Synchronized Predeployment and Operational Tracker (SPOT) System

Department of State SPOT Business Rules

Nov 2011

Department of State SPOT Business Rules
This guide provides information for DoS Company Administrators, Government Authorities
(CORs/GORs), Contracting/Grants Officers, and Contract Administrators.

SYNCHRONIZED PREDEPLOYMENT & OPERATIONAL TRACKER

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Table of Contents

Guide Purpose .................................................................................................................................. 3
What is SPOT? ................................................................................................................................. 3
DoS Hierarchy .................................................................................................................................. 3
Contracts and Grants: ....................................................................................................................... 3
DoS SPOT Business Rules .............................................................................................................. 4
How do I Register in SPOT? ............................................................................................................. 6
Account Maintenance ....................................................................................................................... 8
Account Usage ................................................................................................................................. 8
SPOT Training .................................................................................................................................. 8
Points of Contact .............................................................................................................................. 9
Appendix A: Information needed to enter individuals into SPOT before requesting an LOA ........... 10
Appendix B: Frequently Asked Questions ...................................................................................... 11
Appendix C: LOA Government Furnished Services ........................................................................ 14
Appendix D: Information for Contractors Working in Iraq ............................................................... 15
Appendix E: Sample LOA ............................................................................................................... 16

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Guide Purpose
The purpose of this guide is to give an overview of the SPOT system, explain the DoS hierarchy, define DoS-specific
business rules, get users registered to begin using SPOT, and provide DoS contact information for assistance. This guide
DOES NOT replace SPOT formal training.
SPOT Website:
https://spot.altess.army.mil
SPOT Resource Center:
http://www.resource.spot-es.net/

What is SPOT?
The Synchronized Predeployment and Operational Tracker (SPOT), is a single, joint enterprise system for the
management, tracking, and visibility of contractors and grantees being deployed overseas to combat zones (currently Iraq
and Afghanistan). The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2008 section 861 required military and civilian
agencies to report:1) total number of personnel employed on contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan; 2) total number of
personnel performing security functions under contract (PSC); 3) and total number of personnel who have been wounded
and killed. These are the data collection categories of information that Congress wants a USG firm or Federal
Assistance Organization (e.g. NGO, university) to track. This requirement included Locals and Third Party Nationals under
contract. SPOT became official in July 2008 when a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by senior
administrators of DoS, USAID, and DoD to use one system to collect information. In 2010, this legislation was updated to
include Grants and Cooperative Agreements.
SPOT is mandatory within DoS for all contractors/grantees (U.S. Citizens, Local Nationals, and Third Country
Nationals) working in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The other very important capability of SPOT is to produce the Letter of Authorization (LOA) for deployed personnel. The
LOA serves as an official government document authorizing a person to be deployed under a specified contract or
government mission. It also authorizes the contract personnel to use specific government furnished services (GFS).
Each LOA generated by SPOT features a unique identifier (barcode) and an authorized Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
signature of the contracting officer. Through integration with the Joint Asset Movement Management System (JAMMS) the
barcode can be scanned and used to track a person’s movements in theater, use of facilities and supplies. This tracking
helps with logistics planning in the field to support meals, transportation, and other services that are pre-negotiated in the
contract or grant.
DoS Hierarchy
The SPOT system requires a hierarchy. The DoS hierarchy is listed below:
Primary Supporting Organization = Department of State (DoS)

PM/Office = DoS AQM (All Contracts/Grants are associated with AQM)

Pdm/Branch = DoS Bureaus/Program Offices (i.e. DoS DS, DoS INL, etc.)

Contracts and Grants:
In order to track contractor’s use of services pre-negotiated in contracts, SPOT contains a Contracts module designed
specifically for contract data. However, the system is capable of handling grants. Grants will be entered in the same
manner as contracts. Any language referring to contracts in this guide also applies to grants. Roles within SPOT
are designed with contracts in mind. When grants personnel register in SPOT, they will choose the contract role that
aligns with the appropriate grants role. For example a Grants Officer (GO) will register as a Contracting Officer (CO).

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DoS SPOT Business Rules
Responsibilities:
All individuals will view the training videos (via the SPOT Resource Center) upon registering in SPOT. For more
training information individuals can contact the DoS internal SPOT Helpdesk at AQMOps@state.gov.
GORs/CORs must coordinate with Company Administrators to ensure they are familiar with this guide.
Information in this guide is extremely important to ensuring that Company Administrators request LOAs to the
correct bureaus.
Company Administrators must ensure that they set the deployment date, the in-theater arrival date, as well as the
re-deployment date for all individuals. Company Administrators are responsible for managing all personal data for
the life of the contract or grant.
The CO/CS or GO/CS must ensure that each contract, task order, or other purchasing document or Grant or
Assistance Instrument with performance in Iraq or Afghanistan is entered in SPOT.
Contracting Officers/Grants Officers must maintain all contract/grant data in SPOT (e.g. option years, description
of services, GOR/COR assigned). This may be delegated to a contract administrator or COR/GOR.
Subcontractors may have access as Company Administrators to enter their own personnel data. However, the
responsibility of accuracy and data management remains with the prime vendor.
Assistant CORs/GORs should be set up in each bureau as backups in case the primary COR/GOR is out of
office.
The CO/CORs/GORs/GO of each contract/grant are responsible for keeping the company administrators up to
date on SPOT updates and contract/grant updates.
The CO/CS must ensure that all contracts have the FAR clause in PIB no. 2008-15.
The GO/GS must ensure that all grants with performance in Iraq or Afghanistan have the Grants Policy Directive
Number 33. This directive can be found on the Office of the Procurement Executive website:
http://aope.a.state.gov/. To see Directive 33, click on “Grants Policy Directives” under References on the lefthand
side of the screen.
Data Validity and Accuracy:
Contracts/grants are entered into SPOT without dashes (i.e. “SAQMPD05D1098”, not “S-AQMPD-05-D-1098”).
Task Orders against a GSA Schedule number should use the Task Order in the Contract Number field.
The Government Services (which must be checked off by the CO/GO on the LOA) for each contract/grant are prenegotiated and identified in the contract/grant.
While Iraqi and Afghani Nationals do not usually require an LOA, they must be accounted for in SPOT as a
company employee with the “in-theater arrival date” set.
Only Federal Direct Hires may perform the roles of CO/GO and COR/GOR. To the maximum extent possible, a
Contract Administrator (i.e. Contract or Grant Specialist) should also be a direct hire.
Even though the system allows dual roles, DoS will limit these accounts to maintain the separation of duties of
authorizing an LOA (COR/GOR) and approving an LOA (CO/GO). If a dual role is needed as a GO and GOR, a
written request must be sent AQMOps@state.gov.
All LOAs under the Department of State hierarchy will be issued for a period of 1 year. This ensures the
Department has an accurate count of contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.
If an individual does not have a SSN or FIN, use the following instructions to enter him/her in SPOT: Iraqi citizens
are provided an ID number, therefore, the ID number, preceded by the country code (IZ) will be used as the FIN
for Iraqi citizens. For Afghani or other non-Iraqi citizens, use the first five letters of the last name + date of birth
(mm/dd/yyyy). For example: Faulk01031965.
All Third Country Nationals (TCNs) and Local Nationals working under a contract must be entered into SPOT,
even if they don’t need an LOA. The company administrator needs to set the deployment dates after the
individuals are entered so that proper counts can be pulled from the system. All Government SPOT account
requests should go through AQMOps.
When an individual requires a weapon, the COR/GOR should insert the following statement in the LOA comment
box when “authorizing” the LOA to inform the CO that the individual is authorized a weapon for his/her duties on
the contract. The statement will allow the CO to check the weapons box and keep it for record purposes.:
“The contract position/person set forth in this LOA action is authorized to carry/possess a weapon. The
referenced weapon authorization pertains exclusively to Government furnished weapons to be issued to
the contractor position in (name country) and authorizes possession of the weapon within the physical
confines of said country in accordance with the terms and conditions of the subject contract/task order.”
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Exemptions:
Public International Organizations (PIO) are exempt from SPOT.
Personal Services Contracts are exempt from SPOT.
Grantees:
Individuals working under Grants (including US Citizens, Third Country Nationals, and Local Nationals) can be
entered into SPOT via the aggregate count functionality if no government-provided services are needed. For
details on this process please email AQMOps@state.gov.

LOA Process:
***For a full explanation on the LOA process and the roles of each individual, please see the workbook under SPOT
training that aligns with your role. ***
1) Enter the Contract/Grant into SPOT.
The CO/GO or COR/GOR sends required information to AQMOps (aqmops@state.gov) to create the
Contract/Grant record in SPOT.
It is recommended to use AQMOps to create the contract record for data integrity in SPOT. If entering yourself,
ensure that:
All contracts/grants are aligned under the Primary Organization: DoS AQM which applies even if you have your
own Grants warrant.
Before entering a company name, be sure to first search for the name. Since SPOT has been in use by DoD,
many company names are already in the system.
Enter the Contract/Grant without dashes (i.e. SAQMMA070003).

2) The Company Administrator initiates the LOA request.
Company Administrators are responsible for entering all personal information for individuals requiring an LOA. After
creating the record, the Company Administrator creates the deployment and LOA request. (For detailed instructions
on requesting an LOA, please see the Contractor Company workbook.) Appendix A contains a spreadsheet that lists
the information needed to correctly enter an individual into SPOTwhich can help an individual to gather all required
information before logging into SPOT. For security purposes, SPOT has an automatic logout function after a period of
inactivity.
3) The Government Authority (COR/GOR) “authorizes” the LOA request.
Upon receiving the LOA request from the Company Administrator via email, the Government Authority reviews the
LOA request and ensure the individual is associated with the right contract/grant and the individual’s personal
information is completely entered. The Government Authority then “authorizes” the LOA, which sends it to the
Contracting Officer/Grants Officer.
4) The Contracting Officer/Grants Officer “approves” the LOA.
The Contracting/Grants Officer reviews the LOA and checks the correct checkboxes for Government Furnished
Services. The CO/GO then entesr “Bill Directly to Contract/Grant Company or Organization under “Fund Cite” and
enters the company/organization address. The Contracting Officer then digitally signs the LOA which officially
generates the LOA.

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How do I Register in SPOT?
1) Determine your SPOT Role
Prior to registering in SPOT, determine your role. SPOT terminology is different than DoS terminology (SPOT was
designed for a DoD environment). Familiarize yourself with each SPOT-designated role and your DOS role.
SPOT Role
Company Administrator
Government Authority
Contracting Officer
Contract Administrator

DoS Role
Contractor Company/Grantee Administrator
COR/GOR- Govt. Direct Hire
CO/GO- Govt. Direct Hire
Contract Specialist- Govt. Direct Hire

Company Administrator:
As employee of the contract/grant recipient, the Contractor Company/Grantee Administrator enters company
employee information into SPOT. Completes all appropriate fields and requests and submits the Letter Of
Authorization (LOA) to the Government Authority (COR/GOR) for authorization.
Government Authority:
The Contracting Officer Representative or Grants Officer Representative (COR/GOR) 1) requests
username/password accounts for Company Administrators, 2) enters the Contract/Grant in SPOT if the CO/GO
allows it and 3) reviews and authorizes LOA requests which then automatically forwards to the Contracting/Grants
Officer listed as the POC on the Contract/Grant.
Contracting Officer:
The Contracting Officer or Grants Officer enters the Contract/Grant in SPOT, reviews the LOA request, checks the
appropriate boxes for Government Furnished Services, adds any additional comments in the remarks field (which
prints on the LOA document), and digitally signs the LOA, thereby finalizing and producing the LOA.
Contract Administrator:
The Contract Specialist manages contract data in SPOT. This includes entering contracts and task orders in the
SPOT system and making any changes to existing contracts in SPOT when updates are required. The CO/GO may
designate a specialist for this role.
2) Obtain a PKI reader and certification.
All Government Authorities and Contracting Officers must have a PKI card and reader in order to register in SPOT.
These items are used to digitally sign LOAs and cannot be substituted. To get a PKI reader and certification set up,
AQM staff should coordinate with AQMOps. Individuals outside of AQM coordinate with your bureau GSO or Desktop
IT support to get the PKI reader and card.
3) Select your organization
In order for SPOT to be used effectively, individuals must select the correct role within the hierarchy. If a bureau or
office needs to be added to the chart below, please contact the SPOT Program Manager.
For COs/GOs or Contract Administrators: When registering as a Contracting Officer/Grants Officer or Contract
Administrator your SPOT Organization is: DoS AQM.
For Bureau COR or GOR: When enrolling as a Government Authority, your Organization is the DOS bureau or
Under Secretary level you support in the grid below (i.e., DoS DS; DoS INL).
Government Authority role (COR/COR).
To enroll in SPOT if you are in:

Enter, search for, and select or type and save

Diplomatic Security
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement
Near Eastern Affairs
Overseas Buildings Operations
New Embassy Compound (Baghdad)
Arms Control and International Affairs
Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

DoS DS
DoS INL
DoS NEA
DoS OBO
DoS Embassy Baghdad
DoS T
DoS DRL
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Government Authority role (COR/COR).
To enroll in SPOT if you are in:

Enter, search for, and select or type and save

Information Resource Management
Population, Refugees, and Migration
Educational and Cultural Affairs
International Organization Affairs
Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs
Bureau of African Affairs
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Bureau of European Affairs
Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan
Bureau of Reconstruction and Stabilization
Consular Affairs
South and Central Asian Affairs
Coordinator for Counter Terrorism

DoS IRM
DoS PRM
DoS ECA
DoS INT
DoS EB
DoS AF
DoS EAP
DoS EUR
DoS Embassy Kabul
DoS S
DoS CA
DoS SCA
DoS CT

4) Select a Sponsor
In AQM, use Jim Moore (moorejh1@state.gov, (703-875-5382) or Jen Bantel (banteljm@state.gov, (703-875-6671)
as a sponsor.
In a Bureau, the AQM Contracting Officer for your contract/grant can be your sponsor. If you are a Grants Officer
with your own warrant, your supervisor can be your sponsor. Once you are set up in SPOT, you can then sponsor
your GOR.
5) You are ready to Register!!!!!!!!!
You now have a role, organization, and sponsor. Open the SPOT website: https://spot.altess.army.mil . Go to the
blue hyperlink titled “New User? Register” and complete each screen to apply for a log on.
Once a registration request is made, SPOT will send an automated e-mail to the sponsor asking them for approval.
A sample e-mail from SPOT registration to the Sponsor is below:
Jane Brown,
Jack Doe has requested access to SPOT as a Contracting Officer for DoS AQM, and listed you as a
sponsor. In order to process this request, we require an e-mail from you. Please reply to this e-mail at your
earliest opportunity and indicate your approval or disapproval. If you approve this request, please state why
access is needed. Access cannot be granted until a reply is received. If authorization e-mail is not received
within 30 days, this request will be denied.
Please contact the SPOT Help Desk with any questions regarding this request.
Thank you,
SPOT Customer Management Center
Phone: (717) 458-0747
E-mail: SPOT.helpdesk@us.army.mil
Web chat: http://www.SPOThelpdesk.com
SPOT ES Resource Center: http://wwwresource.spet-es.net
Be sure to advise your sponsor to expect an automated confirmation request. The sponsor must respond to the
automated e-mail either confirming or denying the request. Once the sponsor e-mail has been received, your
SPOT account will be activated within 24 hours.
A confirmation e-mail will be sent to advise your role is active in SPOT. Here is a sample:
Jane Doe,
Your SPOT registration request for Contracting Officer access has been approved.
To access SPOT, please use the following link:
https://SPOT.altess.army.mil.. Now that your registration is complete, we encourage you to attend training.
The SPOT Training Team provides both instructor led sessions. Class schedules and training workbooks are
available within SPOT through the Training link on top right corner of the home page. Please contact the
SPOT Help Desk with any questions regarding your registration request:
Thank you,
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SPOT Customer Management Center
Phone: (717) 458-0747
E-mail: SPOT.helpdesk@us.army.mil
Web chat: http://www.SPOThelpdesk.com
SPOT ES Resource Center: http://wwwresource.spet-es.net

6) Log into SPOT!!
To login, click the link in the e-mail or enter https://spot.altess.army.mil in a web browser, select the "Login to SPOT
using my user name and password", enter your SPOT-generated user name and password. Immediately after logging
in, you will be asked to change your temporary password. SPOT allows password account holders to change their
passwords as needed and requires a password update every 120 days. The system will display a password expiration
date reminder on the home page view starting 30 days prior to the expiration date.

7) Mark SPOT as a Favorite or Desktop Icon:
To easily navigate to the SPOT website, be sure to save the website: https://spot.altess.army.mil to your favorites or
make it an icon on your desktop.

Account Maintenance
Company Administrator Registration
Contractor companies/Grantees who require access to SPOT as a company administrator may request a user name and
password account through a registered SPOT Government user (CO/GO or COR/GOR). The Company Administrator
must provide the CO/GO or COR/GOR the following information.
First name
Last name
Office phone
Primary e-mail
Alternate e-mail (an alternate E-mail is required and must be different than the primary E-mail)
Company (For companies requesting access as Company Administrators)
Government Organization (For Government organizations requesting a contractor be provided access as a
Government/Contract Administrator)
Sponsoring POC first name
Sponsoring POC last name
Sponsoring POC office phone
Sponsoring POC primary e-mail
The Sponsoring POC for a contractor registering as a Company Administrator is the unregistered user’s company
supervisor or Human Resources (HR) representative who can validate the unregistered user’s need to access SPOT.
The Government user will enter the provided information in SPOT. When the registration is complete, SPOT automatically
generates an e-mail to the unregistered user stating that a user name and password account has been requested. The
SPOT Customer Support Team will contact both the unregistered user and the sponsor requesting account justification.
The account will be activated once the sponsor provides justification. When the account is approved by the SPOT
Customer Support Team, an e-mail is automatically sent to the unregistered user providing a user name and password.
AQMOps can assist with registering a company administrator in SPOT. The Government user can send an email to
AQMOps@state.gov.
Account Usage
Once a user is registered in SPOT, the user must log into their SPOT account monthly regardless of whether they are
using the system. The system has a security feature which deactivates an account if it is not used regularly. If an
account is deactivated, the user will have to contact the registration desk to have the account reactivated.
SPOT Training
It is imperative that individuals participate in one of the following forms of training to ensure that SPOT is used correctly.
All SPOT training information can be found on the SPOT Resource site(http://www.resource.spot-es.net/). Included in this
link are SPOT quick guides (short guides that show users how to use a function in a new software release), multimedia
training videos, and SPOT training manuals with step-by-step instructions for all roles and tasks.

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.
Note: Always look at the home page once logged into SPOT. There are helpful FAQs posted as well as release notes for
system improvements located in the left side panel.
Webinar Training
This is virtual training. Users will register by following the instructions on the training site. Once registered, the SPOT
user will be able to log-in at the time of training and participate through a conference call and webinar (i.e. a presentation
will be available through the Internet and a trainer will present the presentation to the individuals on the conference call.)
***This training is only available to Company Administrators at this time. Firewalls prevent this training from being
conducted on DoS computers.***
Multimedia Training
These are pre-recorded videos consisting of recorded actions in the SPOT system. An audio track and captions guide
users through the tasks, informing the user how to use SPOT functions. To use the SPOT Multimedia Training videos,
right click on the desired title and choose the 'Save Target As...' or 'Save Link As...' function. Once downloaded, navigate
to the saved location to play the video.

Points of Contact
Contract Policy:
Jan Visintainer (703) 516-1693 or Visintainerjl@state.gov
Grants Policy:
Anita Exum: (703) 875-5119 or Exumae@state.gov
DoS SPOT Program Manager:
Jim Moore: (703) 875-5832 or moorejh1@state.gov
Department of State SPOT Support:
AQMOps@state.gov
AQMOps can assist with user registration, contract/grant entry and common problems/issues users encounter
with the SPOT database.
SPOT HelpDesk:
Phone: (717) 458-0747
E-mail: SPOT.helpdesk@us.army.mil
Web chat: http://www.SPOThelpdesk.com
SPOT ES Resource Center: http://www.resource.spot-es.net/
When contacting the helpdesk, please give as much detailed information as possible to ensure the helpdesk can
provide assistance as quickly as possible.
SPOT Training:
spot.training@us.army.mil
SPOT Registration:
Spot.registration@us.army.mil

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Appendix A: Information needed to enter individuals into SPOT before
requesting an LOA
It helps for Company Administrators to have this information ready before entering an individual in SPOT as the system
times out after a period of inactivity.
Name:
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Citizenship:
Passport Type:
Passport Number:
Passport Date of Issue:
Passport Date of Expiration:
Passport Place of Issue:
SSN:
Blood Type:
Contracting company:
Contracting number (starting with SAQM):
Dates of contract:
COR:
Contracting Officer:
Clearance level:
Clearance expiration date:
Company that is host of clearance:
USG Agency Granting/Issuing Clearance:
Projected Arrival Date:
Projected Departure Date:
Contact Numbers:
a. Home
b. Office
Home Address:
E-mail Address (PERSONAL):
Work Address:
E-mail Address (STATE):
Emergency Contact (NEXT OF KIN):
a. Name
b. Telephone
c. Relationship
d. Address
The Resource Center maintains tables for major SPOT tasks/activities showing which fields are required. Required fields
must be completed for SPOT to accept the information.
The SPOT ES Resource Center link is:
http://www.resource.spot-es.net/ViewCategory.aspx?MenuID=28&CategoryID=76

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Appendix B: Frequently Asked Questions
Company Administrators:
1. How do I add a person in SPOT?
From the SPOT home page, click “Add Person.” Adding a person in SPOT is accomplished by completing a sequence of
steps. Complete the required personal information for the individual. Click the “Passport” tab and complete the passport
information. Click the “Next of Kin” tab and complete the required information. Finally, click the “Clearance” tab and
complete the required information. Click “Save” or “Save and Exit.”
2. How do I request a SPOT LOA?
After the person has been entered in SPOT, click “Create New Deployment.” Next, check “Yes” under “Would you like to
request a Letter of Authorization (LOA) for this deployment?” and click “Continue.” Click the pencil icon for Primary
Supporting Organization. It is critical that you select the correct organization in order to ensure accurate processing and
counting in SPOT. Use the table below to assist you in selecting the appropriate organization. Do not select Department
of State as the supporting organization.
If your supporting organization is (the bureau where your
COR is located)…
Diplomatic Security
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement
Near Eastern Affairs
Overseas Buildings Operations
New Embassy Compound (Baghdad)
Arms Control and International Affairs
Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
Information Resource Management
Population, Refugees, and Migration
Educational and Cultural Affairs
International Organization Affairs
Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs
Bureau of African Affairs
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Bureau of European Affairs
Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan
Bureau of Reconstruction and Stabilization
South and Central Asian Affairs
Coordinator for Counter Terrorism

Enter, search for, and select :
DoS DS
DoS INL
DoS NEA
DoS OBO
DoS Embassy Baghdad
DoS T
DoS DRL
DoS IRM
DoS PRM
DoS ECA
DoS INT
DoS EB
DoS AF
DoS EAP
DoS EUR
DoS Embassy Kabul
DoS S
DoS SCA
DoS CT

Next, choose the correct authorizing user from the dropdown list which will normally be your Contracting Officer
Representative/Grant Officer Representative (COR/GOR)] and click continue. Complete the required remaining steps
(Contract, Personal Info, Passport, Next of Kin, and Clearance Information.) Finally, click submit and the LOA will be sent
to the COR/GOR that you selected for authorization. Once the authorization is complete, the LOA will be sent to the
appropriate Contracting Officer for approval. You will receive a notification e-mail once the LOA has been approved. At
this time you can log into SPOT, open the individual’s page and print the LOA (there will be a View/Print LOA button just
to the left of the Deployment box.)
3. How do I set the “In-theater arrival date”?
SPOT will change a person’s status from “Not Deployed” to “Deployed” based on the individual’s “In-Theater Arrival” Date.
It is the responsibility of the prime contractor to set the In-Theater Arrival Date for all contractor and sub-contractor
personnel. This is your responsibility to the U.S. Government in meeting federal legislation required by the NDAA 2008
part 861. It is mandatory for Locals and TCNs to have an “In Theater Date” set as well as US employees. SPOT
records this date for Congressional accountability.
On the SPOT home page, in the “Search for a Person” panel, enter the last and first name of the person and click “Find
Person.” or search by Citizenship, Deployment Status, Social Security Number/Foreign Identification Number (SSN/FIN)
and Personnel category.) If SPOT returns more than one person with the same name, click the name of the appropriate
person. This link will bring up the individual’s screen. Under the Deployment box (on the lower-righthand side) click on
“In-Theater Arrival.” Enter the date the person arrived in theater (mm/dd/yyyy). Click “Save and Continue.”

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4. What do I do when the individual is re-deployed?
If an individual is re-deployed or otherwise terminated (KIA, resigns from employment, accepts employment with a
different company, etc.), the deployment must be closed in SPOT. SPOT will not allow another company to pick up an
individual and request an LOA if the person is still shown in SPOT as deployed. Also, once the deployment is closed,
SPOT will no longer count the person as deployed. It is the responsibility of the prime contractor to set the Closeout
Deployment date for all contractor and sub-contractor personnel. On the SPOT home page, in the “Search for a Person”
panel, enter the last and first names of the person and click “Find Person” You may also or search by Citizenship,
Deployment Status, Social Security Number/Foreign Identification Number (SSN/FIN) and Personnel category.) If SPOT
returns more than one person with the same name, click on the name of the appropriate person. This will display the
individual’s screen. Under the Deployment box (on the lower- righthand side) click the “Closeout Deployment” link. Select
a “Method of Transportation” from the dropdown list. Enter the “Anticipated Departure Date from AOR” (required) and the
“Actual departure Date from AOR” (if known). Check the appropriate boxes for “Has the government issued
Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment (OCIE) been returned?” and “Has medical screening been
administered?” Click “Save and Continue.”
5. When I try to add a new employee, I get the following error message, “This person already exists in SPOT.”
What steps do I take to add the employee to SPOT?
Before entering a new employee, you should always perform a search to see if the person already has a record in SPOT.
For most accurate results, perform a search using the employee’s SSN. If the person’s record cannot be found and the
system still provides the same error, please contact the SPOT Help Desk.
6. How do I cancel or revoke an LOA?
To cancel an LOA, the Company Administrator must closeout the individual’s current deployment. Only the Contracting
Officer can revoke a SPOT-generated LOA.
7. How do I find key information within the SPOT website?
Always look at the home page once logged into SPOT. There are helpful FAQs posted as well as release notes for
system improvements and information about doing business in Iraq.
CORs/GORs:
1. How do I add a Company Administrator in SPOT?
From the SPOT home page, click on the “Account Information” tab and then click on “Request account on user’s behalf.”
Next, click the “I agree” box and then click on the “I agree” button. Select “Company contractor personnel” and click
“Continue.” Select “Company Administrator who will manage the deployment information for the personnel of my
company” and click “Continue.” Complete each profile information block (Note: you must supply both a primary and
alternate e-mail address) and click “Continue.” Click the pencil icon next to company and search for the contractor
company. If the contractor company name does not appear, click “Can’t find your company?” and then click “Add.” Enter
the company name and company acronym (required fields) and a company description (free text). Now complete the
point of contact (POC) information. The POC is normally someone from the company’s Human Resources (HR)
department or a company official who will be the primary POC for SPOT. Once this is completed, click “Register.” Note:
The POC will receive an automated e-mail from SPOT asking them to verify that the person works for the company and
needs an account. The Company Administrator’s account will not be activated until SPOT receives a reply to this e-mail.
2. Can a COR/GOR and CO/GO have multiple roles?
Yes. Here are the steps to request an additional role:
1. From the SPOT home page click "Account Information" in the Navigation Bar across the top of the page.
2. Click "Request an Additional Role"
3. Next, select the choice appropriate to the role you need.
4. There will be a box titled "Organization" with a pencil icon next to it. Click on the pencil icon and then search for the
correct “Organization”. If the role you are requesting is a Contracting/Grants Officer, the organization will be "DoS AQM".
If you are requesting an additional role as a Government Authority (COR/GOR), you will need to select the appropriate
bureau you will be associated with (i.e. DoS DS, DoS INL).
5. Once the correct “Organization” shows up in the box titled "organization", be sure to click on the blue box with the
words "Add to List" in it.
6. Once this is completed click "Save" button, and this will take you to a page saying your request has been submitted to
the SPOT helpdesk.
7. Once you have completed this, please send an e-mail to the sponsor you used for your original account request.
Note: This feature will not send an automated E-mail to your sponsor. You MUST contact your sponsor letting them know
you have requested an additional role and your Sponsor MUST send an e-mail to the SPOT helpdesk requesting
approval.

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COs/GOs, Contract Administrators or CORs/GORs:
1. How do I add a contract in SPOT?
From the SPOT home page, click the “Contracts” tab on the Navigation Bar and then click on “Add a contract.” Complete
the required contract information, ensuring that the contract number is entered without dashes, for example,
SAQMPD01C0001 (Note: for the Contracting Agency select “Department of State” from the dropdown window. For the
Contracting Office, select “DoS AQM” from the dropdown window.) Select the appropriate contracting officer’s name from
the “Contracting Officer” dropdown window. Next, indicate whether or not you will be adding a task order. Click the pencil
icon next to company and search for the contractor company. If the contractor company name does not appear, click
“Can’t find your company?” and then click “Add.” Enter the company name and company acronym (required fields) and a
company description (free text). Finally, click “Save Vontract Information.”
2. How do I add a company in SPOT?
From the SPOT home page, click “Contracts” on the Navigation Bar. Then click the pencil icon next to “Prime Company.”
First, search for the company name to make sure that it is not in the system already. Next, Click on “Can’t find your
company?” and then click “Add.” Enter the company name and company acronym (required fields) and a company
description (free text). The company acronym field is limited to 25 characters. The acronym is what will show up when
Company Administrators and COR/GORs look for LOA requests. Be sure that the acronym is commonly used and is
identifiable by everyone.
3. When Contracting Officers register, how do they find and affiliate themselves with their accountable
contracts?
Once registered, Contracting Officers can associate their name to existing contracts as follows:
At the SPOT home page, select Contracts from the navigation bar.
Search for your associated Contracts (one at a time) using one of the filter criteria fields.
A list of contracts will be displayed, and the Contracting Officer may select the appropriate contract.
Go to Select Contract Action in the upper-righthand corner of the main contract page. Select Update Contract
Details and click on the green arrow button.
The Contracting Officer should be able to click on the Contracting Officer dropdown list and find his/her name.
Click on the name to associate it to the contract.
Note: A Contracting Officer must have their registered Government affiliation equivalent to the contract’s Contracting
Office in order to appear in the dropdown list described above.
4. How can I remove a contractor company from a contract either in a prime contractor or subcontractor role?
To request removing a prime or subcontractor company from a contract, contact the SPOT helpdesk:
E-mail: SPOT.helpdesk@us.army.mil
Phone: (717) 458-0747
System Administration:
1. What are system alerts and where are they posted?
System alerts are critical news items about the SPOT system, which are posted on the home page in the top center and
along the left side in the News section. You may also find this information on the SPOT Web site.
2. Why was I logged out?
The SPOT system logs you out after 15 idle minutes. This action is necessary to protect the information stored in the
system. When this action occurs, any unfinished actions involving adding or updating data will be lost. Partially completed
entries are not recoverable.
3. Does the system alert the Government Authority or Contracting Officer when a Letter of Authorization
request has been submitted?
Yes. Once an LOA has been requested, the system sends an e-mail notification to the Government Authority alerting
them that an LOA request is pending in their SPOT LOA Inbox. After the Government Authority has reviewed the LOA
request, an e-mail notification is sent based on the decision as follows:
Authorized: E-mail sent to the Contracting Officer requesting approval
Denied: E-mail sent to the Requestor with reason for disapproval
The system then provides an e-mail notification in the same manner when the Contracting Officer approves/denies the
LOA.

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Appendix C: LOA Government Furnished Services
Source: Jeff Taylor DoD OSD;
And Richard Faulkner DoD SPOT Project Manager
The Government Furnished Services are itemized in the Contract or Federal Assistance Grant.
1) APO/FPA - government provided postal services (U.S. Citizens on Contract)
2) Billeting - access to government lodging facilities
3) Commissary - access to government grocery services
4) DFACS - access to government dining facilities (at contractor expense)
5) Excess Baggage - government authorization for additional baggage
6) Govt. Furnished Meals - government provided meals
7) Mil Clothing - access to government clothing facilities
8) Mil Issued Equipment - authorization for use of Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment (OCIE)
9) MWR - access to government provided Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) services
10) Resuscitative Care - government provided resuscitative care (if required)
11) Authorized Weapon - approval to carry a weapon, only if the contract/federal/assistance award has language
that specified weapons authority.
12) CAC/ID Card - authorized issuance of a Common Access Card (CAC) for facility and computer access – DoD
facility
13) Dependents Authorized - permission for dependents to accompany
14) DODI Essential: From Draft DODI 3020.41: essential contractor service. A service provided by a firm or an
individual under contract to the DoD to support vital systems including ships owned, leased, or operated in support
of military missions or roles at sea and associated support activities, including installation, garrison, and base
support services considered of utmost importance to the U.S. mobilization and wartime mission. That includes
services provided to Foreign Military Sales customers under the Security Assistance Program. Those services are
essential because: DoD Components may not have military or DoD civilian employees to perform these services
immediately. The effectiveness of defense systems or operations may be seriously impaired, and interruption is
unacceptable when those services are not available immediately. Functional Combatant Commands--U.S. Joint
Forces Command, U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Strategic Command, and U.S. Transportation
Command. It gives them a Geneva Convention card which everyone is not entitled to receive.
15) Fuel Authorized - access to government provided fueling facilities
16) Mil Banking - access to government provided banking facilities
17) Mil Exchange - access to government provided exchange facilities
18) Milair - authorization to travel on government aircraft
19) Primary Care - authorization to use government medical services
20) Transportation - authorization for use of government provided transport

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Appendix D: Information for Contractors Working in Iraq
Below is a link to the DoS Embassy’s site for “Information on Contractors Working in Iraq.” Any questions pertaining to
the information on this site should be sent to the Embassy in Iraq.
http://collaborate.baghdad.state.gov/MGMT/sa/default.aspx

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Appendix E: Sample LOA

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