By Maureen Meyer on April 5, 2024
GSA MAS Refresh #21 to Bring Clause Clarifications, Category-Specific Updates, and More
Changes are coming to General Services Administration’s (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Solicitation 47QSMD20R0001. With Refresh #21 and an associated mass modification (mass mod) anticipated in late May 2024, it’s important for MAS contractors to know what lies ahead. To help your business determine the impact of Refresh #21, we are breaking down each change discussed by the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) in a recent webinar. For a summary of GSA MAS Refresh #20 click here.
Changes to Overall MAS Solicitation:
1. Implement minor revision to SCP-FSS-001 Instructions Applicable to All Offerors.
a. Revise provision (i)(1)(iv) to:
i. Clarify that the 12-month waiting period and additional documentation requirements apply to Joint Venture partners who held a previous Schedule contract that was canceled/allowed to expire due to low or no sales or on-compliance.
2. Add the following note to clause 552.238-83, EXAMINATION OF RECORDS BY GSA (FEDERAL SUPPLY SCHEDULES):
a. Note: “The types of books, documents, papers and records shall include but are not be limited to:
– Eligible users of the GSA Sources of Supply and Services, as defined by Ordering Guide Publication (OGP) 4800.2I and/or subsequent orders,
– Basis of Award customers, 552.238-81 Price Reductions, and 552.238-80 Industrial Funding Fee and Sales Reporting,
– Verifying Commercial Sales Practices (CSP-1) Form accuracy and completeness,
– GSA MAS Contractor Team Arrangements (CTAs), and
– Authorized Dealers incorporated into the MAS contract by the Contracting Officer.”
3. Add the following note to clause 52.232-36, Payment by Third Party:
a. Note:“Credit card fees or convenience fees may not be charged to the end customer.”
4. Add 4 new optional TDR Data Elements.
a. The below new optional TDR Data Elements will be added to Alternate I of General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation (GSAR) 552.238-80, INDUSTRIAL FUNDING FEE AND SALES REPORTING.
i. Order Date
ii. Ship Date
iii. Zip Code Shipped To
iv. Federal Customer – Treasury Agency Code.
5. Incorporate clause and provision updates, as necessary, through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2024-05 and GSAR Change 179.
Changes to Specific Large Category, Subcategory or Special Item Number (SIN):
1. All Large Categories.
a. Add Standard “General Information” section:
i. Add below language to clearly define the scope of the MAS Solicitation as it pertains to firearms, live ammunition, explosives, and artillery weapons.
“Firearms and Ammunition: GSA will not award weapons such as firearms, live ammunition, explosives, and artillery weapons under this Solicitation. This also includes components that are solely used to produce functional weapons. Components that will not be awarded under this Solicitation include, but are not limited to, barrels, chambers, bolts, trigger groups, stock, magazines, rockets, grenades, grenade launchers, mines and mortars, cases, primers, powder, and projectiles. This exclusion does not apply to non-lethal ammunition types intended to be used for training, safety, and marking purposes.”
2. Office Management (A).
a. Printing and Photographic Equipment (A10): SIN(s) 333316C – Copiers and Digital Duplicating Equipment; 333316CPC – Cost-per-Copy Plan for Copiers (to include Analog, Digital, Multifunctional and Engineer Copiers); 333316F – Flat Rate Monthly Fee for Copiers (to include Analog, Digital, Multifunctional and Engineer Copiers); 333316OS – Overseas Copiers and Supplies; 532420C – Copier Rental Solutions; 532420LC – Operating Lease Plan For Copiers; 532420LTOP – Lease to Ownership Plans (LTOP) Copier.
i. Revise SIN descriptions to include multifunction printers (MFP) and multifunction devices (MFD).
3. Information Technology (IT) (F).
a. Add Standard “General Information” section:
Add language to clarify payment for software licenses delivered via Software as a Service (SaaS): “In the context of software licenses delivered or accessed via SaaS, payment is often made “upfront”, meaning that payment is made contemporaneously with receipt of the software license and the beginning of the license service term. Upfront payments are not considered an advance payment. Advance payment is a specific type of contract financing method where payments are made prior to delivery or completion of the product or a service. There are statutory limitations (e.g., 31 United States Code (U.S.C.) § 3324 and 41 U.S.C. § 4505) on the Federal Government’s use of advance payments. Advance payments to Government contractors for goods and services are generally prohibited unless specifically authorized. Advance payment is not authorized for the purchase of software licenses delivered or accessed via SaaS. (To clarify, upfront payment for software licenses delivered or accessed via SaaS are not considered advance payment. The central distinction is the contemporaneous access.)”
b. Electronic Commerce Subcategory (F01):
i. Remove the below language for SIN 54151ECOM Electronic Commerce and Subscription Services.
1. “All services shall be billed in arrears in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3324.”
c. IT Solutions Subcategory (F05):
i. Remove the below language for SIN 541519ICAM – Identity, Credentialing and Access Management (ICAM) and SIN 561422 – Automated Contact Center Solutions (ACCS).
1. “All services shall be billed in arrears in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3324.”
ii. Revise SIN Instructions for SIN 518210C – Cloud Computing and Cloud Related IT Professional Services and SIN 518210FM – Financial Management Quality Service Management Office (FM QSMO) Core Financial Management (FM) Solutions and IT Professional Services.
1. Remove all language related to “must be billed in arrears”.
2. Remove all language related to “must adhere to the ‘pay as you go’ pricing model and must be billed in arrears in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3324.”
iii. Revise “Solutions Subcategory SIN 518210C – Specific Information for Offerors” document (which is located on the Multiple Award Schedule website).
iv. Establish New SIN 541519CSP – Credential Service Provider.
1. Managed service offering for component or full service Credential Service Providers (CSPs) that meet the requirements of NIST SP 800-63 Digital Identity Guidelines (current version), to include public facing and enterprise.
d. Telecommunications Subcategory (F07):
i. Remove the below language for SIN 517410 – Commercial Satellite Communications Solutions (COMSATCOM) and SIN 517312 – Wireless Mobility Solutions.
1. “All services shall be billed in arrears in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3324.”
4. Professional Services (H).
a. Identity Protection Services (H04): SIN 541990IPS – Data Breach Response and Identity Protection.
i. Revise the 4 supplemental proposal documents with the following:
1. Document 1C (Shared Service Provider (SSP) Template).
a. Update the System Security Plan template In Accordance With (IAW) with the latest version of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-53.
2. Documents 1A (Important Definitions) and 1B (Additional Proposal Instructions).
a. Update hyperlinks to the NIST Cybersecurity and Privacy Reference Tool (CPRT) catalog which shows all of the latest documentation instead of the individual documents.
b. Remove references to specific revisions and replace with “(latest revision)”, and added formatting for emphasis.
3. Add language to all the documents except 1C (SSP template) to further explain how SSP changes (outside of GSA requirements.) are handled when they are requested at the order level.
4. Add formatting to the last page of SIN 541990IPS ordering guide to emphasize the order reporting requirements.
ii. Revise SIN instructions to include the following: 1. These documents are located on the Multiple Award Schedule page under SIN 541990IPS.
5. Travel (L).
a. Travel Agent Services (L03): SIN 561510 – Travel Agent Services.
i. Revise Statement of Work (SOW) to account for changes in commercial travel capabilities and services offered by the Travel Management Companies (TMCs).
1. The next generation of the E-Gov Travel Service (ETS) program (ETSNext) is using the model in which travel agent services, provided by the TMCs on this SIN, will no longer be embedded and included as part of the ETSNext contract. Instead, each individual civilian agency is responsible for requesting Travel Agent Services.
These changes are anticipated for May 2024. Contractors, make sure to be on the lookout for the solicitation drop on SAM.gov.