Center for IT Schedule Programs Frequently Asked Questions

 

  1. What is a Contractor Team Arrangement under GSA Schedule 70?
  2. How do I know I am getting the best price?
  3. How is purchasing from GSA Schedule 70 better than purchasing on the open market?
  4. Will the GSA Schedule 70 meet all of my needs where the requirements are large and/or complex? What if the Schedule contractor doesn’t have everything under contract?
  5. What is the Maximum Order Threshold that everyone is so excited about?
  6. When I place an order under a Schedule contract does it really meet Competition in Contracting Act requirements?
  7. How can I be certain I will always be able to get the latest technology under Schedule 70?
  8. What is the difference between software maintenance as a product vs. software maintenance as a service?
  9. How do I find out the status of my offer (proposal)?
  10. How soon will my Open Ratings Report Expire?
  11. Looking for your GSA contract representative?
  12. How is GSA awarding contracts for products made in China?
  13. If an agency wants to use manufacturer take-back services, for federally-owned property, they must either utilize their exchange/sale authority or declare the property for abandonment/destruction. Is this correct?
  14. The word "Substantially" in substantially transformed used in Trade Agreements 52.225-5, is very subjective. Does it mean 95 percent or as little as 51 percent owned or controlled?
  15. Is an agency permitted to set aside a solicitation for small business concerns only under GSA Schedule 70?
  16. What options are there for performance based contracting under either a time and material or fixed price GSA Schedule order?
  17. May a Task Order against the GSA IT Schedule 70 or the MOBIS schedule be incrementally funded?
  18. What are the ‘not-to-exceed’ GSA rates for labor categories available under SIN 132-51?
  19. What must I do when administering a time-and-materials order under a GSA Schedule contract?
  20. I need help using GSA Schedule 70; where may I get assistance?
  21. Is the Federal Information Security management Act (FISMA) incorporated into Schedule 70 Contracts? Is there a symbol for FISMA in GSA Advantage similar to 508 or other programs?

  1. What is a Contractor Team Arrangement under GSA Schedule 70?

    A GSA Schedule Contractor Team Arrangement (CTA) is an arrangement between two or more GSA Schedule contractors to work together to meet agency requirements. The CTA allows the contractor to meet the government agency needs by providing a total solution that combines the supplies and/or services from the team members' separate GSA Schedule contracts. It permits contractors to complement each other's capabilities to compete for orders for which they may not independently qualify. A customer benefits from a CTA by buying a solution rather than making separate buys from various contractors.

    For more information on Contractor Team Arrangements (CTA), visit the following website: www.gsa.gov/contractorteamarrangements.

  2. How do I know I am getting the best price?

    GSA's goal is to be the best value supplier of choice. GSA Schedule contracts are negotiated with the intent of achieving the contractors' "most favored customer" pricing/discounts under similar conditions. In order to ensure that they receive the best value at the lowest overall cost when using GSA Schedule contracts, agencies are encouraged and empowered to seek price reductions, not only for orders over the maximum order threshold, but also when circumstances warrant (see FAR 8.405-4).

  3. How is purchasing from GSA Schedule 70 better than purchasing on the open market?

    Purchasing from GSA Schedule contracts offers the following advantages over procuring on the open market:

    GSA has determined prices under Schedule contracts to be fair and reasonable. Synopses are not required for Schedule purchases.
    Schedule contracts have been awarded in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
    Administrative time is reduced.

    Schedule contracts offer a wide selection of state-of-the-art commercial supplies and services.

  4. Will the GSA Schedule 70 meet all of my needs where the requirements are large and/or complex? What if the Schedule contractor doesn’t have everything under contract?

    With over one million products and services available, MAS IT Schedule 70 is able to meet the vast majority of customers’ needs. For those large or complex requirements, MAS IT Schedule 70 contractors can team with other schedule contract holders and submit a total solution to meet customers’ needs under a Contractor Team Arrangements. The modification process allows contractors to modify contracts at any time during the contract period. Therefore, contractors have the ability to place new items under contract to meet customers’ needs. This also assures the latest technology is always available to the customer. Incidental items may be added to a Schedule delivery order as long as it results in the lowest overall cost, the appropriate procurement regulations have been applied, and the price has been determined to be fair and reasonable. For further information and/or guidance feel free to refer to FAR subpart 8.402 paragraph (f).

  5. What is the Maximum Order Threshold that everyone is so excited about?

    This commercial practice brings more value and more choices to our customers. Customer orders are not restricted by a maximum order limit. New procedures have been developed to allow IT Schedule 70 contractors to accept "any size" order. In accordance with FAR 8.404(b) (3), the Maximum Order Threshold represents the point where it is advantageous for customers to seek a price reduction. In fact, after a customer reviews the pricelist(s) or GSA Advantage! ™, the FAR instructs customers to generally seek price reductions for orders exceeding this threshold from Schedule contractor(s) appearing to provide the best value (considering price and other factors).


  6. When I place an order under a Schedule contract does it really meet Competition in Contracting Act requirements?

    YES! Using the Multiple Awards Schedule program facilitates an agency's ability to meet the competition in contracting act requirements (see FAR 6.102(d) (3)).

  7. How can I be certain I will always be able to get the latest technology under Schedule 70?

    With the new modification process, IT Schedule 70 contractors can continually refresh their MAS contracts. Schedule 70 has a continual open season which permits offers to be submitted at any time.

  8. What is the difference between software maintenance as a product vs. software maintenance as a service?

    Software Maintenance as a Product is billed at the time of purchase
    Software maintenance as a product is used for the purpose of maintaining the operability and usability of the software product by utilizing published fixes to bugs via patches, updates, or upgrades. An example is the publishing of bugs or defect fixes via patches to keep the software current.  Software maintenance as a product is now found under the terms and conditions for SINs 132-32 and 132-33 as these two software related SINs are considered products. This reclassification allows for Software Maintenance as a Product to be billed at the time of purchase.


    Software Maintenance as a Service is billed in arrears in accordance with 31 U.S.C 3324. Software maintenance as a service is purchased for the purpose of solving user identified problems using technical support outside the scope of software maintenance as a product. 

    An example is when problems arise after implementation of software such as the software's incompatibility with the organization's IT infrastructure.


  9. How do I find out the status of my offer (proposal)?

    To find out if your offer has been received please contact Theresa McGill at (703) 605-2783 or by email at theresa.mcgill@gsa.gov.

    To find out the status of your offer contact your Contract Specialist/Contracting Officer identified in your offer receipt notification letter.

  10. How soon will my Open Ratings Report Expire?

    The Open Ratings Report is valid for 12 months.

  11. Looking for your GSA contract representative?

    Go to www.gsaelibrary.gsa.gov, in the search bar, type your company name or contract number (GS-35F-0000X) and click go... Click on the company name in red. To the right of your company information is your GSA contract representative.

  12. How is GSA awarding contracts for products made in China?

    Items that are not Trade Agreement Compliant are sometimes awarded due to error or misunderstanding or misstatement of fact or confusion on the part of the offeror/contractor. Each instance where an award of a noncompliant product is awarded must be addressed on an individual basis as circumstances may be different for each case. The Contracting Officer must rely on the contractor’s self-certification. The responsibility to certify and to comply lies with the offeror/contractor pursuant to FAR 52.212-3(g) (4) Trade Agreements Certificate. This is appropriate because the offeror/contractor possesses the necessary detailed knowledge regarding the origin or parts, manufacturing site and value-added process.

  13. If an agency wants to use manufacturer take-back services, for federally-owned property, they must either utilize their exchange/sale authority or declare the property for abandonment/destruction. Is this correct?

    Manufacturer take-back services for federally owned priority are managed by Federal Management Regulations, Subchapter B, Part 102-35, Disposition of Personal Property, Robert A. Holcombe, Director, Personal Property Management Policy Division can be reached at (202) 501-3828 or via email robert.holcombe@gsa.gov.

  14. The word "Substantially" in substantially transformed used in Trade Agreements 52.225-5, is very subjective. Does it mean 95 percent or as little as 51 percent owned or controlled?

    "Substantial" does not have a concrete definition in the FAR, GSAR, or from FAS Acquisition Management (AM). It is generally assumed that it is more than 50 percent transformed in a designated country. If the offeror does not know if offered products qualify as ‘substantially’ transformed they should contact the Department of Commerce for a determination.

  15. Is an agency permitted to set aside a solicitation for small business concerns only under GSA Schedule 70?

    FAR Parts 13 (except 13.303-2(c)(3)), 14, 15, and 19 (except for the requirement at 19.202-1(e)(1)(iii)) do not apply to BPAs or orders placed against Federal Supply Schedules contracts. However, when the order is estimated to exceed the micro purchase threshold, ordering activities seeking to use the Multiple Award Schedules (MAS) program to achieve their agency small businesses goals, may make socioeconomic status a primary evaluation factor when making a best value determination (see FAR 8.405-1 (c).

  16. What options are there for performance based contracting under either a time and material or fixed price GSA Schedule order?

    Under FAR 8.405-2(b) to the maximum extent practicable, agency requirements shall be performance-based statements (see Subpart 37.6).

  17. May a Task Order against the GSA IT Schedule 70 or the MOBIS Schedule be incrementally funded?

    Unless your agency prohibits incremental funding with task orders, incremental funding is not prohibited when utilizing any of the MAS Schedules.

  18. What are the ‘not-to-exceed’ GSA rates for labor categories available under SIN 132-51?

    Not-to-exceed rates are rates that were negotiated and awarded. The rates can be lowered, but not raised. It is a proven best practice that ordering activities should seek additional price reductions/increased discounts and/or concessions when placing an order under a GSA Schedule contract. Contractors will often "sharpen their pencils" to obtain a large Schedule contract order. GSA Schedule contractors are not required to pass on to all Schedule users a price reduction extended only to an individual customer for a specific order. For more information, please see the following site.

  19. What must I do when administering a time-and-materials order under a GSA Schedule contract?

    Prior to placing a time-and-materials order, the ordering activity must ensure that it has and will maintain appropriate order administration capabilities to give the government reasonable assurances that efficient methods and effective cost controls are being used by the Schedule contractor. The contractor's accounting system should support the ability to closely track funding expenditures, since hours worked equate to hours to be paid. Particular attention should be paid to ensure that services are performed by those persons belonging to the appropriate labor categories with specified qualifications, as stipulated in the order, and that the billing accurately reflects the correct rates. A ceiling price must be established at the time of order placement. Contractors exceeding the ceiling price do so at their own risk. Any subsequent changes to the ceiling price must be justified and documented. For more information, please see the following site, question number 25.

  20. I need help using GSA Schedule 70; where may I get assistance?

    Acquisition professionals from the IT Schedule 70 Center are available to provide (FREE) guidance and assistance in the use of the GSA Multiple Award Schedules. Please contact the IT Center Hotline (Monday -Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST) at (703) 605-2700 or by email at it.center@gsa.gov .

  21. Is the Federal Information Security management Act (FISMA) incorporated into Schedule 70 Contracts? Is there a symbol for FISMA in GSA Advantage similar to 508 or other programs?

    FISMA requirements are binding on all federal agencies, so all information systems that agencies deploy must comply with it. The offerings under IT Schedule 70 related to identity and access management, (In particular SIN 132-60 A-E) are required to meet the FISMA standards for Identity and Access management. There is not, however, a special FISMA designator for those offerings.



Doc ID Name Format Size Publish Date
  Frequently Asked Questions Word 55k 10/22/2009
Last Reviewed 11/19/2009