Backup authorized officials (BAOs) and end users (EUs) are able to use the disassociate feature in IACS to remove themselves. Authorized officials (AOs) may also use this feature, but only if they are the only member of their organization that is registered in IACS. This means there is not a BAO or an EU associated to that AO’s organization(s). No user (AO, BAO or EU) may remove another user.

To view instructions on how to disassociate a user from an organization, please refer to the IACS Reference Guide available on this website.

You may submit separate bids as a member of a network and as an individual supplier in the following scenarios:

          -   You are bidding on different product categories within the same competitive bidding area (CBA);

          -   You are bidding on the same product category in a different CBA; or

          -   You are bidding on a different product category in a different CBA.

If you are planning to submit a bid as an individual supplier outside of the network and you are the primary network member for the network, you will register in IACS once as the authorized official with a Provider Transaction Access Number (PTAN) for the network bid and add or associate another PTAN for your individual bid. You will need to use the “Creating an Organization” feature in IACS to add a PTAN as an individual supplier.

If you were not the primary network member who registered the network (your PTAN was NOT used for the network’s registration), you will need to register as an individual supplier in IACS to submit a bid.

For more information on registering in IACS or adding a PTAN (creating an organization) in IACS, please view the IACS Reference Guide.

-   Choose one (1) authorized official (AO) listed on the CMS-855S enrollment form to act as your AO for registration purposes. Your company may have multiple individuals listed as the AO on the CMS-855S enrollment form on file in Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System (PECOS) as well as with the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC). However, for IACS registration purposes, you may only have one AO register for the Competitive Bidding Program. The other AOs included on the CMS-855S enrollment form may act as backup authorized officials (BAOs). Backup authorized officials have many of the same registration and bidding capabilities as an authorized official.

-   You may view your enrollment information on the Medicare PECOS application if you have registered with External User Services or EUS. For more information about registering with EUS to view your PECOS information, please refer to the EUS website at www.eushelpdesk.com or you may contact EUS at 866-523-4759.

-   Ensure that your enrollment information on file with the NSC and in PECOS is current and correct. The last names and Social Security numbers of AOs and BAOs must match that on file in PECOS in order to complete registration.

-   Suppliers should also verify that the AO’s and BAO’s name on file with the NSC, as listed in PECOS matches their legal name on their Social Security card. The end users’ (EU) last name, and Social Security number will be validated with the Social Security Administration files.

-   Visit the NSC’s website at www.palmettogba.com/nsc to review information about updating your enrollment information. Please keep in mind that the NSC has up to 45 days to update your file. You may find change-of-information assistance and forms on the NSC’s website or you may contact the NSC at 1-866-238-9652. Read the IACS Reference Guide prior to accessing IACS.

-   Determine which Provider Transaction Access Number (PTAN) will be used for registration. In most cases, you should only register one time with one PTAN. You may register with any active PTAN that has been assigned to your organization; however, there are two occasions when you need to add (associate) another PTAN to your organization. If a supplier has more than one location and one or more locations furnish a different product category that does not compete against another, such as pharmacy and DME, the authorized official (AO) would register one NSC number to represent one product category and add (associate) another PTAN to that organization. Also, if you are the primary network bidder and you are also bidding as an individual in another competitive bidding area/product category competition, you would register once with a PTAN for the network bid and then add (associate) another PTAN to the organization for your individual bid. For more information, please review the IACS Reference Guide.

-   Make sure that the e-mail address you enter in IACS is correct and is working. This is very important because you will be sent e-mails containing critical information during your registration process.

-   Prepare your computer! To optimize your access to the various screens in IACS, please ensure that the following criteria are met:

           -   Screen Resolution: These screens are designed to be viewed at a minimum screen resolution
               of 800 x 600.

          -   Internet Browser: Use Internet Explorer, version 6.0 or higher.

          -   Plugins: Verify that the latest version of JAVA and/or ActiveX is installed on your PC.

          -   Pop-up Blockers: Disable pop-up blockers prior to attempting to access the CMS Applications 
              Portal.

No. Only one authorized official (AO) should register one time for his or her organization consisting of commonly owned or controlled companies, including parent-subsidiaries. The AO may register using any active Provider Transaction Access Number (PTAN) assigned to any of the commonly owned locations. The other commonly owned locations will be added on Form A in DBidS by the bidder. If a commonly owned or controlled supplier organization is awarded a contract, all eligible locations listed on Form A will be considered contract suppliers for the awarded CBA/product category competition(s).

If a company with multiple locations that are commonly owned or commonly controlled submits multiple bids for the same product category in the same CBA, the bids will be rejected because the program rules do not allow commonly owned or commonly controlled supplier organizations to bid against themselves.

For more information, please view the Common Ownership and Control fact sheet.

The final rule defines common ownership as two or more suppliers with one or more having an ownership interest totaling at least 5 percent in the other. "Ownership interest" is defined as "the possession of equity in the capital, the stock or the profits of another supplier." 

Commonly controlled means that an owner of one supplier organization is also an officer, director or partner in another supplier organization.

For more information, please view the Common Ownership or Control fact sheet.

IACS assigns a "user role" to individuals who will be performing specific functions during the bidding process. There are three types of assigned user roles in IACS:

Authorized Official (AO) – Each supplier's bidding organization will be allowed only one AO for registration purposes. The AO’s role is instrumental in bidding. The AO’s role must be active to avoid all other users for the organization from losing access to the DMEPOS bidding system, DBidS. The AO’s role is to:

   -   Register a company or bidding organization. The AO is the only individual that can register the 
       company or organization in IACS;
   -   Update the organization’s information. The AO is the only individual that can modify an 
       organization’s profile information in IACS;
   -   Approve or reject backup authorized official (BAO) and end user (EU) access to the organization;
   -   Enter and view bid data; and
   -   Approve Form A and certify Form B in DBidS. This function can also be performed by the BAO.

NOTE: For registration purposes, there can be only ONE AO for a bidding organization. However, there may be multiple AOs listed on the CMS-855S enrollment form with the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC). The other AOs on the CMS-855S form may register as BAOs. However, it is important to note that the AO is accountable and responsible for the actions of those he or she approves into the organization to view or submit bid data.

Backup Authorized Official (BAO) - Each supplier organization may designate one or more BAOs. A BAO has many of the same capabilities as the AO.

   -   A BAO must also be listed as an AO on the CMS-855S enrollment form.
   -   While there can only be ONE AO, there can be more than one BAO for an organization.
   -   A BAO can associate with more than one company or organization as long as that organization has
       the same AO. This situation would rarely occur and ONLY occur if the supplier (AO) registered
       with more than one PTAN, each representing a different location that furnishes non-competing
       product lines (such as pharmacy and DME). For example, Apex DME Company has three (3) AOs
       listed on their CMS-855S enrollment application – John, Mary, and Sally. Mary is selected to be the
       designated AO for IACS registration. So, John and Sally become the BAOs. Mary is also the AO
       listed with on the enrollment form and in IACS for Apex Pharmacy Company. So, John and Sally
       may also be the BAO for Apex Pharmacy. This will allow John and Sally to view, modify and enter
       bid data for both Apex DME and Apex Pharmacy.
   -   A BAO has the authority to approve or reject an end user’s request to be included on the 
       company’s registration profile and access the organization’s bid to enter and view data.
   -   A BAO can enter bid data.
   -   A BAO can approve Form A and certify Form B in DBidS.

Including at least one BAO in IACS is highly recommended to avoid any disruption in the bidding process. The AO's role is instrumental to bidding. The AO's role must be active to avoid all other users of the organization from losing access to DBidS. If the AO leaves the organization or is otherwise unavailable, it’s important to have a BAO who can be promoted to an AO role. If you have only one AO listed on your enrollment form, then we encourage you to add another. However, it’s important to remember that the individual must meet certain qualifications to be added as an AO or BAO. You can find the qualifications on the NSC’s website or you can call the NSC for specific information.

End User (EU) - Each supplier organization may have one or more EUs. The EU has limited capabilities.

   -   An EU is NOT required to be listed on the CMS-855S enrollment form.
   -   An EU may be someone who is not an AO or a BAO but one whom the company trusts to conduct
       company business and enter bid information once the bid window opens.
   -   Like a BAO, an EU is able to associate to one or more companies or organizations that have the
       same AO. This situation would rarely occur and ONLY occur if the supplier (AO) registered with
       more than one PTAN, each representing a different location that furnishes non-competing product
       lines (such as pharmacy and DME).
   -   An EU cannot approve Form A or certify Form B. This function must be done by the AO or a BAO.
   -   There may be multiple EUs but only one EU may be in the DBidS system entering data on the same
       form (Form A or Form B) at the same time. If there are multiple Form Bs (one for each product
       category and CBA), then there may be one EU entering data on each Form B at the same time.