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Tag: GSA

GSA streamlines and saves you time

The General Services Administration (GSA) appears to have successfully modernized its catalog management system for the Advantage! program. (Federal News Network February 5, 2024)

GSA is increasing the user base of the new FAS Catalog Platform (FCP) after a successful trial period with Office Supplies 4 vendors. (ibid)

Mike Shepherd, the director of GSA’s catalog management office, explains the significant improvements of the FCP over the previous SIP system. He states that the FCP, replacing SIP, offers new features benefiting suppliers, acquisition workforce, and customers. It integrates with e-modification, capturing catalog updates and automating publishing modifications to GSA Advantage!. This greatly reduces the time it takes for vendors to add new products and delete items. It saves vendors an averge of 34 days by adding the products to their catalogs. Catalog deletions take place within 1 to 2 days of a modication submitted by the contractor, whereas it was common for it to take 10 or more days to delete products prior to the improvements. (ibid)

In addition to addressing long-standing issues, the platform includes automated data validation, a central hub for catalog actions, access to catalog history and a shared user interface. (ibid)

GSA plans to add more users and initiate a pilot for professional services on the platform. In addition, GSA aims to migrate the majority of Advantage! catalogs to the new platform by fiscal year-end. The plan also includes expanding the catalog platform to services contractors later this year, aiming for a simplified submission process. (ibid)

The new catalog is part of a broader effort to modernize GSA Advantage!, including consolidating schedules and updating user tools and backend systems, that both run and feed Advantage!. (ibid)

GSA will continue to gather feedback from users to address challenges and ensure ongoing improvement.(ibid)

Questions about the FCP improvements and how they might affect your contract? Give us a call.

A Quick Dive into GSA’s Game-Changing Proposed Economic Price Adjustment Clause

The General Services Administration’s (GSA) recently proposed to revise the General Services Acquisition Regulation (GSAR) Federal Supply Schedule Economic Price Adjustment (EPA) clauses. Issued on November 16, 2023, the rule aims to align with commercial standards and practices by eliminating specific EPA requirements and introducing a standardized clause: 552.238-118, Economic Price Adjustment, Federal Supply Schedule Contracts. (Federal News Network, January 12, 2024)

This new clause mirrors the principles outlined in GSA Acquisition Letter MV-22-02 from March 2022, which temporarily suspended certain procedural limits within FSS clauses. This move provided contractors with increased flexibility in processing EPAs, responding more effectively to shifts in the commercial market. The proposed rule extends this market-driven flexibility into the GSAR. (ibid)

The EPA proposed rule is defined as the “agreed-upon procedure” for adjusting pricing throughout a contract period.” The proposed clause empowers contracting officers and contractors to negotiate the mechanism, timing, and frequency of price adjustments. This streamlined, flexible approach is poised to enhance responsiveness to market changes. (ibid)

When contract prices are based on commercial catalog pricing, adjustments can align with changes in the catalog price. Similarly, if an index determines adjustments, changes in the index can dictate price adjustments. These mechanisms, being part of the contract, underscore the proposal’s pragmatic approach. (ibid)

For the success of this flexible EPA, implementation across the FSS program is crucial. Proper training for the acquisition workforce, focusing on pricing context and accurate data usage, is paramount. The proposed rule’s success depends on aligning the FSS program with the commercial market, necessitating revisions to current policies such as Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) Policy and Procedure (PAP) 2021-05. (ibid)

The PAP, as it stands, contains contradictory guidance inconsistent with the Federal Acquisition Regulation, escalating data submission burdens on FSS contractors. To streamline the EPA process effectively, reforming, revising, and reissuing the PAP in accordance with legal and operational goals is a logical starting point. (ibid)

Beyond reducing regulatory burdens, success hinges on comprehensive training, clear guidance, and accountability. Stakeholders, including coalition members, stand ready to assist the agency in operationalizing the rule successfully. (ibid)

Questions concerning price adjustments to your current contract? Give us a call.

Prohibited telcom equipment may cost you

The General Services Administration’s (GSA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) published a new report highlighting GSA’s failure to address prohibited telecom items on its Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contracts. The report states that this puts customers at risk of unauthorized surveillance by foreign adversaries. In 2017 and 2018, Congress passed laws prohibiting the procurement of certain telecom and video surveillance services from specific entities, with FAS responsible for ensuring compliance. However, the OIG report reveals that FAS’s reliance on contractor self-certifications and the Prohibited Products Robomod process is inadequate in preventing the inclusion of prohibited items on MAS contract price lists. (MerriTalk July 11,2023)

The report also identifies FAS’s shortcomings in taking sufficient action against contractors violating Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) restrictions, as well as the lack of a process to notify customer agencies about purchases of prohibited telecom items. Furthermore, FAS initially failed to comply with FAR requirements by not including subsidiaries and affiliates of named entities in their efforts to identify prohibited items on MAS contracts. To address these issues, the OIG has made five recommendations to FAS Commissioner Sonny Hashmi, including strengthening controls and implementing more stringent consequences for non-compliant contractors. (ibid)

This report from the GSA’s OIG follows the release of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) “Covered List,” which prohibits the sale of telecom network equipment and services from certain China-based providers due to national security concerns. The FCC’s ban aims to safeguard the nation’s communications networks and enhance the security and resilience of the domestic supply chain. These efforts reflect the commitment of both agencies to protect national security and mitigate risks associated with unauthorized telecommunications equipment and services. (ibid)

Questions about prohibited telcom items? give us a call.