When a contractor is submitting a GSA Schedule contract offer, there are several components to complete, one of which is the Price Proposal Template (PPT). This template is a crucial part of the pricing section, where the majority of your offer will be presented. The Services and Training Price Proposal Template outlines your entire schedule in a spreadsheet format. Contractors should be aware that there are different versions of the PPT, specifically the products version and the services version. This blog focuses on everything you need to know regarding the services PPT, which differs significantly from the products version.
Let’s dive deep into what you’ll need to know when you start working on a PPT for the first time or the hundredth time, as the following information will provide you with context and reminders on what you’ll expect in each version of the spreadsheet’s endless list of tabs, rows, and columns.
What is the Services and Training Price Proposal Template (PPT)?
The Services Price Proposal Template is a detailed and complex Excel spreadsheet that goes beyond a simple pricing chart that shows your rates to GSA. This template includes a number of key elements that outlines the terms and conditions of your Schedule offerings. The services version is designed to display a contractor’s rates and includes columns outlining the terms and conditions within each tab. Whether you are an existing offeror or a new offeror for a contract, all contractors need to complete this template as part of the pricing section of the MAS Solicitation.
For existing Schedule holders looking to modify their contracts, a Modification Price Proposal Template is required. If you’ve worked with this template in the past, you’ll notice that it resembles an offer, but includes different tabs designed explicitly for applying changes to the existing Schedule’s terms and conditions. We’ll discuss more of that later in this blog post. For now, let’s go through what you’ll expect from this spreadsheet once you have it downloaded and opened.
Key Components Listed in the Services and Training PPT
Whether you’re opening a PPT for the first time or the hundredth time, you will notice a variety of columns with headers. Below is a breakdown of some key elements that needs to be filled and completed when submitting offers or modifications (mods):
- Special Item Number (SIN) – SINs are an identifier used by GSA to categorize specific services. SINs may resemble but are not the same as North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Codes.
- Labor Category/Service Title – this should be a commonly accepted job title that’s used in your field of work/industry.
- Labor Category/Service Description – this describes what the individual will be completing. This includes the scope of work and key responsibilities attached to that job. We recommend that this description matches with what you are offering to your commercial customers.
- Minimum Education – need to specify the minimum level of education for the Labor Category such as, Associates, Bachelor’s, Master’s, PHD, etc.
- Minimum Years of Experience - Must be a whole number and cannot be a range
- Education Substitutions - if applicable
- Most Favored Customer (MFC) – must identify the customer or customer class that receives your company’s best pricing. Not applicable if the contract is under Transactional Data Reporting (TDR)
- Commercial List Price/Market Prices – you’ll be disclosing your fully burdened hourly rate you charge to your commercial customers; not including discounts.
- Price Offered to GSA – this is the fully burdened hourly rate that you propose to GSA after applying discounts. These rates are required to be less than or equal to your MFC rate.
How to Approach the Services PPT for the First Time
If this is your first time submitting an offer to GSA, completing the Services Price Proposal Template can feel overwhelming. We highly recommend taking the time to familiarize yourself with the spreadsheet before you begin working on the template itself. The PPT can be found on the Required templates for a MAS offer page. As you prepare, please be sure that you consider the following questions to help you stay organized:
- Have you gathered the necessary information to justify your rates? In all cases, GSA will require supporting documentation, such as invoices, existing contracts, or quotes, to substantiate your pricing. If you’re unable to provide support through existing internal documentation/records, we strongly advise that you utilize competitive market research. GSA’s CALC tool is very useful when determining how to price your labor categories because it provides both specific examples of your competitors’ rates for a labor category as well as the average.
- Have you reviewed the first tab labeled in red “READ ME FIRST”? This tab contains important information that will guide you through the process.
- Are the descriptions within your Labor Categories clear and concise? Make sure that the language you use aligns with the SIN you are pursuing.
- Have you thoroughly reviewed the spreadsheet you’ve prepared? Check that it is formatted correctly and that you haven’t inadvertently deleted any necessary formulas.
- Are you prepared to answer questions from GSA during the clarification stage? This occurs after you’ve submitted your offer and GSA is reviewing it for consideration.
If you notice mistakes or issues after submitting your offer, don’t be alarmed. In most cases, GSA Contracting Specialists are unlikely to reject an offer outright; instead, they will request that contractors revise and resubmit. However, GSA is cracking down on contracts that are not in compliance, so it’s important when revising your template, make sure that you address every issue the contracting specialist highlights. It’s also imperative that you stay in communication with them and ask questions if anything is unclear.
Modification PPTs for Existing Contractors
If you already have a GSA Schedule and need to make modifications, you are still required to submit Price Proposal Templates. You also need to make sure that you are using the modification version rather than the offer version. Price Proposal Templates are updated periodically through GSA refreshes, so it's essential to download the latest version from GSA’s mod templates page. The most recent refresh number will be displayed on the instructions page of the PPT itself.
The primary distinction between offer PPTs and modification PPTs is the use of the "changes" tab on the modification PPT. Tab A of the PPT should always display the finalized list of Labor Categories, regardless of whether you are adding titles or changing pricing; it will always reflect the final version of your contract. In contrast, Tab B shows only the changes that have been made. For example, if you are increasing the pricing for a Project Manager, you will need to list the Project Manager on Tab A with the new pricing, as well as include the new price on Tab B. Any labor categories that are not undergoing changes should remain on Tab A, so avoid listing them on Tab B.
The Service Plus File is Replacing Services Mod Price Proposal Templates
GSA is currently in the process of transitioning all MAS Schedule holders onto the FAS Catalog Platform (FCP). Services vendors onboarded to FCP will use a new template called the Services Plus File (SPF) to establish and manage their catalog. The Services Plus File is designed to replace the Services and Training PPT, the 541930 Translation and Interpretation Services PPT, and the 611630 Linguistic Training and Education PPT. The SPF contains fields for labor categories, fixed price services and solutions, courses and training, and Other Direct Costs (ODCs).
Need Assistance with Your Services and Training PPT?
As mentioned earlier in this blog post, working with a PPT can be a lot to handle, especially if this is the first time you’ve worked with the template and are on a tight deadline to get contracts submitted. As mentioned, creating a GSA Schedule offer takes more than just a pricing sheet to complete. There are many more documents that are required to submit. If you are in need of any assistance in working with an offer or managing an existing Schedule that requires you to submit updated Services and Training PPTs, we highly recommend that you reach out to one of our consultants and we can assist you in areas of your offer or mods that you need help with!
