- MAY 2023 -

Spring Cleaning--Keeping Your GSA Schedule Updated

It's May, which means it's time for spring cleaning. You may have already tackled every corner of your house, but is your GSA Schedule contract up to date? Here’s a list of common on-going compliance tasks you should check on:

• Is your SAM.gov registration up to date? Make sure to complete this process at least once a year, and to watch out for scam emails requesting a fee. SAM.gov registration and renewal is always free.
• Make sure you are keeping up with your GSA Schedule modifications. If you make any admin changes, product/service changes, pricing changes, etc., these need to be done with a formal modification. 
• Make sure you are keeping a good log of your GSA sales and are reporting them either quarterly or monthly depending on your contract. Remember to remit the Industrial Funding Fee (IFF), which is 0.75% of your GSA sales once a quarter as well.

• GSA will regularly schedule Contractor Assessment Visits (CAVs), which are meant to review contract compliance within a certain timeframe, whether that be done on an annual basis, or at the end of the 5-year option period before your GSA contract’s extension. Make sure you are preparing and have your documentation ready for your next visit. The easiest way to prepare is to make sure you are keeping track of everything we mentioned above!

If you want to learn more about keeping your GSA Schedule updated, check out our blog.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Here's a Recap of Last Month's Blogs and Webinars 

• 5 Reasons You Should Use GSA Advantage! to Grow Your Contracting Opportunities

• What You Need to Know About Economic Price Adjustment (EPA) Modifications

• What is a Joint Venture?

• 8 Strategies to Stand Out from Other Government Contractors

Couldn't make it to last month's webinar? Watch it here on demand. In this webinar, we discuss Procurement Instrument Identifiers (PIIDs) and how you can read each alpha-numeric number to learn more about each of your contract awards. 

GSA UPDATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

GSA Events:

THURSDAY, MAY 9

2:00PM – 4:00PM ET

GSA & SBA Money Smart Series for Small Businesses - Module #5: Strong Business Credit

The General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) is teaming with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to offer the Money Smart training series. This training explains how to start and manage a business. Register for the event here.

THURSDAY, MAY 11

1:00PM – 2:00PM ET

How Do I Keep My GSA MAS Contract Compliant 5/11/23

This session will cover topics including maintaining compliance with the MAS contract and understanding the Industrial Operations Analyst (IOA) compliance assessment process. Register here.

THURSDAY, MAY 18

2:00PM – 3:00PM ET

Suspension and Debarment: What Small Businesses Should Know

This free webinar will explain the nuts and bolts of suspension and debarment, the impact it can have on a small business, and proactive steps your small business should take to avoid being suspended and debarred from working with the federal government. Register here.

CRITICAL INFORMATION

SAM Address and Minor Name Change Is Now Live 

GSA has been sending out email notifications to GSA contractors recently regarding minor name and address change issues in SAM that have wrongfully triggered modification notifications. Some examples of these minor changes include the following:

• Adding or removing periods
• Adding or removing commas
• Adding or removing spaces
• Adding or removing abbreviations such as:
  • CORP for Corporation
  • CO for Company
  • INC for Incorporated
  • Rd for Road
  • Ave for Avenue
  • Dr for Drive

To mitigate this issue, GSA has pulled entity information directly from SAM.gov so it matches the GSA system. The goal of this system fix is simply to replace the name or address of an entity with the information in SAM when there are discrepancies. Notifications will be sent out to contractors where the name and/or address were updated. More information can be found here.

GSA to Release OASIS+ RFP Soon

GSA plans to release the long-awaited OASIS+ Request for Proposal (RFP) in May. While the exact date is unclear, we are eagerly checking SAM.gov for its arrival. So, what is OASIS+? GSA is creating a Professional Services contract to replace OASIS to support GSA’s Federal Acquisition (FAS) Office of Professional Services and Human Capital Categories (PSHC). The hope of OASIS+ is that it will be a more efficient buying experience for agencies allowing all contact pricing types (fixed price, time and material, cost reimbursement, and hybrid) and eliminating duplicate contracts. What’s different about this vehicle is there will be no ceiling and no cap on awards. It will also be self-scored.

GSA intends to award separate Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ)  contracts under the following categories:

• 8(a) Small Business
• HUBZone Small Business
• Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)
• Total Small Business
• Women-Owned Small Business
• Unrestricted 

If you want to learn more about the contract, check out our blog, and GSA’s Interact postings which will release timely updates as they become available.

QUICK TIPS

Prepare for MAS Solicitation Refresh #16

On May 15, GSA plans to release Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Refresh #16 and its accompanying Mass Modification. Included in this Refresh is much anticipated guidance on Joint Ventures, updated SBA Size standards, and minor changes to specific Large Categories. Regardless of what products and/or services you offer, this Refresh applies to you, and you should be familiar with the changes before accepting the Mass Modification. As a reminder, contractors have 90 days to review and accept a Mass Mod once it's released. Check out our blog for more information.

EMERGING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: What is the Micro Purchase Threshold (MPT)?

• A: The Micro-Purchase Threshold (MPT) refers to the maximum dollar amount government agencies can spend on goods and services without having to go through a formal procurement process. The MPT is set at $10,000 for most acquisitions made by most agencies, while the Department of Defense has a slightly higher MPT of $15,000 for purchases related to COVID-19 relief. The simplified procurement process for micro-purchases can save time and money for both the government agency and the vendor. The vendor doesn't have to submit a formal proposal, and the agency doesn't have to spend time evaluating multiple proposals.

Q:  What is the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT)?

• A: The GSA Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) is the dollar amount above

   which federal agencies must follow more formal procurement procedures when acquiring goods and services. As of 2021, the SAT is set at $250,000 for most acquisitions made by qualified purchasing agencies.

  When procurement is below the SAT but above the MPT, the purchasing officer must fulfill more requirements such as conducting market research for at least 3 contractors to complete the contract. The PCO could also review at least 3 contractor price lists found in eLibrary or even request quotes for at least 3 GSA Schedule contractors.

Q: What about purchases above the SAT?

• A: Overall, the procurement processes for purchase above the SAT can be 

  complex and time-consuming. For purchases that exceed the SAT, government agencies are required to follow a full-scale procurement process, which typically involves a formal solicitation, evaluation, and negotiation process. This includes developing a detailed statement of work or performance requirements, issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP), evaluating proposals, conducting negotiations, and selecting a winning bidder.

  
  

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