GAM Acquisition Central Quick Start Guide

Get started with GAM Acquisition Central

New to GAM Acquisition Central? Want to quickly get up and running so you can start prioritizing your work, managing vendor data, configuring documentation requirements, and controlling user access from one place? Then you've come to the right place.

This quick start guide walks you through the most common views and actions across the Acquisition Central site. After reviewing this guide, you'll understand how to:

• Navigate the GAM Acquisition Central
• Manage your vendor data
• Manage vendor groups
• Manage user access with UAM
• Synchronization processes

User requirements

Before you begin using GAM Acquisition Central, be sure you have access to the appropriate user groups for viewing and editing the procurements you manage. For Required Documents configuration, you need membership in the GSM Administrator group. For User Access Management features, you need UAM administrator permissions to create and manage roles, permission sets, and user records. See the Groups Reference Page for more information about group types and visibility.

Navigate the GAM Acquisition Central

The GAM Acquisition Central site comprises multiple pages accessible from the main navigation.

When you sign in, the Home page displays as the primary entry point. The navigation provides access to:

• Vendor Directory: Manage vendor records, import data from SAM.gov, and organize vendors into logical groups.
• Required Documents: Configure contract file documentation requirements (for policy administrators).
• User Access: Manage roles, permissions, and user access (for UAM administrators).

Manage your vendor data

When you navigate to the Vendors page from the site navigation, you can view, search, create, and manage your vendor records. You can also import vendor data from SAM.gov.

View and search the vendors list

The All Vendors list provides a quick view of all your registered vendors, and specific details about each, including:

• Vendor name
• Assigned vendor groups
• SBA certifications
• Exclusions
• Vendor availability (System Status)
• SAM.gov vendor status
• SAM.gov vendor expiration date

Additionally, you can search the All Vendors list to return specific vendors that match specific criteria.

To search for a specific vendor record:

1. In the Search bar, enter the vendor name, Unique Entity ID (UEI), or keyword.
2. Use the dropdown filters to refine your search:
   • System Status: Filters by Active or Inactive vendors.
   • SAM.gov Status: Filters by Active, Inactive, or Not in SAM.gov.
   • Vendor Groups: Filters by one or more associated vendor groups.
   • SBA Certifications: Filters by the specific Small Business Administration (SBA) certifications.
   • Has Exclusions: Filters the vendors list to display those with or without active exclusions.

   • SAM.gov Expiration Date: Uses the date range selector to find vendors whose SAM.gov registration expires within a specific period.

     

View vendor details

After you locate a vendor record that matches your search and filter criteria, you can drill down into a specific record to view detailed information about the vendor by clicking the vendor name you wish to view.

This action opens the Vendor record, which is organized into several tabs:

• Summary: Provides an overview of the vendor's basic information, system status, SAM.gov status, assigned vendor groups, and key business information.

• Classifications: Displays the vendor's service classifications (Business Types, SBA Certifications, NAICS Codes, PSC Codes) and disaster relief information (Disaster Response Registry, Bonding Required to Bid, Geographical Areas Serviced).

  

• Exclusions: This view lists any government-imposed exclusions, including details like Excluding Agency, Classification Type, and Exclusion Program.

  

• Additional Info: Provides details about proceedings and responsibility information, including answers to specific proceedings questions.

  

• History: Provides a comprehensive audit trail of all changes made to the vendor record, including the change, who made it, and when.

  

After drilling down into a specific vendor record, you can perform additional actions like updating the record, syncing the vendor record with data in SAM.gov, and deactivating the vendor record.

Generate a vendor summary report

GAM Acquisition Central integrates with ProcureSight Enterprise to generate vendor summary reports that consolidate key SAM.gov data into a single document. The vendor summary report includes entity general information, business information, and a vendor quick check that surfaces registration status, exclusions, certifications, and proceedings data.

To generate a vendor summary report:

1. From the All Vendors list, click the vendor name to open the vendor record.
2. In the Summary tab, locate the Vendor Report section.
3. Click Refresh to generate an updated report.

Once the report is generated, GAM Acquisition Central displays the vendor summary report with the following sections:

• Entity General Information: Entity name, UEI, CAGE code, and URL.
• Business Information: Company physical address, congressional district, state and country of incorporation.
• Vendor Quick Check: Compliance indicators for SAM registration status, exclusions, responsibility/qualification records, debt subject to offset, proceedings, covered telecommunications, and inverted domestic corporation status.

Create a new vendor

You can create new vendor records either by importing data from SAM.gov or by manually entering the vendor's information.

To create a new vendor:

1. From the Vendors page, click + CREATE VENDOR to open the wizard.

   

2. In the Details tab, complete the required fields and any additional fields that are relevant to the new vendor.

   

3. Click NEXT.

4. In the Business Information tab, complete any fields that are relevant to the new vendor.

   

5. Click NEXT.

6. In the Financial Information tab, complete any fields that are relevant to the new vendor.

   

7. Click NEXT.

8. In the Points of Contact tab, add information for any points of contact associated with the new vendor.

   

9. Click UPDATE.

Once created, GAM Acquisition Central will provide a confirmation that the new vendor is created and a link to the vendor record.

Import vendors from SAM.gov

Alternatively, you can create new vendor records by clicking IMPORT to import existing vendor data from SAM.gov.

To import existing vendors:

1. From the Vendors page, click the IMPORT to open the Import Vendor from SAM.gov dialog.

2. In the Search Vendors field, enter the vendor's UEI or CAGE code and click SEARCH.

   • Details will populate for any vendors that match your search criteria. If the vendor already exists in your system or is out of date, the GAM Acquisition Central will inform you.
3. Click IMPORT to import the vendor data into the GAM Acquisition Central.

Update and sync vendor data

You can update a vendor's information or sync it with SAM.gov directly from the vendor's record.

1. Drill down into the record for the vendor you want to update or perform a data sync for.
   1. Click UPDATE to manually edit any of the vendor's details.
   2. Click SYNC FROM SAM.GOV to pull the latest information directly from SAM.gov and update the record.

A confirmation dialog will indicate success or if no new data was returned.

Deactivate a vendor record

To make a vendor unavailable for new procurements without deleting their record, you can deactivate their record in the GAM Acquisition Central.

To deactivate a vendor:

1. From the All Vendors list, click the vertical ellipses menu associated with the vendor you want to deactivate.

2. Select DEACTIVATE.

   

A confirmation dialog will appear, explaining the impact of deactivating the vendor. Click DEACTIVATE to confirm.

Manage vendor groups

The Vendor Groups page allows you to view, create, and organize your vendors for easier identification, updating, creation, and management.

View and search vendor groups

The All Vendor Groups list provides a quick view of all your existing vendor groups, and specific details about each, including:

• Group name
• Description

• Last updated timestamp

  

You can perform a keyword search to return vendor groups from the list that match your keyword.

Update a vendor group

After you locate a specific vendor, you can drill down into the group to view additional details. Additionally, you can update the vendor group from the group's Summary page. Simply click UPDATE VENDOR GROUP, make your changes in the dialog, and click UPDATE.

Create a new group

From the Vendor Groups page, you can also create new vendor groups by clicking + CREATE, entering the group name and description, then click CREATE.

Manage user access with UAM

User Access Management (UAM) in GAM Acquisition Central provides business administrators with intuitive tools to manage user permissions, roles, and security without requiring technical expertise or system administrator intervention.

Navigate to User Access Management

To access User Access Management in GAM Acquisition Central:

1. From the navigation menu, expand User Access.
2. Select from the available pages: Users, Roles, Permission Sets, or Permissions.

View and manage roles

The Roles list provides a comprehensive view of all roles configured in your organization, including:

• Role name.
• Description.
• Number of assigned users.
• Number of associated permission sets.

You can search and filter the roles list to find specific roles:

1. Use the Search Roles bar to find roles by name.
2. Click the filter icon to apply additional filters.

Create a new role

To create a new role:

1. From the Roles page, click + CREATE ROLE to open the role creation wizard.
2. In the Overview tab:
   • Enter the Name (required).
   • Enter a Description that explains the role's purpose and responsibilities.
   • In the Child Roles section, select any roles that should be children of this role. Permission sets from child roles are automatically inherited by the parent role.

   

3. Click NEXT.
4. In the Permission Sets tab:
   • Select one or more permission sets from the Available Permission Sets list.
   • Selected permission sets appear in the Selected Permission Sets list. Items tagged "From Child" are inherited from child roles and cannot be removed directly.

   

5. Click NEXT.
6. In the Users tab:
   • Select one or more users to assign to this role.
7. Click CREATE.

Once created, UAM automatically generates the corresponding Appian Groups and applies the necessary permissions. Users assigned to this role will immediately receive the configured access.

Update an existing role

To modify an existing role:

1. From the Roles list, click the role name to open the role details page.
2. Click UPDATE ROLE to open the edit dialog.
3. Make your changes across the Overview, Permission Sets, and Users tabs.
4. Click UPDATE.

All users currently assigned to this role will automatically receive the updated permissions. The change is recorded in the audit trail with details about what was modified, who made the change, and when.

Manage permission sets

Permission sets group granular permissions into reusable sets that align with real-world job responsibilities.

To view and manage permission sets:

• From the User Access navigation, click Permission Sets.

The Permission Sets list displays all configured permission sets with:

• Permission set name.
• Description.
• Number of associated roles.
• Number of associated permissions.

To create a new permission set:

1. Click + CREATE PERMISSION SET to open the permission set creation wizard.
2. In the Overview tab:
   • Enter the Name (required).
   • Enter a Description.

   

3. Click NEXT.
4. In the Permissions tab:
   • Select one or more permissions from the Available Permissions list.
   • Selected permissions appear in the Selected Permissions list.

   

5. Click NEXT.
6. In the Roles tab:
   • Select one or more roles from the Available Roles list to associate with this permission set.
   • Selected roles appear in the Selected Roles list with their user count.

   

7. Click CREATE.

To update a permission set:

1. Click the permission set name to open its details.
2. Click UPDATE PERMISSION SET.
3. Modify the name, description, permissions, or role associations across the wizard tabs as needed.
4. Click UPDATE.

Manage UAM user records

UAM user records store business-critical metadata about users, including Warrant Levels and other custom attributes.

To view UAM user records:

• From the User Access navigation, click Users.

The Users list displays all user records with:

• Username
• Full name
• Assigned roles
• Warrant Level
• Active/Inactive status
• Last login timestamp

To create a new UAM user record:

1. Click + CREATE USER.

2. Enter the user's information:

   Required fields:

   • Name (required).
   • Status (defaults to Active).
   • Username (required, must match Appian username, validated for uniqueness).
   • Email (required).

   Optional fields:

   • Location.
   • Title.
   • Phone (maps to Office Phone on Appian User record).
   • Warrant Level (lookup list, used by CW for contract approval authority).
   • Warrant Issue Date (required if Warrant Level is set, cannot be in the future).
   • Warrant Expiration Date (cannot be before Issue Date).
   • Proxy (user lookup, single select).
   • Manager (user lookup, single select).
   • Direct Reports (user lookup, multiselect).
3. In the Roles tab, select one or more roles to assign to this user.
4. Click CREATE.

The user will immediately receive access based on their assigned roles, including any inherited permissions from parent roles.

To update a UAM user record:

1. Click the username to open the user details page.
2. Click UPDATE USER.
3. Modify the user's information or role assignments.
4. Click UPDATE.

View access change history

UAM maintains a comprehensive audit trail of all access changes, providing full transparency for security governance and compliance.

To view the access change history:

• From the Summary tab, click History.

The audit trail displays all access changes with:

• Change type (role created, user assigned, permission modified, etc.)
• Affected user or role
• Who made the change
• When the change occurred
• Before and after values

You can filter the audit trail by:

• Date range
• Change type
• User or role affected
• Administrator who made the change

Configure role hierarchies

Role hierarchies enable parent-child relationships between roles, allowing parent roles to automatically inherit permission sets from their child roles.

To configure a role hierarchy:

1. Navigate to the role that should be the parent role.
2. Click UPDATE ROLE to open the edit dialog.
3. In the Overview tab, under Child Roles, select the roles that should be children of this role from the Available Roles list.
4. Click UPDATE.

The parent role now inherits all permission sets from its child roles. These inherited permission sets appear with a "From Child" tag in the Permission Sets tab and cannot be removed directly — they are managed through the child role relationship.

Synchronization processes

UAM includes an automated nightly synchronization process that keeps user and group data current. By default, this process runs at 2:00 AM and performs the following:

• Pulls new groups from the Appian platform, ensuring UAM reflects recent changes.
• Pulls new users and updates existing user metadata to maintain data consistency.

These automated processes run in the background and require no manual intervention.

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