GSA MAS contractors often see terms such as “Mass Mods” or “Solicitation Refreshes” and wonder what they entail as well as the potential impact on their GSA Schedule. These are separate contract actions from a traditional modification you would use to update the pricing, terms and conditions, or any other kind of update you may need to your GSA Schedule. These modifications are not initiated by contractors but are mandatory for maintaining compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and other solicitation requirements.
Understanding what Mass Modifications are and how they impact your GSA Schedule is necessary in order to maintain GSA Schedule compliance. In this blog, we’ll cover what Mass Mods are, the purpose of Mass Mods, the Mass Mod Portal, and ways to stay on top of your GSA Mass Mod Refreshes.
What is a Mass Modification?
Mass Modifications differ from the normal contractor-initiated modifications that are used to update your GSA Schedule. A contractor-initiated modification may be utilized to update pricing, the terms and conditions, add new labor categories, or any other necessary contract actions. However, Mass Modifications are initiated by GSA in order to meet the compliance requirements of the FAR or the MAS Solicitation.
When GSA initiates a Mass Modification, they initiate it or all GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contractors. Mass Modifications are initiated when a Solicitation Refresh comes out, such as the most recent MAS Solicitation Refresh #22. Mass Modifications are mandatory modifications that usually must be accepted within 90 days.
What Do Mass Modifications Look Like?
When a Mass Modification is released, authorized negotiators with signing authority will be notified that the Mass Modification is available for signature. The email will come automatically from your assigned Contracting Officer and contains your contract information as well as a link to the Mass Mod System. This portal is important as it is where you will go to review the information in the Mass Mod. When you go to log into the Mass Mod System, you will want to select the “Contractor Login” to accept the mod.
For those who have not registered a FAS ID yet, registration is completed on the Mass Mods portal page. On the lower-left of the page, you will find the register button and a helpful guide beneath it for completing the multi-factor authentication registration.
Once you have logged in with your FAS ID, you will be able to see the list of Mass Mods that are available for your contract. After selecting the Mass Mod to accept, it will take you through various screens that instruct you on what is being added, changed, deleted, or unchanged with the Mass Modification.
Additionally, once you reach the end of the process, you’ll have the opportunity to download a Sample Standard Form (SF) 30 to see what your SF30 will look like. The last step of the Mass Mod process is to enter your company information as well as your information for GSA records. Once the Mass Mod is accepted, all authorized negotiators on the contract will receive the SF30 for the Mass Mod emailed directly to them.
Staying Compliant with Your Mass Mods
Ensuring your contract is up-to-date with Mass Mods is extremely important for GSA contract compliance. If there are any Mass Mods that have not been accepted yet, GSA will withhold approving any contractor-initiated modifications. Additionally, if you are going through a Contractor Assessment Visit (CAV), your assigned Industrial Operations Analyst (IOA) will reach out to you and review your contract compliance. This will include Mass Mods, sales reporting, price reductions, and many other aspects of your GSA MAS contract compliance.
Even though Mass Modifications affect most contracts, there inevitably will be instances where your contract will require a specific set of actions to address. For example, if there are changes to specific Special Item Numbers (SINs), there might be more action to take than just simply accepting the mass modification. This is where the discussion between your company and the CO will become key to ensuring you remain in compliance with your GSA Schedule.
Keeping up to date with fast-moving changes in GSA MAS can be a difficult and time-consuming task, but it can be made easier. Contractors can sign up for updates from GSA-based sources such as GSA Interact, FAR news updates, and keep an eye on SAM.gov to see the updates to the GSA MAS Solicitation. Keeping up with these resources will help to ensure the readiness of your company to address the changes in regulatory policy and remain in compliance. Lastly, Winvale regularly provides important news and contracting insights through our extensive archive of blogs and guides.
If you have any questions about how to accept Mass Modifications or the changes that occur within a mass modification, please reach out to one of our Winvale consultants today!
