If you’re a new GSA contractor or new to reporting your GSA sales, you may be wondering what TDR is, and how it can fit into your contract. Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) is a GSA Schedule pilot program for reporting sales that was first rolled out in 2016. TDR is a way for GSA and its partner agencies to collect transaction-level data on solutions purchased through the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program. Ultimately, the purpose is to equip the government’s acquisition workforce with the information needed to make data-driven decisions that save taxpayer dollars. TDR also allows contractors to opt out of Commercial Sales Practices (CSP) and reporting, which could be a benefit for your company.
However, historically, TDR has only been available to select contractors within the GSA Schedules program. Since GSA plans to open TDR up to all contractors sometime in Fiscal Year 2023, it may be an option for you in the future. So, here’s what you need to know about reporting TDR sales.
Am I Eligible for Transactional Data Reporting (TDR)?
Currently, only contractors with certain Special Item Numbers (SINs) qualify for Transactional Data Reporting. These SINs can be found on GSA’s TDR webpage. However, as mentioned above, GSA is planning to make TDR available for all Schedule contractors regardless of SIN in the near future. So, while you may not qualify right now, you will soon. So, even if you don’t qualify now, it’ll be helpful if you understand how TDR works now in case you switch over next year.
Transactional Data Reporting vs. Commercial Sales Practices
One of the major distinctions for contractors who use TDR is that they are not required to disclose their Commercial Sales Practices. Commercial Sales Practices are used to determine which of your customers or customer class is offered the lowest price. So, contractors are required to report their Most Favored Customer (MFC) along with other discounting and sales practices. With TDR, you do not have to go through all those hoops, however, you are required to report your sales monthly instead of quarterly, and have to file a more robust report.
Similar to many options that are presented through the GSA Schedule, Transactional Data Reporting will come with pros and cons. The pros include more liberty with discounting, it’s not subject to compliance with the Price Reductions Clause, and there are no CSP disclosures or maintenance required. The cons of TDR are mostly relegated to sales reporting. These include more substantial reporting with 11 additional items and having to report sales more frequently (monthly instead of quarterly), which we’ll cover below. Choosing CSP or TDR is dependent on your solutions and needs as a company, so we suggest you thoroughly review the two options before deciding which one to opt into.
How Do I Report My GSA Sales with TDR?
As mentioned above, one main difference between TDR and CSP is sales reporting. Contractors who do not participate in Transactional Data Reporting are required to report sales once every 3 months (4 quarterly reports per year) and report the totals for each SIN. Contractors who opt into TDR are required to report the GSA sales of their products and services once a month. Additionally, there are 11 items you will need to keep track of on a monthly basis:
- Contractor or Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) Number
- Delivery/Task Order Number/Procurement Instrument Identifier (PIID)
- Non Federal Entity, if applicable
- Description of Deliverable
- Manufacturer Name
- Manufacturer Part Number
- Unit Measure (each, hour, case, lot)
- Quantity of Items Sold
- Universal Product Code
- Price Paid Per Unit
- Total Price
Both CSP and TDR methods are uploaded through the Federal Acquisition Service Sales Reporting Portal (FAS SRP). Most of the options within the FAS SRP are very straightforward, but more specific instructions can be found in our blog about sales reporting.
Paying the IFF
For TDR contractors, sales reports and the corresponding Industrial Funding Fee (IFF) are due monthly. The IFF is 0.75% of GSA contract sales and is used to cover GSA’s cost of operating the Federal Supply Schedules (FSS) program. TDR contractors can select to make the IFF payment with the following methods: Credit Card (with a maximum of $24,999), Debit Card (no limit), PayPal (with a maximum of $10,000), or an automated clearing house (no limit).
Best Practices for TDR Sales Reporting
Keeping track of GSA sales separately from your commercial/non-GSA sales is one of the best ways to be prepared to submit sales at the end of each month. This will help maintain a general idea of how well GSA sales are tracking. Sometimes, GSA contractors have trouble figuring out what a GSA sale is, so we suggest you not only keep your sales separate, but know how to differentiate between them. No one wants to overpay their IFF to GSA.
It’s also important to be aware of the 11 items that are required for TDR reporting, so you know what information to pull when it’s time to report and if anything has changed in the last month, you are prepared to make any necessary changes.
Opting into TDR
Overall, Transactional Data Reporting presents GSA Schedule contractors with a great opportunity to offer competitive pricing to federal buyers. Although the sales reporting can be more cumbersome, organizing GSA sales and being aware of the information that is needed can help offset the extra work required for TDR sales reporting. Interested in learning more about Transactional Data Reporting and the GSA Schedule? One of our consultants would be happy to answer any of your questions.
