GSA announced that they will finally be re-opening the Office Supply Schedule to new vendors and include enhanced SINs. Although a date is not set, the opening of Schedule 75 to new vendors is imminent and will be seen in the next solicitation refresh.
The office supply schedule was closed to new vendors following the award of the Federal Supply Schedule Initiative (FSSI) Office Supply BPA. The latest version of the BPA will be Office Supplies Fourth Generation will be included in the schedule.
The FSSI BPA created a redundant and competitive award to only a handful of vendors. Then GSA managed to have several agencies sign Memorandums of Understanding that the FSSI would be the first source of supply — The BPA is in its’ third iteration. Though the FSSI saved federal agencies money on office supplies it caused a ripple of small office supply providers to lose contracts and, some, even their businesses.
Since 2011, Schedule 75 has lost over half the vendors and reported sales.
This is an opportunity that small, office-supply firms do not want to miss out on. Since 2015, there has been $363.5M in sales through the OS3 and nearly 80% of that went to small businesses. Even the least successful vendor received over $1M in sales over that time.
Opening the schedule again will allow vendors previously outside the BPA to generate greater Federal sales. The biggest hurdle will be the competitive pricing restrictions. The Office Supply BPA has forced businesses to operate at miniscule margins and make up any lose in bulk sales. The schedule will have the same pricing concerns but without a promise of bulk opportunities as the competitive pool will be larger.
Additionally, the latest solicitation will place greater emphasis on Trade Agreement Act compliance and Transactional Data Reporting requirements.
Existing schedule 75 holders will be required to accept a mass modification and indicate their intent to participate in the new SINS. Depending on which SINs currently exists or are being sought, there may be some new requirements and letters of supply.
The two new enhanced SINs that incorporate the OS4 are SIN 75 220 for Office Products & Services and 75 280 for Overseas Office Products & Services. All vendors applying for 75 220 are required to be authorized AbilityOne Certified Distributors.
Attend a Schedule 75 Webinar
GSA will be hosting a webinar in two sessions, sign in at the links below:
Schedule 75 Webinar Session 1
Date: Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Time: 1:30 PM
Web Meeting Link: https://meet.gsa.gov/mas75vendors/
Dial In number : 1-719-325-2013
Dial In Password: 126470
Webinar Session 2
Date: Tuesday, January 9, 2018
Time: 1:30 PM
Web Meeting Link: https://meet.gsa.gov/mas75vendors/
Dial In number : 1-719-325-2013
Dial In Password: 126470
Coley GCS currently services Schedule 75 vendors and will be in attendance to keep them informed of any updates and how they affect each of them. If you have any questions about your particular situation you can contact us at 210-402-6766. Stay tuned for additional updates on our blog.
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.