VIPR: Vendor Support

From key announcements to user documentation to training tools, several resources are available to help you use the VIPR Vendor Application.

Announcements

The latest VIPR solicitation templates are available! Select the Solicitations linkabove, use the drop-down, and select the template you want to view. All new templates will have a 2025 date at the top of each page.

VIPR Is Interconnected with the System for Award Management (SAM)

In order to do business with the Government, vendors MUST have an active SAM account. For vendors who use VIPR, they MUST ensure certain company information they provide in VIPR matches the same type of information that is found in their SAM record. VIPR and SAM share the following vendor company information:

• UEI
• Company Name
• Company DBA
• Company Address
• Mailing Address

Ensuring the above information matches in both systems is critical in order for payments to be made to vendors.

To assist vendors with keeping their company information in sync across both systems, VIPR now has an interconnection with SAM. VIPR will do validation checks against SAM data throughout various phases in the procurement process:

• When a vendor registers in the VIPR vendor application, VIPR will display the company name and DBA from SAM so the vendor can verify they entered the UEI correctly.
• A vendor will be able to submit quotes to VIPR solicitations; however, if their SAM record is expired or their company information in VIPR does not match what is in SAM, then the vendor will be ineligible to receive awards by Contracting Officers.
• If a vendor has changed their company information in SAM and they have not updated that company information in VIPR to reflect those changes, then the vendor will be unable to respond to modifications to their agreement until they import their updated company information from SAM into VIPR. (The vendor application provides vendors with an "Import from SAM" function.)
• If a vendor's SAM record has expired since receiving their award, then the vendor will be unable to respond to modifications to their agreement until they get their SAM record re-activated.

Vendor Application Used for All I-BPA Solicitations

The VIPR vendor application is an interactive, Web-based application designed to provide vendors with a user friendly, intuitive vendor solution when using VIPR. The vendor application uses wizard technology to provide step-by-step instructions to assist vendors in adding their resources into VIPR, finding solicitations that match their resources, submitting quotes on solicitations and amendments, and updating their company and resource information.

The vendor application is available now for vendors to use when responding to solicitations or modifications for all resources.

Login.gov Accounts

All vendors wishing to obtain a preseason incident agreement (either new or existing) with the Forest Service must use the new Virtual Incident Procurement (VIPR) application. Using VIPR will require that vendors have a Login.gov account. For questions about creating a Login.gov account, go to https://login.gov/help/. All questions about using your Login.gov account to log into the VIPR application should be directed to the Login.gov Helpdesk at https://www.login.gov/contact/.

About VIPR!

The Virtual Incident Procurement (VIPR) system was successfully introduced to production in January of 2009. Forest Service regions use VIPR to issue solicitations and award agreements for resources secured under preseason agreements. For information on the types of resources and the schedule the Forest Service follows to solicit, check out the National solicitation plan.

User Documentation

• VIPR Vendor Application . Provides information and instructions specific to the vendor application.

• Selecting a Dispatch Center
  Provides instructions for selecting a Dispatch Center (DC), which is needed when responding to solicitations.

Training Tools