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Tag: SIP

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.

Not a “tricky” October 31st Deadline

A Multiple Award Schedule deadline is fast approaching. All contractors must do the following to remain in compliance with the MAS Consolidation Mass Mod A812:

  1. Update your catalog in GSA Advantage
  2. Update your Price List (text file) (GSA Interact September 8, 2020)

To remain in GSA Advantage, your SIP or EDI catalog to the consolidated MAS SINs must be updated before October 31, 2020, or you risk disruption to your catalog status or access to eTools. To accomplish the update, see the SIP/EDI Catalog Update Guide. All catalog submissions must be approved by your CO. (ibid)

Additionally, all schedule holders must update their Price List (Text File) using the MAS Consolidation Price List Guide, organizing their contract offerings under the new SIN structure. (ibid)

To aid contractors with their updates, webinars are being offered as well as a Vendor Support Center Help Desk at vendor.support@gsa.gov or call 877-495-4849. (ibid)

Having trouble getting your questions answered? Give us a call.

Migrate to MAS — Or Else!

This is a time-sensitive reminder that before you submit changes to your catalog through SIP/EDI, migrating to MAS is essential. Even if you have updated your Text File information, you must make sure the migration step has been completed for all of your contracts. (GSA, June 16, 2020)

GSA is deleting all legacy catalogs (product and service) from Advantage, on July 31, 2020. You can continue to use the migrate to MAS function in SIP. Additionally, Catalogs pending approval in CORS should not be impacted by the deletion of legacy catalogs.

Beginning 1 July 2020 updates to legacy catalogs will no longer be allowed. They may only be made once you sign the MAS Mass Mod and migrate your catalog to MAS SINs. (ibid)

Need some help with your contract migration? Give us a call.

Bye Bye FPT, It’s Been Nice Knowing You

The GSA Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) has decided to discontinue the Formatted Product Tool (FPT), reverting contracts that were awarded through this process to the legacy SIP/CORs process for managing and loading catalog data into GSA Advantage! Offer submissions and modifications will continue through eOffer/eMod, without the formatted templates from FPT. This change requires a refresh to the three types of schedules listed below, and the issuance of a mass modification to remove FPT specific clauses, replacing them with the legacy versions where applicable. This will be taking place over the next several months.

This notice applies only to the following three schedules:

  • Schedule 58 I – Professional Audio/Video Telemetry/Tracking, Recording/Reproducing, and Signal Data Solutions
  • Schedule 72 – Furnishing and Floor Coverings
  • Schedule 66 – Scientific Equipment and Services

FAS saw mixed success from the user experience perspective. “Vendors participating in FPT indicated to us that the current process is cumbersome and in some cases, extremely time-consuming – especially for vendors with large catalogs. Additionally, vendors experienced frustration in the time required to address catalog data validation as a result of the FPT process.”

Vendors should review the Significant Changes Document for any potential changes to their solicitation/contract, including those not related to the FPT rollback.

Please call EZGSA at 301-913-5000 with any questions you may have.

After-the-Hack Survival Guide

Post Breach Rules Require Password Resets

Remember that huge GSA hack? Remember how they subsequently lost all your usernames and passwords? Now it’s time to deal with the fallout.

Since then, GSA assessed “the underlying vulnerability in all of its information systems and is immediately applying stricter security measures, including more stringent password management and Multi-Factor Authentication”. The measures apply to eBuy, Advantage Spend Analysis Program (ASAP), Schedule Input Program (SIP), Reverse Auctions and 72A Reporting System accounts.

What does this mean for contractors? For 72A reporting, you’ll have to visit https://72a.gsa.gov/ to reset your password. VSC users should have received an email with links and instructions to reset your VSC password. In case it got filtered to your spam, you can find reset instructions here. System features will be inaccessible until you reset your password. GSA advises users having trouble to contact the Vendor Support Center Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EDT at 877-495-4849 or vendor.support@gsa.gov. Through tomorrow (12 June), VSC offers extended hours of 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. If this is all way too confusing for you, we are here to help at 301-913-5000 or admin@ezgsa.com.