The General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program was initially designed to streamline government procurement of goods and services. The current Schedules Program provides federal, state, and local government buyers access to more than 11 million commercial products and services, but many in the industry have become frustrated with the logistics of the program. GSA has developed a solution which will combine all Schedules into a single, more consistent, Schedule.
Why Combine all Schedules?
Many in the contracting and procurement industries have complained of the inconsistencies between different Schedules and the confusing separation of goods and services by Special Item Number. The system of identification through Special Item Number (SIN) categories is a key issue that has been discussed. Many SINs do not make sense in the context of the Schedule and do not easily map to North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Codes or Product Service Codes (PSC), adding another layer of complexity.
Additionally, the current Schedules Program does not address e-commerce. Many do not know if these sales should be included in sales reports and IFF payments. Another issue is the outdated and repetitive Terms and Conditions of many Schedules, making it difficult to know what is important and what is not within a contractor’s pricelist. With this much complication and confusion, maintaining compliance as a Schedule holder has become increasingly difficult. Not to mention, there are approximately 1,500 contractors that hold more than one GSA Schedule, making the consolidation of the GSA MAS Program more appropriate than ever.
What is the Plan?
The GSA committee working on the consolidation has garnered assistance from members of every acquisition center. They plan to review all SINs to merge duplications and revise titles and descriptions to more clearly define each category. GSA plans to release the draft form of these changes for industry feedback before publication. The Terms and Conditions will also be revised to eliminate repetition and streamline all Schedule terms. GSA is currently working on logistics such as Contracting Officer assignments and coordinating the templates to be used for the new solicitation.
What is the Impact?
The consolidation of the GSA MAS Program is sure to be a huge transition for contractors and government agencies alike, but here’s what we know so far:
- Your contract number will not change regardless of the Schedule you currently hold.
- If you are a single Schedule holder, your transition will occur through a series of mass modifications, which are mandatory for every contract.
- Multiple Schedule holders will need to begin migrating offerings to one Schedule when you enter your last option period.
- Offers already submitted before the transition will continue to be reviewed but will be updated through mass modifications.
SINs will be broken into categories to more easily identify product and service offerings. These categories will be added to your contract the same way that SINs are added today. Some have asked how this will affect Transactional Data Reporting (TDR). Currently there are specific SINs which allow contractors to elect TDR through an optional mass modification. Throughout the implementation of the consolidated Schedule, TDR will not be expanding and will remain an optional pilot program. However, the option to elect TDR will be mapped over to the new SIN categories.
What is the Timeline?
GSA will give 1-2 months’ notice before the launch of the consolidated Schedule. All 24 schedules will be removed on the day of the launch and merged into one. Around September or October 2019, GSA will release a survey to collect opinions on the consolidation methodology and send options to GSA Legal for review. When the consolidation occurs, there will be more than one option to choose from.
Fiscal year 2020 will be the year of mass modifications. Mass mods to move current contracts to new SINs and updated Terms and Conditions will be issued to current contract holders. This entire process is expected to take five or more years to complete the transition, but with changes happening in less than one year, it is a good idea to stay involved and up to date with GSA news about the consolidation.
Final Thoughts
While this seems like a daunting transition, it will greatly benefit Schedule holders and government agencies in the long run. The GSA MAS Program is further streamlining government procurement, making it quicker and easier to buy and sell products and services. The transition will also make compliance much easier for multiple Schedule holders. Want more information? Check out GSA Interact or reach out to your Winvale consultant for more!
