As 2021 draws to a close, GSA is planning its strategic steps for GSA schedule 2022 and outlining what adjustments will be made to the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program. It's never too early to start preparing for the following year. We went to the Southwest Supply and Acquisition Center's Industry Days at the beginning of December. This annual gathering is focused on updating contractors and business partners on GSA. The events of this year provided a glimpse into all the significant changes that are anticipated to take place in the following year or two. What are some of these modifications, and how will they affect the strategies you use in business?
Here are some of the main conclusions of GSA schedule 2022.
Updates to the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) in general
All guests were informed of some exciting MAS updates by GSA leadership within the first hour of the industry days. There will be a Transaction Data Reporting (TDR) Expansion in the upcoming year. When it comes to price criteria and reporting obligations, this would drastically alter what is expected of both existing and future contractors. The Data Universal Number System (DUNS) will be completely replaced with Unique Entity Identifiers (UEIs) by April 4th, 2022, in addition to the TDR Expansion.
The continuation of Phase 3 of the MAS Consolidation is one of GSA schedule 2022s top goals. Phase 3 only applies to contractors with numerous MAS contracts, it's vital to remember that. The objective is to reduce the number of MAS contracts for contractors per UEI/DUNS. This has several advantages, including fewer contracts to manage and a more efficient Schedule business approach with lower overhead.
Contractors should anticipate a single point of contact with a single Procurement Contracting Officer (PCO) for all MAS businesses as a result of this consolidation. Additionally, it simplifies matters for clients because they can now access the complete range of awarded offerings from contractors on the new Schedule.
Development of Business in the GSA MAS Program
Customer service, both for contractors and GSA customers, was mentioned by GSA leaders as one of their top goals for the forthcoming year. By enhancing customer service, GSA will guarantee that businesses using GSA Schedules have a better buying experience, which will persuade them to keep doing business with government contractors.
Making contractors provide shipping and tracking information for all of their purchases to government clients is one of the ways this will be checked. This promotes accountability and gives customers peace of mind about the status of their orders. To ensure that organizations are not ignoring their consumers, GSA will monitor customer services using an SRM, or supplier relationship management tracker, and will organize virtual meetings. Companies that manage their purchase orders and transport goods will be categorized according to color (red, yellow, or green); your contracting officer can tell you what category your entity falls into.
A further strategy to promote customer service is to require contractors to post images of their goods on GSA Advantage! This action reflects the common purchasing mindset that permeates our daily lives. Would you ever purchase something off of Amazon if it didn't include a picture? Entries containing photos will receive priority treatment on the GSA Advantage! website, rising to the top of a search. There are many requirements set forth by GSA for the photos, including file name, file size, and file format. The Vendor Support Center has various resources on it that can be used to learn more about these rules.
GSA Schedule 2022 Updates on GSA Resources
Updates to certain crucial resources for contractors and business partners are anticipated in 2022. With a new website going live before the end of the year, GSA announced significant upgrades to the Vendor Support Center (VSC). To make it easier for you to discover the information you need, the site now has a search feature and an updated layout.
On December 17, 2021, the Vendor Education Center (VEC) will be formally shut down. As a result, the MAS Roadmap will now include the Pathways Training and Readiness Assessment. You won't need to include the certificates with your MAS Schedule offer anymore; instead, the offer system will ask you if you watched and finished the pieces of training.
GSA plans to launch a beta test of a new piece of software called the Common Catalog Platform before the end of 2022. (CCP). The legacy Schedule Input Program (SIP), the GSA Advantage! backend would be replaced by this. Also anticipated is the replacement of the Contracting Officer Review System by this new platform (CORS). Users will eventually be transferred from contractual systems to the CCP to control catalog information at the line-item level. While bringing additional functionalities to make catalog management simpler, it works with contracting systems to enhance data quality and lessen administrative complexity.
With the aid of GSA and GSA resources, all these developments encourage contract holders to make the greatest use of their contracts. Even while these programs are beneficial, dealing with change may be difficult. That's why our staff is here to help you with anything GSA-related. For information on industry days and other GSA-related news, sign up for our newsletter, or get in touch with our team if you have questions about a particular contract.
No comments:
Post a Comment