Government Contracting Blog

While the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) acquisition process can be a long and drawn out process, the work doesn’t end once your Schedule has been awarded. GSA Schedules have a potential life span of 20 years (four 5-year option periods), so it’s rare that a contractor’s GSA Schedule offerings, Special Item Number (SIN) selections, administrative information, etc. remains the same throughout the life of the contract. GSA Schedule contract holders can update or change essentially every part of their contract throughout its existence through a modification. In this blog, we will discuss the types of modifications, and why they are an integral part of GSA Schedule compliance.

Within the last year and a half, GSA has beefed up opportunities for Joint Venture (JV) companies looking to acquire a GSA Multiple Award Schedule. In May 2023, GSA released Solicitation Refresh 16, which provided in depth MAS offer instructions applicable to Joint Venture companies that help entities be consistent and align with Small Business Administration (SBA) standards. These updates to the Solicitation also included clarifications for specific rules to Joint Venture GSA proposal submissions.

One of the biggest reasons contractors choose to get a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract is the easy access it provides to the world’s largest buyer of goods and services, the U.S. government. With a GSA Schedule, contractors have already pre-negotiated their terms and pricing, giving them an advantage over other contract vehicles. Because of this, government buyers often choose to purchase from GSA Schedules.

If you have recently been awarded a GSA Schedule, you may be wondering what can you do to make sure your rates and offerings remain as competitive as possible? As a GSA Schedule holder, one of the most important aspects of maximizing the potential of your contract is having an understanding of best practices from a pricing standpoint. When can I raise my rates? When should I consider adding additional items to my GSA Schedule? How can I view my competitors’ rates? These are some of the questions GSA contractors should consider.

It’s important for new and prospective GSA Schedule contract holders to keep in mind a GSA Schedule award is just the beginning of your contract’s life cycle. GSA Schedule contracts are broken out in four 5-year option periods, meaning your GSA Schedule can last for up to 20 years. And while some aspects of your GSA Schedule may not change drastically, a large portion of your offerings will likely look very different by the end of your contract. To help facilitate these changes to your GSA Schedule as easy as possible, GSA allows contractors to make modifications to their Schedule.

If you are a GSA Schedule contract holder, you are likely familiar with the OLM SIN. OLM, which stands for Order Level Materials, is an additional GSA Special Item Number (SIN) that most current contractors likely added during a modification. Similarly, some GSA contractors may be familiar with the acronym ODC, or Other Direct Costs. But what exactly are OLMs and ODCs, and how do they fit into the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program?