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Contact Account Creation Process in ePM

What is an ePM External Contact? Who Will Use This?

Examples of external users include (but are not limited to):

Admin Office of the Courts

U.S. Customs and Border Protections

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Department of Justice (DOJ)

Army Corps of Engineers

Employees of private companies

External users access the platform from outside the firewall via the

following URL:

https://epm.pbs.gsa.gov/Proliance/

All external users must sign a copy of the ePM Rules of Behaviorbefore they can logon to the system. The ePM Rules of Behavior isattached to the ePM License Form.

√ General Contractor

√ Construction Manager

√ Architect/Engineer

√ Project Manager

√ GSA Executive

√ GSA Contracting Officer

√ Owner Representative

Background Information & Waiver Process

Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), “Policy for a Common Identification Standard forFederal Employees and Contractors,” requires that Federal Employees and Contractors with routine accessto Federal facilities acquire personal identity credentials in accordance with a defined standard. Tenants ofFederal facilities that are neither Federal Employees nor Contractor personnel will not be issued a PIV cardunless they undergo the background investigation defined in FIPS 201 section 2. The minimum requirementfor a PIV card is the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) National Agency Check with Written Inquiries(NACI).

Prior to obtaining access to ePM, both Internal and External users must have their fingerprints submitted via

the HSPD-12 background investigation process. If the initial fingerprint submission is favorable, both Internal

and External users are allowed to access ePM functions.

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There is a defined process for creating new accounts and a separate process for assigning project

access privileges once an account has been created. Before an account is created, users have to fill

out an ePM User Account Request Form. The ePM User Account Request Form is a separate

attachment with this QRG. The account and license provisioning process follows:

1. User fills out User Account Request Form (found in tag along attachments or through the ePM

Regional System Administrator)

2. Regional Approving Authority reviews form and checks for completeness and accuracy

3. Regional Approving Authority approves/rejects the ePM License Form

4. Regional Approving Authority then requests that a user account be created by emailing the signed,

scanned User Account Request Form or the scanned User Account Request Form with a note

granting their approval for licensing the user.

5. The ePM Regional Administrator verifies that user is in the GCMIS system with a valid HSPD-12

clearance. Full access to ePM is granted to the user if green checks are listed in the following two

areas: Investigation Final Determination and Full IT Access Eligible as illustrated in Figure 4-3.

Figure 4-3. Example of a Completed Favorable Clearance in GCMIS

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If a user has Initial IT Access only, they are eligible to request a waiver for gaining access to ePM. GCMISneeds to indicate a green check in the Initial IT Access Eligible category to be granted access as illustratedin Figure 4-4.

Waivers for GSA applications will be issued under very limited circumstances. The acceptance is providedwith the assurance the user(s) listed below has/ have a favorable fingerprint check and has/ havesuccessfully submitted the appropriate paperwork to initiate at minimum a NACI background investigation.The waiver expires one year from issuance. If a NACI background has not been obtained by the user,system access will be revoked. Additionally the appropriate security controls are in place to ensure that useraccess is limited to ePM and the specific functions and SBU drawings (non-classified) within ePM to performtheir duties. Access to ePM will be removed immediately following standard GSA procedures based onunfavorable results from background investigation or upon completion of this effort. During this period theusers will be required to abide by GSA policies and procedures as stated in the Rules of Behavior andacknowledged by the user. Any deviations from the noted conditions will result in immediate termination ofaccess to ePM. The ePM Waiver Form can be found with the attachments to this guide.

Figure 4-4. GCMIS View for Users with Waivers

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6. The ePM Regional System Administrator verifies the user has an Initial IT Access Eligible status inGCIMS.

7. The ePM Regional System Administrator enters the user’s information as a contact in ePM. Underthe Licensing Details section, please enter the word waiver in the field titled Nonstandard Licensing(RSA). If there are any special circumstances related to the user’s licensing request, please enterthose comments in the field titled Comments (ALL)

8. The ePM Regional System Administrator submits a waiver request email to the RPAM GovernmentePM Project Manager and Program Manager (Marie Johnston and Edna Reynolds respectively).Contact information is listed at the end of these instructions.

The email should contain the following elements:i. The email comment line should read: ACTION REQ: ePM Waiver Requestii. The full LEGAL name of the user as it appears in GCIMS. If the user does not have

a middle name, please use NMN (No Middle Name) as the initials.iii. A screen shot of the GCIMS screen if possible

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The ePM Regional System Administrator should track the waiver requests they forward forprocessing.

Please remember, nick-names will not be listed in GCIMS and all names must be spelledcorrectly

9. The Government Project Manager (Marie Johnston) will forward the waiver request to the RPAMePM Project Manager support (Bill Shah) for GCIMS clearance status validation.

10. If the user’s clearance status is valid in GCIMS, the RPAM ePM Project Management Mangersupport (Bill Shah) will add the user’s name to a master Waiver Request Form including all requestsmade for the day. The RPAM ePM Project Management Manger support (Bill Shah) will forward onewaiver request per day in the late afternoon to the Government ePM Project Manager (MarieJohnston).

If the user’s request is not valid in GCIMS, RPAM ePM Project Management Manger support(Bill Shah) will send a note to the ePM Regional System Administrator explaining why theuser has been rejected for a Waiver Request. He will also note the reason in the user’sContact Document in the Licensing Detail section under the Documentation Issues (CIO):area.

11. One completed Waiver Request Form will be forwarded to the Information Systems SecurityManager (Adam Schrager) each day.

12. The Information Systems Security Manager (Adam Schrager) will forward the Waiver Request Formto the CIO Administrative Support staff (Eric Tomlinson), for printing and the CIO (Diane Herdt)signature.

13. The CIO Administrative Support staff (Eric Tomlinson) will scan the signed waiver and email it to theGovernment ePM Project Manager (Marie Johnston).

14. The Government ePM Project Manager (Marie Johnston) will forward the signed Waiver RequestForm to the ePM CIO System Administrators for licensing.

15. The CIO System Administrators will attach the signed Waiver Request Form to the user’s ContactDocument under the Attachments Tab and proceed with the licensing review.

Note: RPAM ePM Project Management Manger support (Bill Shah) will maintain a Waiver Tracking log thatcaptures the dates each of these steps through licensing takes place. This will make it easier to identifyusers who have issues or are moving slowly through the process.

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Key Contacts:

Johnston, Marie E.IT Specialist

marie.johnston@gsa.gov

Phone: (202) 501-8342Cell: (202) 460-2657

Systems DevelopmentDivision(PGAB)1800 F Street NWRoom: 5211WASHINGTON,DC 20405-0002

Reynolds, Edna D.Supervisory IT Management

Specialistedna.reynolds@gsa.gov

Phone: (202) 501-4423Cell: (202) 460-3690

Systems DevelopmentDivision(PGAB)1800 F Street NWRoom: 5211WASHINGTON,DC 20405-0001

Shah, BillSr. Project Managerbill.shah@gsa.gov

Phone: (202) 208-6028

Public Buildings Service(WP)1800 F STREET NWRoom: 5211WASHINGTON,DC 20405-0001

Tomlinson, Eric B.Contractor

eric.tomlinson@gsa.govPhone: (202) 501-9100

Public Buildings Service(WP)1800 F Street, NWRoom: 4340Washington, DC 20405

16. If the User is not in GCIMS but has a clearance letter of adjudication, the ePM Regional SystemAdministrator will obtain this letter and send it to the HSPD 12 inbox for verification(HSPD12.security@gsa.gov). After two business days the RSA should check GCIMS verifying thatthe user has been entered into that system.

17. If the User is not in GCIMS but works for another Federal Agency that is maintaining their clearance,please follow these directions.

These instructions give the steps for Non-GSA employees to certify or pass their securityclearances & background investigation from their agency Security Office to GSA PersonnelSecurity Division.Certification is required when Non-GSA employees need to establish suitability to accessGSA facilities and systems.

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Step 1: On the visitor’s agency letterhead the solicitor must include the following information foreach individual for which certification is requested:

1. Full Name

2. Full SSN

3. Date of Birth

4. Place of Birth

5. Background Investigation Type

6. Date Background Investigation Completed

7. Investigative Agency

8. If the individual currently holds a security clearance, include the followinginformation:

a. Security clearance level heldb. Date Grantedc. Name of Granting Agency

9. Security Officer Signature

10. GSA Point of Contact/Phone Number

Step 2: Fax directly from the agency Security Office to (202) 219-0572GSAPersonnel Security Division1800 F Street, NW, Rm. G230Washington, DC 20405(202) 208-4296gsa.securityoffice@gsa.gov

Step 3: A visit request will only be granted for the length of the visit/detail not to exceed one year.

Step 4: The RSA will attach a copy of the approved visit request with any PII redacted to the usersContact Document under the Attachments Tab.

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18. The ePM Regional Systems Administrator adds the user to Contacts in ePM

Log into ePM, and navigate to the Organization workspace. ePM System Administrators

will have the ability to access the Address Book at the Organization level in ePM.

The Address Book has four sections: Contacts, Vendor/Customer Companies, GSA and

Staff.

Click on the ‘Contacts’ section to view the list of contacts in ePM. Notice that there is a ‘New’

button on the toolbar.

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Click on ‘New’ to open the create new contact dialog box and follow these steps:

i. Do not enter anything into Display Name. This field is auto populated with the firstand last name upon saving the document.

ii. Enter the contact’s first name, middle initial and last name. If there is no middle initialprovided retrieve one from the contact. This information is critical for assuring thecorrect GCIMS clearance files are pulled. If the user does not have a middle name,enter NMN.

iii. The Licensing workflow cannot be executed without a title entered for each contact.Choose the best match based on the information provided in the role descriptionsection of the External Account Request form. If a role cannot be identified use‘Project Team Member’ from the pick list via the magnifying glass icon to the right ofthe field.

iv. For the company field choose the company the contact is employed by from thepick list.

v. Enter the UPN from GCIMS in the GCIMS # field in the Contact Document.

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19. Under Licensing Details the RSA and CIO can enter details about the contact. These fieldsare searchable in the register view and will enable the RSA & CIO to maintain an effectiveUser Access workflow tracking system. Please follow the instructions on the next page forentering information into these fields.

New Licensing Details Fields

ALL: Both the CIO and the ePM Regional System Administrators can enter comments in this field

RSA: These fields are intended for the ePM Regional System Administrator to complete

CIO: These fields are intended for the CIO System Administrators to complete

Comments (All): This text field is open for both CIO and ePM Regional System Administrators to enter anyadditional comments about the licensing status of the user

Nonstandard Licensing (RSA): This area is to capture information about users who do not have a Full ITAccess Eligible status in GCIMS. Please enter one of the following terms to indicate which clearancevalidation process the user is in.

Waiver Adjudication Letter Other Agency Employees Contact Only

Waiver: Indicates this user has an Initial IT Access Eligible status in GCIMS and that the ePM RegionalSystem Administrator has requested a Waiver be signed to give the user access to ePM until their fullclearance is in place.

Adjudication Letter: Indicates the user provided an adjudication letter to confirm their clearance status.These letters are sent to the HSPD12.security@gsa.gov mailbox for review and entry into GCIMS. It wouldbe a best practice to note the date the letter was forwarded to the HSPD12 mailbox in the Comment (ALL):field.

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Other Agency Employee: Indicates this user is an employee of another Federal Agency or Court. Theirclearance will be validated by a GSA Security Officer who will contact the user’s agency for clearance status.

Contact Only: Filled in when a license is not required and the contact will only be used as reference in aproject but will never actually need to login. This will eliminate administrators from following up or checkingon the status of someone who does not to be licensed.

Primary Region (RSA): Indicates the GSA region this user is associated with. More than one region can belisted if the contact is needed for more than one region. The format for entering the region is R1, R2, forexample. When filtering on this field be sure to use the Condition ‘must contain’ rather than ‘is’.

Training Dates (RSA): Indicates the date the user will be going to training. This date will be used to prioritizelicensing requests. Please use the following format MM/DD/YY (01/01/10). If the user is part of a live projectand it is urgent to license them, please enter “Live Project” in this field.

Documentation Issues (CIO): This field indicates what needs to be added or corrected so that the user maybe licensed. Please use the number followed by the description. We would like to pull reports and sort thembased in the types of issues found in the contact files. Including the number with the term will facilitatesorting. Please add any additional information necessary in the

Comment (ALL): field.

1. Unsigned Form(s)2. Missing Form(s)3. No Approval4. Form Incorrect5. Legal Name Not in GCIMS6. Contact Name and Form Do Not Match7. Clearance Information Not in GCIMS8. No Documentation Attached9. Other: (type in short note)

Waiver Date (CIO): Indicates the date the waiver was signed.

20. Once done with entering the phone numbers and the e-mail address for the contact save thedocument. The next step is to attach all the user forms to the new Contact document.

Click on the Attachments tab

Click Add Line under Attached Files and Links

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Follow the steps to attach all of the necessary documents before submitting to the CIOSystem Administrators for approval. Document types include the User Access Requestform and the Account Request form; if a user has a signed waiver (used for contactswith Initial IT Access Eligible statuses in GCIMS) attach it here. To help the CIO withthe account creation process an interim clearance letter can also be attached here, butbe sure to black out any PII such as the users SSN. The Visit Request approval e-mailshould be attached here also.

Save the document

21. The ePM Regional Administrators change the document state to pending activation. The CIOSystem Administrators then work from the Pending list to activate users.

Click Workflow on the contact dialog box toolbar and select Submit for Activation

There is no need to enter any additional information in the Execute Workflow Dialog box

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Execute the workflow to move the contact to Pending

22. ePM National System Administrator assigns license, creates account, assigns password, and makes

notifications

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ePM license Request Matrix