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Tag: Multiple Award Schedule

Advance Notice: MAS Refresh 31 and Upcoming Mass Modification

GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) plans to release Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Solicitation 47QSMD20R0001 – Refresh 31 in February 2026. This refresh introduces several important updates that will affect MAS contractors. (BUY.GSA.GOV 1/12/26)

After GSA issues Refresh 31, contractors must accept the related Mass Modification within 90 days. (ibid)

What’s Changing Overall

GSA will update the General Information section across MAS solicitations to:

  • Add new requirements for Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems and services, aligning with federal executive orders and OMB guidance.
  • Update proposal instructions that apply to all offerors.
  • Expand Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) to all remaining service SINs and make TDR mandatory for all MAS SINs.
  • Limit the Startup Springboard Program to vendors that qualify for FASt Lane.
  • Clarify that foreign replica weapons and inert ordnance are excluded from the MAS Program.
  • Update clauses and provisions to align with:
    • TDR requirements
    • Request for Offer (RFO) changes
    • Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2025-06
  • Update subcontracting templates to reflect recent FAR changes. (ibid)

Important Change to Open Market Items

GSA has changed how contractors include open market items under MAS.

  • The previous flexible approach no longer applies.
  • Contractors must now use the Order-Level Materials (OLM) SIN and follow specific OLM rules.

GSA strongly recommends accepting the Mass Modification to add the OLM SIN if you do not already have it.

  • New MAS awardees will continue to receive a Mass Mod to add OLM.
  • Current contractors without the OLM SIN will receive a one-time Mass Modification to add it. (ibid)

Changes by Category

GSA will also revise instructions, templates, and descriptions for specific Large Categories, Subcategories, and SINs, including:

Office Management

  • Updates to office supplies and 3D printing SINs.

Human Capital

  • New and revised SINs covering human resources, talent acquisition, performance management, and retirement services.

Miscellaneous

  • Removal of subcategory limits for OLM instructions.

Professional Services

  • Updates to auditing, training, and workforce development SINs.

Transportation & Logistics

  • Revisions affecting vehicle services, package delivery, courier services, and equipment rentals.

Travel

  • Updates to employee relocation, lodging, and travel agency service SINs.(ibid)

Where to Learn More

For background on these changes and related resources, visit the RFO page on Acquisition.gov.

The MAS Refresh 31 and Upcoming Mass Modification includes many changes, need assistance or have a question, give us a call.

GSA Drops a Game-Changing MAS Refresh: Are You Ready for #30?

The General Services Administration (GSA) has announced a major update to the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program—and it’s more than a routine refresh. On October 17, 2025, the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) revealed that Refresh #30 will land sometime in November. Contractors had until October 31 to submit feedback, but the real work begins once the update is released.

Why This Refresh Matters

GSA issues periodic MAS “refreshes” to keep contract terms aligned with evolving rules and policies. But Refresh #30 stands out. It’s designed to sync the MAS Solicitation with the sweeping changes from the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO)—the government’s biggest procurement rewrite in years.

Here’s what GSA plans to do:

  • Update dozens of clauses and provisions with new GSA-issued deviations
  • Highlight new guidance on MAS ordering procedures on GSA.gov
  • Revise the MAS solicitation instructions (SCP-FSS-001)
  • Update the Special Item Number (SIN) for Order-Level Materials (OLMs), impacting 60 subcategories

Contractors will have 90 days to accept the Mass Modification after it’s released.

What We Know So Far

While the full text isn’t out yet, GSA already published a list of 94 clauses and provisions that will change. According to the supporting document, “MAS Refresh 30 Clause and Provision Changes,” the update aims to:

  • Simplify acquisition requirements
  • Remove language not required by statute
  • Use clearer, more straightforward terms

GSA plans to replace 53 clauses, add five new deviation clauses, and delete 36 clauses—a sign of the government’s push toward streamlined, plain-language contracting.

A Continued Shift in Federal Procurement

Refresh #30 fits squarely within the goals of Executive Order 14275, Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement. With GSA leading the RFO effort, contractors can expect continued, rapid modernization of these large commercial contract vehicles.

These shifts aren’t happening through traditional rulemaking. Instead, GSA is using its deviation authority, which allows faster changes. More adjustments may follow. For most contractors, the real impact will depend on what they sell and how the new framework interacts with their business model. In theory, the RFO is designed to create less friction—not more.

What Contractors Should Do Now

With such a broad update on the horizon, early preparation is key. GSA is under pressure to increase commercial buying even while working with leaner staffing, which means contractors should prepare for a more streamlined, results-driven environment.

Here’s how to get ahead:

1. Set up your internal review process

If you don’t already have a workflow for reviewing MAS updates, now is the time to create one. Add a calendar reminder for the 90-day acceptance deadline.

2. Review your contract terms

Identify any parts of your existing contract that could be affected by the upcoming changes.

3. Align your compliance programs

Check whether your compliance systems need updates based on the new FAR/GSAR deviations.

4. Track inconsistencies with SAM.gov

GSA has warned that SAM.gov may lag behind Refresh #30. If the system still reflects outdated clauses, contracting officers will rely on the solicitation—not SAM. Document discrepancies so you have a record.

5. Get help if you need it

If any clauses are unclear or have operational implications, consider bringing in legal or compliance experts to interpret the revisions.

Do you want to understand how the refresh directly affects your contracts? Give us a call.

A workflow for everyone


The Catalog Management Office (CMO) is actively finalizing the workflow for Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) services between eMod and the new FAS Catalog Platform (FCP). Simultaneously, they are completing the new Services Plus File for FCP use, marking progress towards launching MAS service functionality in FCP by fiscal year-end 2024 (refer to the attached file for the Services Plus file). (BUY.GSA.GOV NOVEMBER 30, 2023)

The Services Plus file, formerly the Service File, will now accommodate all service contract and catalog data from the Services and Training, and the Language Services Price Proposal Templates. Vendors will also utilize it for non-GSA Advantage! publishable products, such as highly customizable items. (ibid)

Vendors can categorize their offerings in the new template under eight catalog item types:

  1. Commercial Labor Categories: Vendor-defined labor categories, using the hour (HR) unit of measure.
  2. Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS) labor categories: Governed by Service Contract Act laws and regulations, using the HR unit of measure.
  3. Fixed Price Solutions: Services outside the labor category paradigm, using any unit of measure.
  4. Courses and Training: Sessions with minimum and maximum student constraints.
  5. Other Direct Costs (ODCs): Contract-level items sold, supporting public relations and marketing services.
  6. Language Services: Translation services, translating languages, one or both ways.
  7. Highly Customizable Products: Products with multiple options, that cannot be sold on GSA Advantage! Priced as a discount to a manufacturer group or family, as opposed to pricing products as a discrete set of line items.
  8. Ancillary Items: Products or services supporting the dominant service in the Services Plus File, and not sold on GSA Advantage! (ibid)

Questions about how to categorize your offerings? Give us a call.

Acquisition of Professional Services is about to get a whole lot better

Sheri Meadema, acting assistant commissioner of GSA’s Office of Professional Services and Human Capital Categories recently explained the current focus of the Services Marketplace. The Information Technology Category and Professional Services and Human Capital Categories are teaming to align how they introduce contracts and tools to aid buyers as well as suppliers of services.(FAS office of Information Technology February 17, 2022)

Their three main goals:

  • Expand GSA’s contract offerings.
  • Refine FAS’s market research and buying tools.
  • Better the data and reporting systems used in support of the current acquisition programs. (ibid)

Meadema envisions a future with standardized engagement and solicitation processes regardless of the type of services provided. The priority is on using a consistent set of best practices and tools for IT and professional services for solicitations, evaluation, negotiations, awards, and contract management. (ibid)

Meadema wants an easier final outcome compared to open market procurements. Under the Services Marketplace, the next generation of contracts is being built. These contracts include the Services MAC, Polaris, and the follow-on to Alliant 2. Currently in progress are:

  • 8(a) STARS III Government wide Acquisition Contract – a small business set-aside, Beset-in-Class GWAC. The the 8(a) STARS III, federal agencies can access award-winning 8(a) firms for emerging technologies via an established contract vehicle. This saves not only time but also taxpayer monvery over open markets methods.
  • IT GWAC Polaris is in development. The RFP for the new Polaris small business IT contract is expected in February 2022. Once awarded, Polaris will enable federal agencies to set-aside IT task orders to small business, women-owned small business, service disable veteran-owned small businesses, and businesses located in HUBZones.
  • PSHC is working on a new Services Multi-Agency Contract to support procurement requirements for services. This comes as OASIS winds down in 2024.
  • Improvement of Multiple Award Schedule service offerings. Contractors with multiple contracts will consolidate down to one. This means fewer overall contracts for the acquisition workfovce and industry parnters to manage. Ultimately this will make is easier for agencies to find the vendors to meet their requirements.(ibid)

Meadeama says they have also started standardizing the scope review process. A digital tool/portal allows customers to submit their scope review requests. This streamlines tracking, management, and coordination across portfolios as well as creating a single customer experience. The discovery phase has started for an order management tool for all services task orders. This allows for better solicitation development, tracking, and task order management on GSA contracts. (ibid)

Questions about how this might affect a current GSA schedule contract or upcoming bid? Give us a call.

Are you a MAS contractor or want to be one?

GSA is working to make it easier for prospective and current Multiple Award Schedule contractors to work with them. They have recently launched a new and improved Vendor Support Center (VSC).

According to eBuy’s Senior Program Analyst Rich Carlson, “our goals for this website overhaul were three-fold. One, we wanted to modernize the bedrock technology and make security enhancements, which aligns with VSC with other websites we’ve updated like GSA Advantage!. Second, we prioritized improving the user experience. And third, we needed to make business process improvements so the website is easier to maintain.” (GSA Blog January 12, 2022)

For the VSC update, GSA went straight to industry. An RFI was released in November with site navigation, help desk availability, and plain language as the main areas of focus. Based on the information obtained from feedback the VSC is searchable content takes less time and is much easier to find. The dynamic search function allows users to see all content when a word or phrase is entered into the search box. (ibid)

Another benefit of the VSC update is the ease of finding help desk information. The home page contains three types of locators for users individual Procurement Contracting Officer (PCO), Administrative Contracting Officer (ACO), and Industrial Operations Analyst (IOA). (ibid)

VSC site navigation is organized by: “I Want a Contract,” “Managing my Contract,” and “Contract Sales.” In addition, the new page “MAS Project Center,” stores resources for all MAS special projects. (ibid)

GSA is continually looking for ways to improve the customer experience and make it easier to do business with them. The new VSC is located at vsc.gsa.gov/vsc/. (ibid)

Questions about the new VSC or how to get started on your journey to a contract with GSA? Give us a call.