March 2^nd, the team at GSA’s Schedule 75 Office Products and Supplies and Mr. Greg Hammond GSA FAS Region 2 Commissioner released a video detailing three possible options for reopening the Office Products & Supplies schedule. GSA Schedule 75 is asking for vendor participation in responding to a Google document survey  by April 19^th to help determine the path forward for the office supplies schedule.

Once survey responses are analyzed, a decision will be made at the end of the year. The three options are below: 

1. Reopen Schedule 75 with no changes
   1. Advantages
      1. Minimal lead time
      2. Widely understood
   2. Disadvantages
      1. Limit market research
      2. More vendors competing for diminishing government dollars
   3. Transform existing MAS 75 to a new schedule
      1. Changes:
         1. 75 200 will become a Small Business preference
         2. 75 210 will be Unrestricted

• 75 85 will contain no changes

1. New SIN for OCONUS
2. Inclusion of the FSSI Market basket pricing

1. Advantages
   1. Decrease price variability by limiting competitive range of product pricing
   2. Re-write the solicitation to be clear with Plain language

• Establishing a time limit on the review and award process

1. Disadvantages
   1. Long lead to implementation (24 months)
2. MAS 75 with revisions
   1. Changes
      1. Reclassify the existing SINS by adding small business preference to 75 200 and adding a new OCONUS SIN
   2. Advantages
      1. Shorter lead time than Option 2

Schedule 75’s goal in implementing one of these changes is to “Increase small business participation on the schedule by 5%. Improve customer’s values on MAS 75 by offering more favorable terms, conditions, and savings, and Improve Market share by increasing FAS sales by 10%”

The Federal Strategic Supply Initiative (FSSI) has been lauded by GSA as a success with enormous savings, but has come with many disadvantages for those that are not participating — including small businesses leaving the schedule and agencies moving to other vehicles for office products. GSA has no intention of disabling the FSSI program, but they are at least opening the GSA schedule channel for agencies and small businesses to work together again.