Expiring Contracts give GSA a Chance for Change

Making government purchasing more streamlined and consolidated has been the mission of the GSA for the last couple years, especially since the new GSA Administrator Denise Turner Roth was sworn in. With so many professional services contracts expiring in fiscal year 2016 and even more coming up for expiration in fiscal year 2017, the opportunity is ripe to implement changes and get agencies working together and consolidate purchasing. The consolidation of multiple GSA contracts into the new PSS (Professional Services Schedule) was a starting off point.

Fewer contracting vehicles would mean a simpler way to purchase professional services that agencies need. The goal is to not increase the number of indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts but to better utilize the ones that exist. Whether that means expanding GSA Schedules or OASIS, there are already vehicles out there for the services that the government purchases. There seems to be no need to increase the burden on the government by creating more and more IDIQs when existing contracts can be utilized and any new ones that would be created would exist within current frameworks.

Only 20 percent of government professional services spending is currently running through GSA with the rest going through the open market. Despite the governments wishes, open market competition is continually increasing, 10% between 2011 and 2014 (according to Bloomberg Government) creating the need for more contracting officers and more management, further bloating the government and its buying power.

Theoretically, this move will also increase competition. According to Bloomberg Government, about 80% of federal government spending on general professional services went to just 140 companies. Although there is a chance that those business then subcontracted to others, that is a very small number of companies gather a bulk of the work and money.

Utilizing the current vendor base (all vendors on the GSA have gone through a stringent approval process) and potentially making it easier for start ups to join the GSA can make this particular effort just what the government needs to stop creating new IDIQs and make sure they are utilizing government purchasing power in the best way!

Temporary Freeze on Awards of MOBIS (Schedule 874) Contracts

Due to the transition of all MOBIS Contracts to the new Professional Services Schedule, 00CORP, the General Services Administration is putting a freeze on awarding new contracts. Orders have come down from the GSA Regions 10 office in Seattle, who are the Mangers for the MOBIS Contracts.

The GSA has starting informing contractors that have submitted their information for this contract that effective immediately no awards will be made pending the October 2015 transition. There is a silver lining to the situation however, once awards begin being made to those pending they will receive the new Professional Services Schedule Contract. This opens a huge door for those companies, you’re not limited by the scope of the MOBIS contract.

To take a look at what SINs are included under Professional Services you can take a look at GSA’s eLibrary here: http://www.gsaelibrary.gsa.gov/ElibMain/scheduleSummary.do;jsessionid=4AC8018C72E9A8CDF3E4BBF0B84321EB.prd2pweb

Keep in mind that adding any of these new categories will have to wait until you’re officially awarded your GSA Contract.

As always, if you have any questions feel free to give us a call!

Reorganization and Goals at the GSA

The General Services Administration has spent the last couple years reorganizing both contracts and personnel with a large goal in mind. Create a simple and intuitive way for government agencies to spend the hundreds of billions of dollars they spend each year while making the smartest decisions. Leading the way the consolidated contract known as the Professional Services Schedule (PSS).
The goal of “PSS” is to simplify complex contract requirements. That’s really all it is. There’s no reason for all the professional services to be separated out when so many of them are interconnected and any different ones are needed to complete a single requirement.

On the personnel side, senior procurement executives are receiving more training and are focusing on how agencies are spending and knowing how best to help them. There’s more analytical work going on than ever before. The GSA seems to be catching on to big data and how that can help agencies purchases the best products and services while making sure they stay within budget.

That focus on simplification and efficiency seems to circle around bigger and better digital tools, for everyone involved; buyers, contractors, and contracting officers alike. On the contracting officer side, the GSA is looking to provide tools for information sharing between COs.

Looks like the GSA is moving, rather slowly, but moving into the digital age, although it’s a process with hurdles of its own. Data protection and fear of hacking has lead the CIO Council to issue a BPA for data breach services. They understand the need for instant in help in the case of data hacking.

So there it is. Slowly but sure the GSA is trying to modernize and protect itself while they do it. Only time will tell if works.

00CORP- you don’t have to start over!

Your company has been working diligently, collecting paperwork and filling out documents for months now, all to submit a proposal against one of GSA’s service schedules. Countless hours have been spent and lots of confusion understanding government documents has happened. But you’ve figured it out, worked with the system and are almost ready to submit.

Then you heard the news: the services schedules are no longer accepting solicitations against them! All that work for nothing. Not so fast…

The recent refresh to the solicitation for services contracts had the following blurb: “New offers for GSA Schedules 520 (FABS), 541 (AIMS), 738II (Language), 871 (PES), 874 (MOBIS), 874V (Logistics), and 899 (Environmental) are no longer being solicited or accepted.” If you read on, the solicitation directs all potential applicants to 00CORP.

So all that hard work later you think, “Great.. Now I have to start over with a new solicitation?!”

Not quite.

00CORP does have some of its own extra requirements, but a lot of the work that you’ve done is still valid! The special item numbers you’ve selected still apply and the narratives that you’ve worked so hard to craft still work. But here are some quick tips in case 00CORP has your company stressed out!

Tip 1: make sure you transfer all your info to the templates for the 00CORP Solicitation. The headers are correct on the documents found at this link- https://goo.gl/9kCqkM

Tip 2: The special items that you selected are still correct. Just add a “c” in front of them to signify consolidated

Tip 3: The summary of offer document for 00CORP is very different than the services one was. Make sure you read through it carefully and provide all the necessary information!

Professional Services Schedule

Our industry has been hearing about the elusive Professional Services Schedule for years. Well after countless push backs and mysteries it is finally here.

Although the time has come and gone for submitting your migration request of June 1st, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. This is what we know:

• If you have more than one of the following schedules then you should have submitted your migration request: 520, 871, 874, 874 V, 738 II, or 899.
• Once the migration is complete you will have 1 GSA Contract with a brand new Contract number and term. Which means that you will only have to worry about the $25,000 minimum sales requirement for one Schedule. 
• The GSA has promised that all migrations that were submitted by the June 1st deadline will be completed before October 1st.
• If you did not submit your migration request by June 1st you need to contact your contracting officer and explain your situation ASAP!
• GSA has stated that contractors who have not done so are not guaranteed migration by Oct 1st and after Oct 1st they will be canceling one of those contractors multiple schedule. Of which you have no choice and it will be done at random.
• For new contractors going under any of those schedule you will directed to submit a 00 Corp.
• However, you will be at the back of the line waiting for the GSA to complete all of the migrations first. 

For as long as the GSA has been discussing this we know very little. We do not have any inkling how the GSA will handle those contractors who only have 1 of the included schedules.

For the time being, if you have not submitted your migration please please please contact your contracting officer. If the GSA decides to enlighten us with additional information the GCS team will be sure to share it. 

Professional Services Schedule

The GSA is continuing to consolidate and streamline the different acquisition channels available to government purchasers. The major push in this effort is to consolidate professional services into a single “Professional Services Schedule” (PSS). The ever increasing number of vendors on the multiple professional services schedules has led to the movement for consolidation.

The following schedules are in the process of migration:

·         Consolidated (00CORP)

·         MOBIS (874)

·         PES (871)

·         FABS (520)

·         AIMS (541)

·         LOGWORLD (874V)

·         Environmental (899)

·         Language (738 II)

Contractors that belong to these schedules and provide professional services have been receiving letters, requesting they begin the migration process. Contractors should have received migration notices by the end of December. The process for migration consists of submitting a modification against the current contract and providing required documentation, similar to submitting the original offer. Everything will be reviewed and your contract will be migrated.

This change will provide easy ways to purchase as well as easing the burden on contractors with multiple services schedules, which are all maintained and audited separately. Contract administration resources within companies will now only have to manage a single contacting vehicle. For the purpose of reporting sales, conducting Contractor Assistance Visits, and managing eBuy solicitations, PSS will be a huge change on contract admin resources for the better.

In terms of providing services, GSA solicitation will be able to post solicitation against PSS that span more than one professional service and gain monetary benefit from single responses to multi-discipline requests. 

Information Technology and Human Resources contractors need not worry just yet- SIN 132 51 for IT and 595-21 for HR aren’t being migrated. Your schedules are staying just the way they are.