ORCA is not a whale! You may hear of ORCA in the next few weeks or months. Just what is this animal?
 

Beginning on January 1, 2005, the federal Acquisition Regulation will require the use of the Online Representations and Certification Application in Federal solicitations as part of the proposal submission process. The web site is http://orca.bpn.gov

ORCA was developed as part of the Business Partner Network and is a federal mandate. As a necessary pre-step to complying with ORCA, contractors are required to have an active registration in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and a Marketing Partner Identification Number prior to registering in ORCA. ORCA is pre-populated with information found in CCR and the remaining reps and certs information are collected in the form of a questionnaire. If you need to update your CCR registration or modify your MPIN number, directions on how to do this are located on http://www.ccr.gov/mpin.asp Keep in mind that it will take 24-48 hours for any updated information to migrate to the BPN.gov website. The MPIN is created by you in your CCR registration and acts as a password. The MPIN is the last data field in the “Points of Contact” section of the CCR registration.
 

If you have your DUNS number, are registered in CCR, and obtained your MPIN number, then you can proceed to register in ORCA.

Go to the Business Partner Network at http://orca.bpn.gov

Click on “Vendor” under “Online Representations and Certifications Applications” in the left margin of the home page

Type the DUNS number and MPIN into the appropriate fields

Click on “Login to ORCA”

Note: You can get HELP online by clicking “help” at the top of the page and then clicking on “ORCA Handbook”

Contractors must complete the on-line representations if they are preparing a bid. However, once established, the contractor should be sure to keep the information on the site current, accurate and complete.