In the 2021 calendar, GSA has issued three solicitation refreshes and plans one more before the end of the month. Each refresh implements changes to the GSA Schedule and some have introduced new Special Item Numbers. Have you kept all with the developments at GSA over the past year?
In order to make the most of your GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Contract it’s important to stay informed and up to date on contract changes. Whether you need a quick refresh or want to ensure you haven’t missed anything, we’ve put together a summary of the major changes from the 2021 calendar year that may impact your company:
- Cloud SIN & SIN Changes
- COVID-19 Safety Requirements
- New & Revised SINs
- Verified Products Portal
- Beta.SAM & SAM.gov Merge
- DocuSign & FAS ID
- COVID-19 Related Waivers
- TDR to Become Eligible for Expansion
- New GSA IDIQ Services Contract
- MAS Consolidation Checklist & Plans
Cloud SIN & Other SIN Changes
GSA plans to issue Refresh 9 later this month which will include administrative clause and provision updates, as well as several changes to Price Proposal Templates. Perhaps most notably, Refresh 9 will also includes changes to the titles and/or descriptions of five Special Item Numbers (SINs). This will include changes to the Cloud SIN 518210C. Learn more about the Cloud SIN and other SIN changes.
COVID-19 Requirements
GSA Refresh 8 implemented COVID-19 safety requirements across all GSA MAS Contracts through the incorporation of FAR Clause 52.223-99. Companies were required to comply with the safety protocols by January 4th. However, a court recently issued a preliminary injunction to prevent the enforcement of the vaccine mandate for federal contractors and subcontractors. Learn more about FAR Clause 52.223-99 and the current injunction.
New & Revised SINs
GSA Refresh 7 expanded what can be offered under the GSA MAS Contract by adding two new Special Item Numbers (SINs) and broadening the scope of three existing SINs.
SIN 524292INS, Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds, and SIN 541990, All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (Non-IT), are the most recent SIN additions to the GSA MAS Contract. While many companies previously offered medical coding services under various SINs, SIN 524292INS is now the official home of medical coding and medical billing services.
The August Refresh also revised SIN 562112, Hazardous Waste Disposal Services, to include disposal services for medical and pharmaceutical waste. Learn more about the new and revised SINs.
Verified Products Portal
GSA Refresh 6 was issued in May and introduced the Verified Products Portal (VPP), a reformatted Letter of Supply (LOS) template, and waivers for COVID-19 related offerings. VPP now serves as an alternative to the LOS requirement. Learn more about Refresh 6 and VPP.
Beta.SAM & SAM.gov Merged
In May of 2021, Beta.SAM.gov officially became SAM.gov. The consolidation of these two platforms was part of a nearly decade long project to merge multiple government websites into a single platform. This consolidation brought upon many changes, including the introduction of the new SAM Unique Entity ID (UEI). Learn more about the updated SAM.gov and SAM UEI.
DocuSign Replaced Digital Certificates
As of March 2021, companies no longer need to purchase or maintain a digital certificate for their GSA Schedule Contract. This past year, GSA replaced digital certificates with DocuSign as the method for digitally signing documents in eOffer and eMod. eOffer and eMod were then updated to have FAS ID as the login method instead of using digital certificates, so that the login method aligned with other GSA websites. Learn more about DocuSign and FAS ID.
GSA Proposal Requirements Eased for COVID-19 Solutions
Acquisition Letter MV-21-03, which was posted back in February, made it easier for companies that offer products or services that support COVID-19 response efforts to qualify for a GSA Contract. Refresh 6 formally incorporated the temporary waiver of certain GSA Multiple Award Schedule Contract requirements. Read more about COVID-19 related waivers.
Transactional Data Reporting
Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) is a program that allows companies to avoid the Price Reductions Clause (PRC) and Commercial Sales Practices disclosure in exchange for reporting additional data points on a monthly basis. In April of this year, GSA released the latest positive results of the TDR pilot’s performance and indicated the program was eligible for expansion.
While, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a decidedly unfavorable report of TDR in June of 2021, GSA is standing by the program. GSA’s response to the OIG’s final audit report detailed their strong disagreement with the OIG’s recommendations and concluded with the GSA Federal Acquisition Service’s intent to consider expansion of the Transactional Data Reporting program.
TDR is currently only available to companies that offer products and services under specific SINs, so the expansion of TDR would be great news for companies that have not yet been eligible to participate in the program. Learn more about TDR and see if your company qualifies.
New Services IDIQ (OASIS Replacement)
While not part of the GSA Schedules Program, OASIS is a sought-after services contract managed by GSA. OASIS accounted for $10 billion in sales last fiscal year. As the 2024 end date for OASIS approaches, GSA is releasing more information on the new IDIQ contract that will take its place. Stay up to date on the New Services IDIQ.
MAS Consolidation
Prior to introducing the single, GSA Multiple Award Schedule in October of 2019, the GSA Schedules program consisted of 24 GSA Schedules. While nearly 89% of companies hold just one GSA Multiple Award Schedule Contract, there are more than 1,300 companies that hold two or more contracts.
If you hold more than one GSA MAS Contract under the same DUNS number, where one contract is not a follow-on or a small business set-aside (SBSA), you are required to submit a Phase 3 Consolidation Checklist by December 31, 2021. Learn more about consolidating your GSA Contracts into one.
Stay Tuned for GSA Initiatives to Watch in 2022
Subscribe to our newsletter or check back next month to read about GSA initiatives we’re watching in the new year. This will include the SAM UEI replacing the DUNs number as the official unique entity identifier used by the federal government in April 2022.
