GSA utilizes Special Item Numbers (SINs) to categorize the product or service offerings contractors can have awarded on the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS). Many SINs require contractors’ or offerors’ services to meet specific standards or regulations to have the SIN awarded. A popular SIN that limits the types of services vendors can provide is the Engineering Services SIN or SIN 541330ENG. For example, traditional architect-engineer (A-E) services are not allowed to be sold through this SIN or any other SIN in general. However, the Engineering SIN is not the only SIN that limits engineering firms in their service offerings; the Environmental Consulting Services SIN also requires contractors or offerors looking to add this SIN to meet a few requirements.

In a recent blog, we discussed the many changes introduced by the Trump Administration and what their effect was on current GSA Schedule contractors. If you don’t have a GSA Schedule yet, but are looking to get one, you may be wondering how these changes have impacted the process of acquiring a GSA Schedule contract. That’s why in this blog, we’ll discuss the impact that the new administration’s policies have on potential GSA Schedule contractors.

At Winvale, we often consider the pricing section of a GSA Schedule offer the most important to focus on because a lot of time and effort needs to be put into making certain that a prospective GSA Schedule contractor is putting forward the best pricing package that they can offer to GSA while maintaining a healthy profit margin. We have been through many scenarios with contractors and come across a number of mistakes that are commonly made when crafting, or modifying, GSA Schedule pricing. I would like to take you through a list of common mistakes contractors make with their GSA Schedule pricing, so that you can avoid them when dealing with your own GSA Multiple Award Schedule or offer.

Upon award of your Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract, you’re likely to be greeted with many tasks and terms you’ll need to get familiar with quickly. Sales reporting, Minimum sales requirement, Order Level Materials Special Item Number (SIN), Mass Modification—these are all terms that might get thrown around by your Contract Specialist during the award process. But what do they actually mean for you? What action items need to get done following the award of a General Services Administration (GSA) MAS contract? As a proposal writer that manages the post award process on a regular basis, I’ll let you know the best way I’ve found to get started on managing your GSA MAS contract.

The age-old question when researching services is: does paying more for a high-end service make it worth the investment? When companies decide to pursue a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS), it doesn’t take long to see there’s no shortage of firms offering GSA Schedule consulting. But if you haven’t noticed already, the pricing ranges wildly. This leaves many companies wondering if they can get just as good of a service if they select a cheaper option. It really depends on what kind of support you’re looking for and what kind of long-term investment you’re trying to make.

In the recently released Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Solicitation Refresh #28, GSA restructured the requirements for new offerors or existing contractors proposing products that they do not manufacture, and instead, resell. Prior to this Solicitation Refresh, new offerors or current contractors adding products they did not manufacture to their GSA Schedule contract or proposal were required to submit a Letter of Supply to demonstrate they have the authority to distribute these products. However, GSA has now restricted the Letter of Supply requirement to only resellers under Large Category F (Information Technology) and the Printing and Photographic Equipment Subcategory within Large Category A (Office Management).