Skip to content Skip to left sidebar Skip to right sidebar Skip to footer

Contract management

Same Old Song (Ugh)

Ready for another government shut-down? Of course you’re not. None of us are. But the real possibility of a work stoppage when Congress returns from summer recess has us singing the blues all over again.

As reported in the Washington Post yesterday, the Professional Services Council (PSC), which represents more than 400 government tech and service companies, has sent out a warning to begin preparing for the expiring spending plan on 30 September. Additionally, without raising the debt ceiling, short term spending will cease. Uncertainty about spending plans and expectations from the current administration is causing the most unease.

Again, from the Post: the PSC chief executive says,” I have never seen this many moving parts this unconnected to each other this late in the game. It’s not intellectually difficult … but where do the votes come from, and is the president going to sign it?”

Stay tuned.

The IG’s Eye’s on you

The Inspector General’s biannual report to Congress was especially telling this year. The report covered October 2016 to March 2017.

In that period, the office audited 31 contractors. They found that 21 partners did not submit honest information, 13 overcharged GSA customers, eight did not adequately report schedule sales, and five did not comply with price reduction provisions.

All of that adds up to $224 million in savings through smarter or less spending. The IG also noted that GSA’s digital services wing, intended to cover its own costs, had guzzled $32 million government dollars.

The IG recommended no fewer than 168 cases for legal action, of which 49 faced prosecution and 41 indictment. More than 100 companies were suspended and debarred.

The moral of the story is to keep a tight ship; you don’t want to answer to the inspector general.

Summer Slow Down

As we pass Memorial Day, the unofficial start to summer, it’s helpful to remember that your GSA Contracting Officer (CO) will most likely have a vacation coming up, just like you.

If you know that an important RFP release is imminent, which will require modifications to your Schedule, we strongly suggest you begin working on the mod requirements now. Time-sensitive changes can bring showers of stress to your lazy summer days, especially if you find out that your CO has just left for a three-week vacation/training on the day you submit. To ensure smooth sailing, give your CO a heads-up about the upcoming mods in advance; ask the CO when s/he expects to be out and how you can avoid lengthy delays of a modification.

Being pro-active now can save you the pain of a lightning strike in mid-July! If you need help with a modification or have further questions, contact your EZGSA proposal specialist at 301-913-5000 or email us today.

News You’d Rather Not Use…

Our sources throughout the GSA product schedules are indicating that the recent process for submitting a modification to the CO for approval before actually submitting it through eMod will be codified in the next round of Schedule refreshes.

While this will cut down on a CO’s official modification time in-house, it will probably mean longer wait times for contractors to obtain mod approval, as there will be no clock measuring the time that the CO will have the mod pre-submission.

We are hopeful that this analysis is incorrect, and your CO will understand that your Schedule modifications require timely approval and only assist the contractor in selling more products to the government. Hopeful….

Alert!

All GSA Schedule holders with Contracting Officers stationed in Texas should be aware that their COs will be in training next week, 24-28 April. They will most likely be unavailable to you for questions and modifications.