GSA MAS Consolidation is here, and GSA contractors are already feeling the effects. It is imperative that contractors are able to keep their schedule price lists up to date with new offerings, current pricing, accurate contact information, and more, especially during this time of disaster recovery purchases. Any of these updates that need to be made to your current MAS contract will have to go through the formal modification process, and that means using the new MAS modification process and templates.
What Hasn’t Changed with MAS Consolidation?
All GSA Contract modifications will still need to be submitted through the eMod platform, which means it is important to ensure that your authorized negotiators all have their digital certificates up to date through IdenTrust! All of the familiar modification types will still show in eMod – from product/service additions to deletions to Economic Price Adjustments, Price Reductions, and more. The process for submitting modifications to GSA for approval will change minimally. The larger changes for contractors to be aware of come in respect to the documents and information needed for putting the modification package together prior to submission.
Administrative Modifications
These modifications cover everything from changing your point of contact to changing the website associated with your company and are normally processed more quickly than those related to the pricelist. They require a cover letter explaining the requested change and some may require you to change your information in SAM.gov. An important note based on the MAS Consolidation: administrative modifications can be combined into one modification package. This means you can change your company address, telephone number, and email all with one mod. Administrative modifications have remained unaffected by the consolidation, but you should take the time to make sure all of your information and contacts are up to date on SAM.gov and eLibrary.
What Has Changed with MAS Consolidation
Addition and Deletion Modifications
In order to add or delete products or services to or from your GSA Schedule contract you will need to use the new Price Proposal Template, which can be found on GSA’s website. The biggest change to the Price Proposal Template is the fact that you must now keep track of when your products and services were added to the schedule. In Column A of the first tab (see fig. 1 below) you will need to insert information related to the status of every line item on your contract. “Award” will need to be listed if the product or service was added at the time your contract was awarded. If they were added after award through a modification, that Modification Number will need to be inserted. If you are now requesting new products or services be added to your contract, “New” would be the designation. This change makes it even more important to keep track of your price list to make sure it is accurate and current. GSA is requiring this as an initiative for both Contractors and GSA Industrial Operations Analysts (IOA’s) to be able to better keep track of the line items that awarded to the contract. No longer will contractors have to keep multiple spreadsheets to compare pricing and awarded modifications – the updated price list will be right in the Price Proposal Template each time. Keeping a fully accurate and current price list will ensure you maintain the correct discounting procedures, remain in compliance with your GSA contract’s terms and conditions, and administer your contract more efficiently overall.
Figure 1
Economic Price Adjustments
Economic Price Adjustments are essentially modification requests to raise the pricing of previously awarded GSA products or services. These modifications will also be affected by the same Price Proposal Template changes as Addition and Deletion Modifications. Again, this means contractors must take extra care to manage their price list and make sure it is always current and accurate. Similar to entering values such as “Award,” “Modification,” and “New” when completing addition/deletion modifications, contractors will be required to denote products with pricing updates as “Change” in that same column. As always with an Economic Price Adjustment, you will need to provide pricing justification such as invoicing to justify your increase.
Although probably the largest change for contractors submitting modifications post-consolidation will be the price proposal template, there are a few other things to keep in mind when planning a price list update:
- TDR Contractors – you are NOT required to submit invoice examples for pricing support in modification packages
- Ensure that you are following the correct structure for modification cover letters. Details can be found on GSA Interact
- Make sure you’re using the most recent Letter of Supply template if you are offering products and are not the OEM
- Double-check your Large Category attachment(s) and the new MAS Solicitation for any SIN specific requirements that may not be listed in the basic modification package instructions
Now more than ever, it is important for contractors to ensure their contract price lists and administrative information is up to date and ready to go for government buyers. GSA Schedule price lists are meant to reflect your company’s commercial business and keeping them up to date with modifications helps government buyers (and your employees) cut down on extra steps during the ordering process. GSA Advantage! has posted a notice regarding an influx on orders for GSA Contractors due to COVID-19 response efforts. If your company provides products or services that may be helpful in our government’s efforts against the current pandemic, take a look at what modifications you potentially need to make on your company’s GSA Schedule contract.
In times of crisis, the ability to lean on the contracting community is an invaluable resource. With MAS Consolidation falling concurrently with the current state of affairs, things can seem a little overwhelming. Through regular blogs and our monthly newsletter, as well as other resources, our Consulting Team can help support your contracting efforts both now and beyond. If you have questions on how to make sure your price list is current, accurate, complete, and visible, Winvale is here to help.
