If you hold a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract, you are probably familiar with the digital platforms available for contractors to market their pricelists, research competitors, and find contract opportunities. These platforms include GSA Advantage!, GSA eLibrary, and GSA eBuy.
Recently, GSA released a post on the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Interact community page asking customers and contractors to provide their feedback on the potential ability of GSA to publish contractor performance information on GSA eCommerce and digital platforms. The MAS Interact community allows contractors, industry partners, and other stakeholders to receive important updates about the MAS program, such as this request.
While GSA has not made this rule official, the feedback provided in response to GSA’s request could result in important changes for contractors. In this blog, we will discuss GSA’s post and the associated impacts.
What is GSA’s eCommerce Post About?
Specifically, the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) may allow GSA to publicly post contractor performance metrics on GSA Advantage, GSA eBuy, and GSA eLibrary. From prior research, FAS noted that the evaluation criteria customers are concerned with include contractors’ delivery performance, such as on-time delivery, cancellation, backorders, and delivery status, and fulfillment tasks, such as data quality, contract compliance, and customer satisfaction ratings or reviews. FAS is considering methods for displaying or visualizing this data, including star ratings, customer reviews, delivery performance metrics, and other alternatives.
Due to the many contractors available through the MAS program, the post states that publishing select contractor performance metrics of interest to customers may assist in the decision-making process when selecting a contractor to order from or for award of a contract opportunity.
This effort to increase transparency during the ordering and contract award phases may increase agencies’ contracting experience and encourage improved contractor performance. However, FAS is investigating the visibility level of the reviews and ratings posted; this information could only be available to users signed into the eCommerce and digital platforms.
FAS is currently in the research phase of this potential change—the purpose of this initial feedback request is to help form a draft rule that could be released for public comment during the second or third quarter of Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.
How to Respond to GSA’s Questions About Contractor Performance Metrics
The goal of GSA’s post is to provide information on this potential rule and to receive feedback on the topic from both contractors and customers. FAS would like contractors to provide responses to the following questions:
- How can FAS effectively evaluate the timely and compliant delivery of products and services to improve customer experience? For example, what are reasonable metrics to measure on time delivery and cancellation when fulfilling orders through GSA eCommerce platforms?
- How can FAS effectively display the timely and compliant delivery of products and services to improve customer experience? For example, should FAS use a star, percentage, and/or color ratings? How should these ratings be defined?
- What effect would sharing performance information on GSA eCommerce platforms have on contractors?
- Are there common delivery-related scenarios that could be difficult for FAS to accurately measure and track?
- As a contractor, what process would best serve you to dispute performance information that is posted on GSA eCommerce platforms that you believe is inaccurate?
- What time period should reported performance information cover?
- What other information should FAS consider?
The questions above are geared towards contractors’ perspectives. GSA is also interested in customers’ feedback and posted questions seeking information on delivery performance metrics, experience with canceled or delayed orders from eCommerce platforms, how contractor performance ratings should be displayed, and similar topics. Both sets of questions for contractors and customers can be accessed on GSA’s post.
GSA requests that MAS contractors send their answers to the above questions to the VendorPerformance@gsa.gov email address by December 5, 2024. If you are already aware of their request, this is an extension from the previous deadline.
eCommerce and Digital Platforms Available to Contractors
In this blog, we have referred to the eCommerce and digital platforms used by government customers to find and procure your company’s offerings. Since GSA’s potential new rule may impact these platforms, it is important to be aware of each site’s capabilities.
GSA Advantage!
Out of the digital platforms mentioned, GSA Advantage! appears to be the main resource discussed in GSA’s post. This site contains contractors’ awarded pricelists and products available for purchase. Government customers can browse and directly order contractors’ products, similar to purchasing items via Amazon.
If FAS proceeds with developing this rule, GSA Advantage! may be the first site used to post a contractor’s delivery and other past performance data based only upon previous GSA Advantage! purchases. While FAS is debating on the rule’s details and standards, customer and contractor feedback provided in response to GSA’s Interact request may influence their decision.
GSA eLibrary
In their post, GSA did not specify how contractors’ performance metrics will be displayed when customers access a vendor’s GSA eLibrary page. However, this site houses important contractor information, including their awarded pricelists with terms and conditions identified, awarded Special Item Numbers (SINs), email address, business address, government point of contact, and additional entity information.
GSA eBuy
Through GSA eBuy, MAS contractors access opportunities specific to the SINs they were awarded. Since contractors are often bidding against competitors on GSA eBuy to win contract awards, federal customers could incorporate these past performance reviews and ratings during their assessments of contractors’ capabilities. Companies without a GSA Schedule contract do not have access to the contract opportunities posted on GSA eBuy, so the information released through this platform would have a limited reach publicly.
Should Contractors Provide Feedback to GSA’s Post?
As a current contractor, the feedback GSA is solicitating can help your business understand the specific performance metrics that may be evaluated and subsequently published for other customers to view. While there may be advantages and disadvantages associated with this potential new feature, it is important for your company to recognize that your performance on projects could affect your company’s future contract awards from government customers.
By responding to the questions above, you can provide key insight on the issue from a contractor’s point of view and help shape this prospective rule in your favor. As this policy is still in the development phase, our team of experienced consultants can help you maintain compliance with current regulations on your GSA MAS contract and monitor updates regarding this potential rule.
