Acquisition Planning Forecast Systemhttp://apfs.dhs.gov

Internet Site Tutorial

10-28-2015

Acquisition Planning Forecast SystemInternet Site Tutorial

The Department of Homeland (DHS) Security Acquisition Planning Forecast System (APFS) provides a way for small business vendors to view upcoming opportunities (valued above $150,000). This tutorial provides guidance to the recently upgraded APFS.

Overview

This tutorial will walk through the two major functions that are available to users on the APFS Internet Site:

1. Searching/Filtering ForecastsThrough this function users can filter through the various forecasts to find the most pertinent opportunities for their organization.

2. NAICS NotificationThe notification service allows organizations to be notified of all forecasts that align with user-designated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) codes.

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Search/Filtering Forecasts

Purpose: allows users to view all forecasts that have been released, to filter the forecasts to view the most pertinent opportunities, and save or print the results.

1. On the APFS Welcome Page navigate to the Forecast by clicking on the green “Search Forecast” button.

Figure 1: Public Welcome Screen

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2. The Search/Filtering Forecast page has two major sections – Filters and Results. The Filters occupy the left third of the page and the results show on the right side of the page.

Figure 2: Browsing Forecasts Screen

Upon navigating to the page the default will return all Forecast Results sorted by “APFS Number” in ascending order. You can hide the filter to allow easier view of results.

3. The filters you can apply to searching the APFS are:a. Component: Forecasts filtered by the major components that make

up DHS, including Component, Sub-Component and Division.

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b. Contract Status: Forecasts filtered by New Requirement or as Follow-On to an existing contract (Re-Compete).

c. Contract Vehicle: Forecasts filtered by contract type.d. Office: Forecasts filtered by specific contracting offices.e. Dollar Amount: Forecasts filtered by expected dollar range.f. NAICS: Forecasts filtered by selected NAICS code.g. Small Business Program: Forecasts filtered by small business set-

aside categories.4. To filter the forecasts in APFS select from the various drop-downs the fields

you desire to search for and then click the blue “Filter Forecast” button.5. APFS will return the results showing all the pertinent records. The Forecast

Record will show:a. APFS Numberb. NAICS Codec. Component: the Organization within DHSd. Published: the contracting office that released the Forecaste. Contract Vehiclef. Dollar Rangeg. Small Biz Programh. Contract Statusi. POC Name; Phone; Emailj. Estimated Release: Expected Timeframe for release of Opportunityk. Description: Brief abstract of Forecast

6. When results are returned you can browse the records that are returned (20 records are returned to each page). You can also Save or Open the results for a printable view.

a. Save As: by clicking on the Save As button you can save your results to a CSV file (to be used in a database program) or save the results as a PDF.

b. Open as printable view: by clicking this button a file will open in your browser window that is formatted for printing.

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Notifications

Purpose: The notification service allows the public to be notified of all forecasts that align with user-designated NAICS codes or contract vehicles.

1. To sign-up for email notifications of all forecasts that align with appropriate NAICS codes or NAICS code for your organization click the blue “Subscribe to Notifications” button. (See Figure 1)

2. Provide a valid email and click the “Send Confirmation” button. You will receive an email to continue the subscription process.

Figure 3: Get Notified Screen

3. Check your email client and validate your email by responding to the email link from APFS.

4. From the pull down menu select all relevant NAICS codes and contract vehicles that align with your organizations’ business strategy. Click the “Subscribe” button.

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Figure 4: NAICS Code Selection Screen

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