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GSA MAS Refresh #16 Will Feature Highly-Anticipated JV Guidance

By Global Services on April 28, 2023

 

Yesterday, the General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) team conducted a webinar for industry, discussing the upcoming Refresh #16 to the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Solicitation. In addition to minor updates coming for a few Large Categories, Subcategories, Special Item Numbers (SINs), Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS), and the Price Proposal Templates (PPTs), one of the biggest takeaways is the official guidance for Joint Venture (JV) Offerors in SCP-FSS-001, Instructions to All Offerors. While the Refresh and its correlating Mass Modification will not drop until May 15, 2023, it’s important that offerors take full stock of the JV opportunities that lie ahead.

So, let’s deep dive into the main takeaways for vendors looking to obtain a MAS contract for a JV.

 

 


General Guidance

 

  • The JV must be separate legal entity registered in System for Award Management (SAM) under its own Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code. The JV entity cannot share a UEI or CAGE code with any of its JV partners.
    • Additionally, the JV must have at least one (1) North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code represented per SIN on offer.
  • JV partner companies may hold up to a Maximum three (3) JV MAS Contracts excluding their own individual GSA MAS contracts.
  • JVs with less than two (2) years of experience are eligible to participate in the Startup Springboard Program (meaning no Two (2) Year Financials, Corporate Experience, or Past Performance as the JV is needed).
  • JV entities that can’t demonstrate JV past performance may use the past performance of its JV partners.
  • Letters of Supply (LoS) can be made out to the partner that will source provided the JV won’t source the offered product itself (unpopulated).
  • Partners of a JV MAS that don’t have a current GSA MAS contract are eligible to submit a streamlined offer for their partner company as long as there are sales under the JV MAS. Keep in mind that SIN(s) must only be those awarded on the JV MAS.
  • JV MAS contracts cancelled for low or no sales cannot be resubmitted until twelve (12) months have passed.

 


Administrative Requirements

 

  • JVs with more than two (2+) years of corporate experience must submit two (2) years of financial statements/financial documentation from the JV itself.
  • If a JV partner holds an individual FSS program contract, the FSS Price List (I-FSS-600), inclusive of the awarded prices/rates, must be uploaded to eOffer.
  • There will be a new, mandatory solicitation attachment:
    • All JVs must complete Section 1: All Joint Ventures and Appendix A: Ownership or Control of Offeror.
    • All small or socioeconomic category JVs must complete Section 2: All Small Business Joint Ventures and Appendix B: Small Business Program Representations.
    • JVs representing themselves as a socioeconomic category and SBA approved Mentor-Protégé (referred to as a Mentor-Protégé Joint Venture) JVs representing themselves as small (regardless of whether they represent themselves as small or a socio-economic category), must also complete Appendix C: Statement of Assurance.

 


Technical Requirements

 

  • JVs with more than two (2+) years of experience must complete the Corporate Experience narrative with information from the JV entity itself.
  • JV entities can use the Past Performance of its JV partners to satisfy solicitation past performance requirements. However, keep in mind that at least one (1) Past Performance (Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS)/Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ), and Past Performance Project Write-up) must come from the protégé.

 


Pricing Requirements

 

  • The Price Proposal Template (PPT) identified Most Favored Customer (MFC) can be substantiated by one of its partners providing the services in the event that the JV Entity has non-historical billings.
  • Pricing support can be used from either JV entity or its partners.
    • New Offer and Modification Price Proposal Templates (PPTs) will feature instructional language for JVs in the Read Me First tab.
  • For a JV Entity who is not yet performing the services itself, each applicable position Labor Category description must include the name of the JV partner that supplies the Labor Category or Fixed-Price Service.
  • Unpopulated JVs must submit each partner’s Compensation Plan and Uncompensated Overtime Statement.

 

GSA acknowledges that further clarity will be needed regarding these JV instructions and has promised to post Q&A from the webinar to the Interact post, as well as cover more details in a MAS Office Hours Webinar scheduled for June 15, 2023. So, contractors, stay tuned!

 

 

If you’re looking for assistance with obtaining a Joint Venture MAS Contract, please reach out to our experts here.