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

Tag: SINs

****Important Mass Mod****

GSA will release a mass modification tomorrow, 31 January 2020, to support the new MAS Consolidated Schedule. This isn’t your “normal” mass modification: it will entail many steps.

BEFORE you Sign the Mass Mod make sure you familiarize yourself with the Available Offerings Attachment and understand where your SINs will map under the new MAS structure; make sure you have the correct NAICS codes, as approved by beta.sam.gov; catalog exceptions taken in your current Schedule; make sure you do not have any pending Add or Delete SIN mods.

When signing the mass mod, you must respond to every clause for each Schedule you hold. Additionally, there are a number of actions you must take after signing the mass mod, including ensuring that your Schedule shows in eLibrary under the new MAS vehicle and working with your CO to delete new SINs you don’t need among a number of other actions.

Confused or nervous you may leave something out? Schedule a conference call or consultation with our Proposal Specialists by calling 301-913-5000.

 

New Year, New Mass Mod

At the start of the new year, GSA plans to issue a Mass Modification that will update Schedule contracts to mirror the new consolidated Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) for products and services. The new Multiple Award schedule was released this past October 1st. (GSA Interact, November 25, 2019)

The single Schedule solicitation promotes a simplified format, terms, and conditions along with new categories and Special Item Numbers (SINs). The new Schedule should make it easier for contractors to offer products and services and for agencies to find them. (ibid)

When the Mass Mod is issued, all current Schedule holder’s terms and conditions will align with the new consolidated MAS. The new consolidated MAS solicitation and category attachments are posted on BETA.SAM.gov. Attachments incorporate additional instructions and requirements specific to each large category, subcategory, or SIN. The new consolidated MAS solicitation includes:

  • Solicitation
  • Available Offerings Summary Document
  • Regulations Incorporated by Reference

The Available Offerings and Requirements page on GSA.gov contains templates and attachments for the solicitation. Instructions for each template can be found on Beta.Sam.gov; however individual documents will be housed on GSA.gov. (ibid)

So what do you need to do go get ready? GSA recommends attending one of the following webinars:

Session One:

Date: Thursday, December 19, 2019

Time: 2:30 – 3:30 PM EST

Registration Link: can be found by clicking here.

Session Two:

Date: Thursday, January 9, 2020

Time: 3:00 – 4:00 PM EST

Registration Link: can be found by clicking here. (ibid)

Individuals unable to attend either of the two webinars can find recordings on Interact. In addition, there is an Overview of MAS Consolidation and Consolidated Solicitation Advance Notice training recordings which can be reviewed at any time.

To understand the New Offerings structure, individuals should review the solicitation to understand where specific offerings will fall under the new large categories, subcategories, and SINs. In addition, review of the advance notice for the release of the MAS solicitation, for an overview of clauses, available offerings, and a matrix of clauses included in MAS. (ibid)

GSA recommends questions be submitted to your assigned contracting officer (CO) or the Multiple Award Schedule Program Management Office (MAS PMO) at MASPMO@gsa.gov. (ibid)

Once in receipt of the upcoming Mass Mod, we recommend you review it immediately. Note any exceptions. When responding to the Mass Mod, contractors will be presented with each clause in the consolidated Schedule and may either accept the clause or request an exception. Each exception must include a written justification and be negotiated with the CO. (Contractors should not take exception to clauses that do not apply to them.)

All responses to the Mass Mod are due before July 31, 2020. Those not responding by the due date will find their offerings unavailable on GSA eTools. The contract number, period of performance, products, and services offered as well as the assigned CO will not change as a result of accepting the Mass Mod. (ibid)

Concerns about the Mass Mod and whether or how an exception might affect your current Schedule? Concerned with how to justify an exception? Give us a call.

Update on GSA’s Schedule Consolidation

Stephanie Shutt, who is spearheading the GSA Schedule consolidation, recently spoke about the effort’s three phases. On October 1, GSA completed the first phase of the consolidation and released the new single solicitation. (Nextgov, October 9, 2019)

Phase one organizes the Multiple Award Schedule Consolidation into categories that correspond to OMB’s category management approach. This allowed GSA to work with a template instead of starting from nothing. During the Schedule review, duplicates were removed as were multiple versions of specific contract clauses. (ibid)

To date, the Schedules had been divided into service and supply subcategories or Special Item Numbers (SINs). Duplicate SINs were removed, about 600 in all. The new SINs structure is based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) which many agencies already use. (ibid)

Phase two, set to begin after the new year, will focus on existing contract holders completing a mass modification to update their base terms and conditions, which will ultimately moving most current holders to the new Schedule. Updates do not apply to negotiated elements of contracts, such as warranties or periods of performance. They will, however, impact the baseline terms and conditions. Vendors will also see a relocation of SINs and have the opportunity to select SINs that previously were across separate Schedules. Look for an advanced notice regarding mass modifications from GSA in early November. (ibid)

Phase three is slated to launch in July 2020. During this time, contracting officers will assist multiple Schedule holders with more than five years remaining on their contracts to consolidate into a single contract under the new Schedule. (ibid)

Shutt stressed that vendors with one contract under MAS or multiple contract holders that see completion within the next five years will have reviewed and completed the process by signing the “mass mod” during phase two. Phase three affects only contractors with multiple contracts, especially those with more than five years remaining on the contract. Those particular contractors will receive support directly from Shutt’s team to devise a plan to funnel all products and services down to one contract. (ibid)

Questions about how these phases might affect your current contract or a current bid? Give us a call.

TDR Pilot Still Flying

GSA is extending the Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) pilot program for an additional year, giving everyone ample time to work on the pilot while preparing for the upcoming Schedule consolidation.  The TDR pilot program collects pricing data, including cost to the government for services and products sold under GSA contracts. Ultimately, TDR will replace GSA’s Commercial Sales Practices. (Federal Computer Week, August 19, 2019)

TDR was implemented as a noncompulsory, three-year pilot that included eight schedules and their associated SINs. GSA created TDR to reduce bureaucratic burden and increase transparency by requiring monthly reporting of transactional sales data from government-wide contracts, including Multiple Award Schedules contracts. Ultimately, TDR promotes smarter purchasing by federal agencies by allowing expedited and more comprehensive data to assure best value. (ibid)

The GSA Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report last summer pointing out that the TDR pilot will not produce a quantifiable measurement. According to the OIG, data is not available for use and there are no performance targets. The IG asked GSA to set performance targets for each metric used and to verify the data is available and valid. (ibid) GSA and the FAS Commissioner Alan Thomas stated that the pilot was just getting ramped up and that some tweaks might be necessary based on the OIG report. However, the extension to the TDR pilot will allow more time for additional data gathering. According to Roger Waldron, president for the Coalition for Government Procurement, the extra time will give the pilot stability while allowing the price reductions clause to be removed. (ibid)

GSA will review the pilot at the end of fiscal year 2020 and at that time determine whether to cancel or expand the program to all GSA Schedule SINs. (ibid)

Still wondering how you can take part in the TDR pilot or how GSAs multiple schedule consolidation might work in your favor? Give us a call.

 

GSA Schedules’ Summer Diet

GSA decided it’s high time that 24 multiple award schedules shrink all the way down to one.

To accomplish this, GSA is conducting an analysis across all Schedules, which include 10 million commercial products and services that bring in more than $31 billion in sales annually. Public feedback can be provided on the consolidation through a recently released request for information (RFI); it asks the public to weight in on the contents as well as clauses and provisions being considered. (Nextgov, June 2019)

According to Stephanie Shutt, director of the MAS Program Management Office, streamlining terms and conditions will make if it far easier for vendors to work with the government and vice versa. (ibid)

The current plan is a single schedule for services and products that are “mapped to the current government-wide category structure.” Special Item Numbers (which help identify products) are also falling under review. New SINs will follow shortly and as with the MAS, will be open for public comment. (ibid) We’ve also heard rumors that GSA will be dispensing with SINs all together, and will instead use NAICS codes.

Big changes! Give us a call with any questions about the RFI or how your current contract might be affected.