As the federal government’s primary procurement vehicle, the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) has an extremely wide variety of products and services available for purchase. Government agencies can purchase everything from binders to bounce houses, and contract almost any service. One service that some contractors may not realize can be offered on the GSA is air charter services. Both owner operated and broker air charter companies can offer their charter services to government customers through the GSA MAS. In this blog, we’ll review the special requirements for air charter services on the GSA Multiple Award Schedule.
How Does GSA Define Air Charter Services?
All products and services on the GSA are categorized under Special Item Numbers (SINs), and air charter services are no exception. There are two SINs specific to air charter services on the GSA Schedule:
- SIN 481211O Air Charter Services - Owner Operated
- SIN 481211B Air Charter Services – Brokers
These two SINs are intended for offering owner operated air charter services and air charter broker services respectively. Air charter brokers are entities that connect customers with certified air charter companies who can meet their needs. Companies who offer both owner and broker services can offer both, but they must have both SINs on their contract. As we’ll discuss in the next section, the requirements for offering air charter services differ slightly depending on whether a contractor is proposing owner, broker or both types of services.
What Are the Special Requirements for the Air Charter SINs?
Contractors who want to offer air charter services will have to follow all the requirements for a standard GSA proposal, but the air charter SINs have several additional requirements, intended to ensure safety, competency, and regulatory compliance. These requirements include safety certifications, additional technical documentation, and special templates unique to the air charter SINs.
What Safety Certifications Are Required for the Air Charter SINs?
A critical requirement for prospective air charter contractors is having a certain level of safety certification. Contractors operating under part 135 must have a current Wyvern Wingman Pro, ARG/US Platinum, or IS-BAO Stage III certification. The certification process often takes several months to complete, so this is one of the first requirements prospective air charter contractors should seek to address when preparing a GSA Schedule offer.
In addition to one of these third-party safety certifications, operators also need to include a copy of their current insurance certificate, their FAA Air Carrier Certificate, and an accident history report covering the past 7 years. Contractors intending to offer air charter broker services must submit these documents for each sub-owner they represent.
What Additional Technical Documents Are Required for the Air Charter SINs?
In addition to safety certifications, prospective air charter contractors are required to submit several other technical documents. The biggest component of these additional technical requirements is the response to technical proposal questions from GSA. These questions cover a range of topics, including administrative and operational capabilities, maintenance practices, key personnel, safety and operations, and past performance. These narrative responses are intended to give GSA more insight into your business practices and safety standards.
As well as the narrative technical responses, air charter offerors must submit additional technical data, including registrations and airworthiness certificates for each plane, compiled fleet data (to include the age and location of aircraft), and a pilot roster. While not required, it can be helpful to submit the general operations manual and safety management system manual to supplement the material included in the technical proposal responses. As with the safety certifications, contractors proposing air charter broker services must submit this information for each sub-owner they work with.
What Special Templates Do the Air Charter SINs Use?
While the majority of offers under the GSA use the FAS Catalog Platform (FCP) templates to submit pricing data, offers submitted under the air charter services SINs use special Price Proposal Template (PPT) due to the unique nature of the offerings. The air charter PPT requires offerors to identify their hourly commercial charter service and fuel burn rates, then add these together to determine the final commercial rate. GSA pricing is then established based on these rates.
The PPT also has offerors enter information on the planes’ seat capacity and whether they are flown domestically, overseas, or worldwide. Each type of plane that prospective contractors are proposing should be listed once, regardless of how many of that type of plane is in the fleet.
Another unique aspect of this template is that it has space for both a commercial Most Favored Customer (MFC) and a federal Most Favored Agency. However, contractors who provide a commercial MFC do not need to provide a Most Favored Federal Agency. Additionally, it is important to note that the air charter PPT is designed for listing a contractor’s different models of planes and charter rates, and does not allow for additional services or fees. Contractors who wish to offer additional services or charge fees must do so under another SIN.
How Can Air Charter Contractors Offer Additional Services?
In addition to the air charter services SINs, many air charter contractors offer the ANCILLARY SIN. This SIN is intended for support supplies or services which are not in scope of other SINS, but necessary for a total solution. Air charter contractors use this SIN to offer additional services such as mechanics, additional pilots, and flight attendants, or to cover fees and taxes. These additional services and fees are not considered in scope of the air charter SINs, but can be offered under the ANCILLARY SIN.
Have More Questions About Air Charter Services and GSA MAS?
The air charter SINs have some of the most rigorous and complex requirements of all the SINs. If you’re an air charter services contractor who wants to offer your services through a GSA Schedule, or if you’re trying to determine whether the GSA MAS Program is right for you, reach out to us. One of our expert consultants would love to help.
