After you have gone through the hoops of getting a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS), the basics of maintaining your contract may seem overwhelming. We don’t blame you, there is a lot to keep track of and some compliance measures are more difficult than others. Most of these present challenges include avoiding scammers in System for Award Management (SAM) renewal, not entering correct sales reporting information, and staying on top of contract modifications. In this blog, we’ll talk about the top challenges in maintaining your GSA Schedule and how you can overcome them.
SAM.gov Registration Renewal Scams
If you’re not already aware, your SAM registration requires resubmission/renewal each year to remain active. Please be aware that scammers will see this as an opportunity to try to take advantage of contractors, especially if you’re renewal date is looming and you may be pressed for time. It’s highly likely that these scammers will reach out to you via text message or email and add an unnecessary sense of urgency to create panic.
Renewing your SAM registration is always free, don’t ever go through a third-party site. While you may pay a consultant to help you with maintenance, you should never pay for the actual renewal of the entity on SAM.gov.
These dangerous texts/emails could say something on the lines of: Your SAM registration has been renewed! You’ll need to pay $2,500.00 to “activate” it. The way to tell if you’re being targeted by a scammer via email is to have a look at the address itself. Can you confirm that the sender looks official? One of the easiest ways to tell that the government email recipient has a legit email correspondence is by looking at the ending. Does the email end with .gov? If not, assume that you’re being targeted for a likely scam. If you receive dangerous scamming links through emails or texts, please proceed block and delete the recipient to prevent any further contact with you or your business. Even if the email looks legit, if they are asking you to pay for entity renewal, it is not a reliable source.
Accurately Reporting Your GSA Sales
Knowing when to report your sales should not be a challenge. This needs to be general knowledge from the moment you receive your GSA Schedule. You are expected to report your sales every quarter (if you opt into Commercial Sales Practices) or monthly (if you opt into Transactional Data Reporting) onto the FAS Sales Reporting Portal. This is crucial when Contractor Assessment Visits take place. During these assessments, an Industrial Operations Analyst (IOA) will analyze your sales practices and reporting history to ensure that your company is compliant with GSA’s terms and conditions.
One challenge your company may encounter during sales reporting is ensuring that you’re distinguishing the differences between a GSA sale and a non-GSA sale. Any time you have a product/service being purchased directly off your GSA Schedule, it will be considered a GSA sale. Understand that sometimes it may not be as simple as that. To give you better guidance of what is and what is not a GSA sale, we’ve provided a following list of examples. It is considered a GSA sale when:
- GSA contract number is stated on the purchase order or task order
- Ordering information and terms are the same as your GSA Schedule
- Pricing is at or below the GSA Schedule price
- Government buyer made contact with you through GSA Advantage! or GSA eBuy
- Products listed under the Order Level Materials (OLM) Special Item Number (SIN)
- There is no indication of another contract vehicle in place (as mentioned above)
- Product or service is on your GSA Schedule (as mentioned above)
GSA has also published a graphic in the Vendor Support Center that can be useful in determining what is considered a GSA sale:
All contractors must remit the Industrial Funding Fee (IFF) on a quarterly basis, which accounts for .75% of GSA sales. If you are using the OLM SIN these items are still applicable to the IFF. If you add Open Market items to your task order, note that these are not considered GSA sales and should not be reported.
Planning Ahead on All Modifications
Your GSA Schedule is meant to be a living and breathing document. As your company changes over time, so will the contract, as it essentially reflects your business. In GSA terms, understand that change is essentially the same as modifying your GSA Schedule. Making changes through modifications is very time-consuming if they aren’t as something as simple as an administrative modification (i.e. changing an order POC or an address).
For example, if you submit an addition/deletion modification of any product/service, depending on the Contracting Specialist that reviews them, it may take a fair amount of time to review and approve. We also want to stress that your company needs to keep up with the latest Mass Modification. GSA makes frequent edits/changes to the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Solicitation, and with the newest Refresh #17 coming out in late July, contractors have 90 days from the release to go into the Mass Mod System and accept these changes. These modifications are different because they are GSA initiated, but just as important.
Do You Need Help Maintaining Your GSA Schedule?
We understand it can be overwhelming to keep up with your GSA Schedule, especially if you don’t have someone experienced in government contracting on your team, or you don’t have the bandwidth. Failing to comply with rules and regulations may result in penalties, fines, or even termination of your contract. However, if you are diligent about maintenance and compliance and take the time to stay on top of your contract, you will benefit greatly.
We recognize that not all companies are able to keep up with their contracts without a little extra help. Fortunately, you don’t have to do it alone. If you have any questions or concerns on remaining compliant, be sure to reach out to one of our consultants and we’ll steer you in the right direction.
