The Plan to Create One GSA Schedule
Late last month, GSA surprised many in the govcon industry, announcing it would consolidate all 24 GSA Schedules into a single Schedule. While the plan was not preceded by a Request for Information (RFI), it was not quite unexpected. Over the past year, top officials at GSA – including GSA Administrator, Emily Murphy, and Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner, Alan Thomas – have commented that the agency was considering consolidating the GSA Schedules Program and perhaps looking at a single Schedule.
Despite earlier suggestions regarding a GSA Schedule consolidation, it was still surprising to see GSA’s definitive announcement in writing, especially considering the large scope of the project. FEDSched attended GSA’s Federal Marketplace Industry Day in D.C. yesterday to get the most up to date information. During the event Stephanie Shutt, GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program Management Office Director, discussed the plan in greater depth and answered some of the more common questions the agency has received. We’ve highlighted the details below and will provide updates as additional details become available.
GSA’s Single Schedule
When & How: While details are still being worked out, this will be a phased process that is already underway. One important note – this does NOT affect VA Schedules.
- Phase 1: The single, consolidated GSA Schedule will be available to new offerors in fiscal year 2019. At that time, GSA will close the 24 currently standalone GSA Schedule solicitations.
- Phase 2: In fiscal year 2020, GSA will issue a mass modification to transition companies that hold only one GSA Schedule Contract to the new GSA Schedule (contract numbers will remain the same).
- Phase 3: In the latter half of fiscal year 2020, GSA will work with companies that hold multiple GSA Schedules to consolidate them into one. The entire process could take up to 5 years to complete as GSA allows for contracts with existing Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) to run out.
GSA is currently reviewing all terms and conditions under each GSA Schedule and SIN. As it stands, there are approximately 1,000 SINs. GSA intends to pair this number down as they review SINs for duplication. They also intend on watching the new solicitation after it opens to ensure everything is running smoothly before they begin the mass modifications of Phase 2. During the Federal Marketplace Industry Day, Stephanie Shutt estimated that mass modifications would begin around January of 2020.
Cooperative Purchasing: Cooperative Purchasing allows state and local government to purchase from GSA IT Schedule 70 and GSA Security Schedule 84. According to Stephanie Shutt, Cooperative Purchasing will apply at the appropriate category level and will not expand under the single GSA Schedule.
Transactional Data Reporting (TDR): TDR allows contractors to trade the Price Reductions Clause for monthly reporting. It’s currently in the midst of a 3-year pilot and only applies to certain Schedules/SINs. According to Stephanie Shutt, as with Cooperative Purchasing, TDR will apply at the category level and will not yet roll out across all categories.
What Should You Do as an Existing or Prospective Contractor?: We’ve heard multiple people at GSA echo Stephanie Shutt’s comment from Wednesday, “Don’t wait. Go ahead and do business as usual. We will work with you through all of this, but do not halt or wait for us to get caught up.”
This applies to companies that are just starting to pursue a GSA Schedule and to companies that already hold a GSA Schedule. If you’ve done your research and have determined your company could benefit from holding a GSA Schedule, proceed ahead. The longer you wait to start, the longer it will be until you have a GSA Schedule Contract award. Currently, the review process at GSA can take a few months to over a year depending on the GSA Schedule you’re pursuing. We don’t know how the consolidation will affect these review times. There may be a learning curve when the new, single GSA Schedule is released that impacts review times as GSA Contracting Officers adjust to the new changes.
Have Questions? Need Help?
Whether you need help speeding up your plans to secure a GSA Schedule Contract, or are concerned about how GSA’s move to a single Schedule impacts you, contact us to talk.