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Contract management

Ch-ch-changes from GSA


In July 2023, the General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) plans to issue Solicitation 47QSMD20R0001 – Refresh # 17 and a mass modification (mass mod) to all existing contracts. (buy.gsa.gov June 15, 2023)

Here are the upcoming changes associated with Solicitation 47QSMD20R0001 – Refresh # 17:

A: Changes to Overall MAS Solicitation:

  • GSA will implement various changes to SCP-FSS-001.
  • The requirements for Joint Venture entities will be clarified.
  • GSA will incorporate the GSA/SBA 8(a) Partnership Agreement on MAS.
  • Clause and provision updates will be incorporated as necessary through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2023-04 and GSAR Change 166.
  • Sustainability requirements will be clarified, referencing the GSA Green Procurement Compilation.
  • Highly Competitive Language will be removed. (ibid)

B: Changes to Specific Large Category, Subcategory or SIN:

Facilities (B):

  • SIN 561210FAC – Facilities Maintenance and Management will undergo revisions. (ibid)

Industrial Products (E):

  • SIN 332510C – Hardware Store, Home Improvement Center, Industrial or General Supply Store, or Industrial Maintenance Repair and Operations (MRO) Distributor – Catalog will be revised. (ibid)

Professional Services (H):

  • A new subgroup, Program Evaluation Services, will be added under SIN 541611 Management and Financial Consulting, Acquisition and Grants Management Support, and Business Program and Project Management Services. (ibid)

Transportation and Logistics Services (K):

  • The required Template for SINs 492110 & 492110SB Local Courier/Messenger Delivery Services will be revised.
  • The required Templates for SIN 485 – Ground Transportation and SIN 532111 – Automotive Equipment Rental and Leasing – Rental Supplemental Vehicle Program (RSVP) will be revised. (ibid)

Travel (L):

  • The required Template for SIN 531 Employee Relocation will be revised.
  • The required Template for SIN 531110 Long Term Lodging will be revised. (ibid)

Join GSA for the upcoming GSA FAS public webinar on Wednesday, June 28, to learn more about the changes to MAS Solicitation 47QSMD20R0001 and the mass mod. The webinar will be in a listen-only format, but you can ask questions via chat. (ibid)

Webinar Attendance Information: MAS Refresh 17 and Upcoming Mass Modification

Date: Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Time: 1 – 2 p.m. EST

You can join the webinar via the provided Zoom link. (ibid)

Questions about all of the changes taking place? Give us a call.

Green is the new kid in town

Last week the General Services Administration (GSA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Department of Defense (DoD) to make sustainable technology products more easily available in the federal marketplace. (Washington Technology March 24, 2023)

Under the MOU, GSA will use DoD’s Sustainable Technology Evaluation and Demonstration (STED) Program information on product performance and pricing to simplify the acquisition process and make sustainable technology alternatives more readily available to federal agencies. (GSA.gov March 21, 2023)

“This partnership is an important step in strengthening our sustainable acquisition offerings, it’s so important that we help agencies more easily find and buy products that not only meet mission needs but are also better for the environment,” said Sonny Hashmi, Federal Acquisition Service commissioner. (ibid)

In accordance with the agreement, once a sustainable product that meets or exceeds DOD requirements is identified by STED, GSA will work with vendors in obtaining a new Federal Supply Schedule. (Washington Technology March 24, 2023)

Officials at GSA said they would help vendors obtain National Stock Numbers, allowing agencies to obtain sustainable products directly from GSA through the GSA Global Supply requisition process. The GSA Global Supply requisition process is currently certified in the Federal Acquisition Regulation. (ibid)

In addition to the Global Supply requisition process, agencies can also buy through the GSA Advantage! Environmental Aisle to assist in meeting federally-mandated acquisition requirements. Products identified through STED will soon have access to GSA Advantage! providing an even larger market for vendors to market their products. (ibid)

Questions about the MOU or the STED program? Give us a call.

Not an employee, not an Entity Administrator in SAM.gov

Effective March 6, 2023, only employees, officers, or board members within a company, may hold the Entity Administrator position. By making this change, GSA hopes to increase the level of security while ensuring that companies are controlling who may update their registration in SAM.gov. Service providers and/or consultants may continue managing entity registration, however, specific actions will be required. (gsa.gov|interact March 6, 2023)

Company registration updates require the relationship status of individuals to the company. If you are not a company employee, officer, or board member you will have the Data Entry role, not the Entity Administrator role. The Data Entry role allows you to register new entities, manage updates, and renew entity registrations, however, you may no longer manage user roles. If a company used an Entity Administrator Appointment Letter (notarized letter process) in the past, this is no longer an option for non-employees. (ibid)

If your current Entity Administrator is outside of your company, there are two ways to change your Entity Administrator role to a company employee, officer, or board member:

  1. Send an Entity Administrator Appointment Letter to the Federal Service Desk (FSD) appointing an administrator, or
  2. Ask your outside Entity Administrator to assign the role to an individual within your company prior to the next registration date, within SAM.gov. (ibid)

Companies that currently have an employee, officer, or board member as their Entity Administrator for SAM.gov are not affected by this change. If you are not certain, you can view roles assigned to individuals within your company by logging into SAM.gov and selecting “My Roles.” (ibid)

Questions about your Entity Administrator or SAM.gov? Give us a call.

New GSA requirement – attest to software safety

According to a recent GSA memo, software vendors will be required to ensure that only approved software is acquired and used by GSA. GSA plans to use a Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency form to collect the letters. The forms will be available in early June. (FEDSCOOP February 1, 2023)

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Chief Jen Easterly recently urged industry to take responsibility to ensure the safety of its products. The CISA Chief also recommended shareholders make sure c-suite executives are viewing cyber risk as a board-level issue. (ibid)

GSA is collecting the letters of attestation in an effort to implement a memo signed by the White House. The memo requires all federal agencies to verify that all distributed third-party IT software adheres to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) supply chain security requirements. (ibid)

The Federal Acquisition Council has under consideration, embedding the requirement for software providers to attest to the security of their products within the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). (ibid)

According to the memo, “GSA’s acquisition regulations (GSAM 511.170(d)) require GSA’s Information Technology (IT) Office to approve new software before its use at GSA. To comply with Executive Order 14028 and OMB Memorandum M-22-18, which require federal agencies to only use software that complies with Government-specified secure software development practices, GSA IT will update its processes to approve software including requiring vendor attestations. GSA IT anticipates issuing an updated attestation process by June 12, 2023.” (Memorandum for the GSA Acquisition Workforce 1/11/23)

The memo also states, “Contractors providing GSA with a cloud-based solution are encouraged to work with the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP). The FedRAMP approval process will streamline the GSA IT Standards Process allowing for a timely contract start. GSA also anticipates that leveraging FedRAMP will ensure and streamline compliance with the requirements of OMB Memo M-22-18 in the future.” (ibid)

Have questions or need some guidance with your letter of attestation? Give us a call.