Throughout 2015, the GSA will be making some major changes to eight (8) existing Professional Service Schedules (see list below). They will be consolidating them into on mega-Schedule, called the Professional Services Schedule (PSS). To put it simply, the old Schedules will cease to exist, but their Special Item Numbers (SIN’s), or subcategories, will be migrated into a single GSA Schedule. Here are the GSA Schedules being consolidated into the PSS.
[one_half][box type=”shadow”]- Consolidated (00CORP)
– MOBIS (874)
– PES (871)
– FABS (520)[/box]
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[one_half_last][box type=”shadow”]- AIMS (541)
– LOGWORLD (874V)
– Environmental (899)
– Language (738II)
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This will be a relatively large undertaking and is expected to take the entirety of 2015 to complete (see Timeline Below). There are currently 4,400 contracts across all eight Service Schedules. The Professional Services Schedule is consolidating several billion-dollar existing GSA Schedules into a new mega-schedule. If you combine the 2014 sales for these schedules, then you will have $10.8 billion. Below you will find the 2014 sales for the individual Schedules:
Why the GSA is Combining 8 GSA Schedules into the PSS
The GSA hopes that by combining these 8 Schedules into the PSS, there will be greater usability of the PSS as a total solution for federal buyers. The GSA is also expecting reduced administration costs and program efficiency because the number of contracts that they oversee and administer will be reduced.
There is some overlap in scope among the Services Schedules, and consolidating them will make for less confusion in the offer review and purchasing processes. Often times, an Agency’s needs span across several services, and this should simplify the process by offering a comprehensive source for services. The GSA believes that the current complexity of using more than one Service Schedule prevents the use of Multiple Award Schedules, and they are losing money.
The Timeline for Professional Service Schedule (PSS) Consolidation
Whenever the federal government releases a timeline, it is often blurry whether the landmarks will be met. I can attest that on this project the GSA is serious about meeting every deadline. The Center in Auburn, WA was putting great focus on this in December 2014, and is still working through current contracts to migrate them to this new Schedule. New Acquisitions, as well as modifications for current Services Schedules have taken a back seat to this project. Here is the timeline that they anticipate:
[box type=”success”] 9.14 – Contractors with 2 Service Schedules (not 00CORP) notified and instructed
9.30.14 – Review and cancellation of non-Service Schedule SIN’s with no sales
12.31.14 – Deadline for contractors migrating 2+ non-00CORP Schedules
12.31.14 – Contracts with non-Service Schedule SIN’s with sales will be migrated
1.1.15 – Migration to the PSS officially begins
2.28.15 – Existing Service Schedules closed
3.1.15 – New offers only accepted under new PSS
3.15 – Mass Mod issued (will allow addition of other services)
March through October – 8 months to process changes
11.1.15 – Migration to PSS completed
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How this will Impact Schedule Holders and Pending Offers
The table below will outline how this will impact Contractors:
Pros and Cons of the Professional Services Schedule
Whenever such a big change happens, the question arises: Is this good or bad? Time will tell, but here are some Pros and Cons to this initiative:
Pros:
- Current Schedule Holders (not on 00CORP) will now be able to add SIN’s from all Schedules being consolidated. This will lighten the load of Service offers, because they won’t have to submit for another GSA Contract. This is good for the GSA and Contractors.
- Federal Buyers will be able to go to one schedule for most service needs, making for little or no research of scopes and without fear of overlap.
- Simplified Terms and Conditions that will be applied to all Service Schedules, instead of a different set for 8 individual Schedules.
Cons:
- Lag in servicing current and pending awards, I have already come across some offers that are not being expedited to meet the needs of large federal opportunities. This fails to serve both the Buyer and the Contractor.
- Lag in servicing modifications will cause current contract holders to suffer and make for stale offerings to federal buyers. The Service Contracts are continuously being updated to match the services that are found in the commercial market. This lag will likely create a gap in service under these schedules.
- Lag will cause pricing updates to fall behind, and Contractors will suffer.
Sources:
- https://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/200063
- https://interact.gsa.gov/blog/improving-professional-service-schedules-changes-are-coming
