GSA keeping ‘on track’ with schedule consolidation
The General Services Administration has begun the process of updating pre-existing contracts to meet the terms and conditions of its recently consolidated acquisition schedule.
GSA consolidated 24 schedules for finding and purchasing solutions into one Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) on Oct. 1 to modernize acquisition for federal, state and local agencies.
New contracts are placed on the consolidated schedule, while pre-existing contracts must be aligned by MAS schedule contractors — the second phase of the process known as Mass Modification. Schedule holders have until July 31 to accept the Mass Mod that GSA started issuing Friday, or else their offerings will no longer be accessible on GSA’s eTools platform.
“We are planning for a smooth transition and federal agencies should experience no disruption to their purchasing practices during the Mass Mod,” Julie Dunne, commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service, said in a statement. “There will be no change to contract numbers which makes the transition less burdensome overall. And, we’ve been steadily training our contracting workforce to ensure a seamless transition.”
The MAS solicitation is organized into 12 large categories: office management, facilities, furniture and furnishings, human capital, industrial products and services, information technology, miscellaneous, professional services, scientific management and solutions, security and protection, transportation and logistics services, and travel. Those categories are divided into subcategories and Special Item Numbers (SINs), which have been reduced from about 800 to 300 for clarity.
GSA developed the solicitation based on more than 1,000 comments from agencies, employees and industry in response to two requests for information.
MAS Consolidation is one of four cornerstones of GSA’s Federal Marketplace Strategy. The third and final phase of MAS Consolidation is slated for the second half of fiscal 2020.
“We’re right on track with MAS Consolidation,” said Emily Murphy, administrator of GSA. “Moving to a single schedule is good for federal agencies, our industry partners and our acquisition workforce. It’s a key piece of the picture for making it easier to deliver solutions.“
