Everything You Thought You Knew About GSA Schedules is Changing.
GSA is rolling 24 GSA Schedules into one Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) that will include 12 large categories, 83 subcategories, and 316 Special Item Numbers SINS. To add to the complexity of this transition, GSA will require Transactional Data Reporting on some SINs, but not on others; and some SINs will include “Special Fees”. With all these changes happening, it can be very challenging to keep up.
The good news is that GSA has thought through the challenges that their consolidation initiative may create and have addressed many of them on its site and in GSA Interact. Ultimately, we believe this transition will benefit both buyers and for vendors; but like most change, it will be painful as we go through the transition.
One question that GSA had not addressed was how they will post opportunities on GSA eBuy where some contracts have transitioned to the new SINs while others are still under the old SINs. Traditionally, the Government buyer (CO/KO) who posts an opportunity to eBuy must select the appropriate SIN. Our concern was whether the Buyer would need to select both the old and new SIN, or would eBuy automatically select both so that vendors would not miss out on opportunities.
We reached out to Stephanie Shutt, Director of the Multiple Award Schedule Program Management Office heading the transition. She reassured us that GSA has developed a mapping system within eBuy that links existing SINs to the new SINs, so all vendors that qualify, whether under the new SIN structure or old SIN structure will receive notice of the opportunities.
That’s great news and reassured us that legacy contractors won’t miss out on posted RFQ’s during the transition. The MAS PMO office is setting a goal to have all legacy contracts transitioned over to the
consolidated MAS no later than July 2020.
All legacy contract holders should receive a mass modification in January 2020 to migrate their contracts to the new consolidated GSA Schedule. Vendors then have six months to work with GSA Procurement Contracting Officers to migrate their contract to the new MAS. There are many things one needs to consider when transitioning, especially where multiple GSA contracts are involved, such as open task orders, contract length, contract terms, discounting policies, etc.
Coley GCS is already up-to-speed on these challenges and have identified ways to simplify the changes for our clients early in the calendar year. Call us for assistance on the GSA Consolidation initiative—we are ready to help!
You can reach us by email at hello@coleygsa.com or by phone 210-402-6766.
Vice President for Coley GCS, LLC, a Government Contracts Consulting, Coaching and Training company. Daniel is a Certified Federal Contracts Manager (CFCM) and leads the day-to-day operations of Coley’s consulting practice. He has two decades of experience with the acquisition, management, and marketing of Federal, State, and Local government contracts. Daniel specializes in all aspects of GSA Schedules management and marketing and has helped hundreds of Coley clients remain compliant with the terms of their GSA contract while helping them expand their business.