Officer (ACO)
- Industrial Operations Analyst (IOA)
Lookup Tables
The new Vendor Support Center will group “lookup tables” together under the “Managing My GSA Contract” section of the website. This section will allow GSA Contractors to download a list of GSA Special Item Numbers (SINs), Designated Country Codes, Prohibited Manufacturers, and Authorized BPA Vendors. Contractors can also download a chart that serves as a reference for GSA Advantage uploads. This Schedules SIN-MOL-Photo-UPC table shows the Maximum Order Level for each SIN and whether Universal Product Codes and Photos are required.
Focus on Content
As part of the website redesign, GSA performed an extensive overhaul of the content. In addition to updating information and simplifying the language used, GSA focused on removing outdated and duplicate content. Moving forward, managing content will be a more efficient process thanks to a new user-friendly system on the back-end. Drupal, the website’s new content management system, will allow GSA to update information on the Vendor Support Center quickly and easily.
Overall the Vendor Support Center’s new design will align more closely with other GSA websites such as GSA Advantage!, making it more familiar to users and easier to navigate.
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Stay tuned, GSA’s Interact website is up next for a redesign. According to GSA, the redesign will be rolled out in phases, with the first phase slated for this fiscal year.