Last December, GSA has stated a new initiative to create one mega-schedule consolidating and housing all existing schedules. This will be a massive undertaking that, we believe, will streamline scope expansion for new and existing schedule holders. 

Today GSA has shared some key information on the consolidation process.

GSA intends to release new terms and conditions in early June  that will reveal  more of the phase-out for public comments. Until then, we have heard that GSA will continue to award contracts and modifications under current terms and conditions until October 1, 2019, at which time the new terms and conditions are slated to take effect.

Current schedule holders will receive a mass modification to accept the new terms and conditions in January 2020.

Coley will continue to monitor and connect with GSA to get updates as things progress. If you have question or concerns, contact Coley.

The Texas State Procurement Division (SPD), which manages the Texas Multiple Award Schedule (TXMAS), has announced that “effective immediately, SPD has issued a hold on accepting all new TXMAS applications.”

SPD cannot provide a guaranteed date to re-opening the successful TXMAS program, but tentatively have stated they expect the suspension to last through March 14, 2019. Interested vendors should return to the site after March 1, when a determination will be made regarding the suspension.

Current proposals in review will remain in the review process. All new application packets will be rejected and returned.

The TXMAS program has had difficulties and long review cycles over the last few years when sweeping changes were implemented, including:

• Introduction of the online TXSmartBuy purchasing portal
• Reduction in Texas Contract Redundancies
  • removal of all Technology products and services, including ancillary technology services, conferring communication, and audio-visual solutions – those offering are supported under the TX DIR program (TX DIR)
  • Other Miscellaneous products and solutions provided under State Term contracts (Term)
• A requirement of a Signed letter from authorized buyers, guaranteeing purchasing through the TXMAS program

The award review cycles for contracts have been pushed from six months to 18 months for some vendors.

TXMAS is a successful state, local, and education procurement vehicle that award multiple award contracts using other federal and state multi-year award contracts as a base for establishing product offerings and price reasonableness.

If you are interested in pursuing the TXMAS contracting vehicle or other government and cooperative purchasing vehicles, contact Coley for assistance.

While our executive and legislative branches are at a stalemate over budget priorities non-essential government actives will not be funded and as January 20^th will usher in a new demographic break-out of party partisans; it is likely this issue will not be resolved quickly. 

How will the shutdown affect you, the government contractor and your employees? The agencies where funding for FY19 has already been passed, and therefore not affected by a shutdown, include the Departments of Defense, Labor, Energy, Health and Human Services, Education, Veterans Affairs and the legislative branch. Your contracts will continue forward, If you have any contracts with agencies controlling discretionary spending — VA, DOD, HHS, Labor, Education or Labor.  You will receive payments for work completed during this time and no contracts should be cancelled.

Agencies impacted during the shutdown include the Departments of Homeland Security, Agriculture, Interior, Treasury, State, Housing and Urban Development, NASA, Transportation, Commerce, and Justice. If you have contracts with these agencies, unless your contract functions are essential, you are unlikely permitted to continue work and you and your employees will not receive compensation for this downtime. Essential personnel, such as airport security, will be permitted to work, however compensation for work may not occur until the government re-opens. 

If you have any outstanding invoices for non-essential work, you will not likely receive payment until the government re-opens. If this effects your business or you feel the issues of the stalemate or more important than your contracts, contact you representatives and share your opinion (technically, they work for us):

US House of Representatives: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

US Senate:https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

White House: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

If you have any questions on future or current government contracting opportunities, contact Coley for support.