Federal Marketplace (FMP) Strategy Winter 2021 Release

As a supplier, you go through a series of interactions in different phases to sell solutions in the federal marketplace.

GSA is listening and making improvements to your experience with us and in the federal marketplace! With each release, you learn about what GSA is doing to improve the experience in different phases of the acquisition journey.

As a customer, you go through a series of interactions in different phases of your buying experience for the acquisition of goods and services.

GSA is listening and making improvements to your experience with us and in the federal marketplace! With each release, you learn about what GSA is doing to improve the experience in different phases of the acquisition journey.

Faster Catalog Cycle Times with New ACR

GSA built the foundation for the Authoritative Catalog Repository (ACR) and began setting the data ingest pipeline for new MAS products. The ACR offers significant performance gains for the initial catalog load process. The ACR development has provided the foundation for new features in the Common Catalog Platform (CCP).

Improvements for Suppliers & Workforce

The ACR improves catalog cycle times and makes data more accessible.

Common Catalog Platform (CCP) Pre-Solicitation Industry Engagement

GSA intends to perform pre-solicitation engagement with current COMET BPA holders in FY 21 Q2 and release a request for quote (RFQ) in the spring of 2021. The Common Catalog Platform (CCP) will be a web-based user interface for managing catalog data.

Improvements for Customers

The CCP will improve the quality of data collected for GSA Advantage!®

Improvements for Suppliers

The CCP will reduce the amount of time suppliers spend managing their catalogs. This includes the replacement of the Schedules Input Program (SIP) for our MAS contract holders.

Improvements for Workforce

The CCP will make it easier to review and approve catalogs for the GSA workforce.

Verified Products Portal (VPP) Onboarding

In the coming months, GSA will continue onboarding additional manufacturers to the Verified Products Portal (VPP). In April 2021, the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) solicitation Letter of Supply (LOS) requirement will be updated to allow authorized resellers of VPP participating manufacturers to use VPP data. This option replaces the requirement for resellers to provide a LOS for their MAS contract. Look for an Interact post with more details about this change and the impact to suppliers in March 2021.

Improvements for Customers

By receiving supplier authorization information directly from the manufacturers and wholesalers, we will reduce the customers risk of purchasing counterfeit or non-compliant parts. The data will also be used to standardize contractor catalogs, ensuring products across GSA marketplaces are accurately represented.

Improvements for Suppliers

The VPP will facilitate automated supplier authorization enforcement and reduce the burden on authorized resellers to provide individual Letters of Supply.

Improvements for Workforce

Implementation of the VPP will also enable the FAS acquisition workforce to quickly and easily identify unauthorized products both pre- and post-award. Unauthorized products can then either be removed from consideration in new offers and modifications or deleted from existing contracts.

Agency Engagement & Training Efforts

GSA is committed to educating participating agencies about program and platform capabilities, while expanding participation of interested agencies.

Improvements for Customers

GSA is educating participating agencies on program and platform capabilities through “Meet the E-Marketplace” platform demo sessions, newsletters, reference guides, and more. Feedback from customer interviews and one-on-one meetings informs program improvements, including a government-wide approach and increased visibility into this growing area of spend.

Implementation of AbilityOne Features and Capabilities on the Awarded Platforms

To help facilitate AbilityOne purchases (FAR Subpart 8.7), GSA worked with the awarded e-marketplace platforms to implement AbilityOne features and capabilities, making the products readily available and easily identifiable to the customer.

Improvements for Customers

Newly implemented features and capabilities on the awarded platforms include:

• Expanded product offering due to new partnerships with AbilityOne distributors.
• AbilityOne products marked as preferred.
• “AbilityOne” filters to quickly find available products.
• Products highlighted with the AbilityOne logo.
• Ability for buyers to locate items through a single storefront, company list or similar feature.

An AbilityOne reference guide was distributed to assist buyers as they shop on each platform.

Improvements for Suppliers

AbilityOne distributors gain access to new channels to sell their products to government buyers.

eLibrary Enhancements

eLibrary was enhanced to show the full 20 years of the contract period of performance for MAS contracts. Previously, eLibrary showed only the end date of the current option period - now it shows the current option period end date and the ultimate contract end date for the total 20-year period of performance.

Improvements for Customers, Suppliers, & Workforce

This enhancement makes it easy for everyone to see if a MAS contract has future options. It will be especially helpful for customers looking to establish Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) that need to validate if contractors have enough runway on their contract to complete the BPA period of performance.

MAS Consolidation Resources

Industry partners and customers continue to provide feedback and questions about MAS Consolidation. In response, additional resources are continually added to share the impacts of MAS Consolidation.

Improvements for Customers

GSA provides regular MAS Consolidation status updates offering insight into coming changes and what they mean for your day-to-day tasks as a customer of the MAS program.

Upcoming courses on MAS Consolidation are available for registration through the FAS Acquisition Institute Events page.

The MAS Consolidation Customer Brochure, Customer Fact Sheet [PDF - 2 MB] and Customer FAQs [PDF - 209 KB] provide more detailed information about MAS Consolidation.

Improvements for Suppliers

The MAS PMO continues to make resources available to our industry partners to make it easier to work with the government.

GSA’s MAS PMO hosts regular office hours for Suppliers on the third Thursday of each month. These webinars cover different topics and provide suppliers an opportunity to ask MAS experts anything. Sign up for the MAS Interact Community, which provides information about additional engagement opportunities and announcements. Register for our next MAS Office Hours.

Remember - The deadline to migrate catalogs from a legacy Schedule to MAS is March 31, 2021. Suppliers can use the SIP/EDI Instructions to migrate their catalog file and the MAS Price List Desk Guide [PDF] for help with updating GSA Price Lists in accordance with clause I-FSS-600 Contract Price Lists. Any catalogs that are not updated by March 31, 2021 will be removed from GSA Advantage.

MAS Solicitation Refresh #5

GSA issued Refresh # 5 (Mass Mod A826) to Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Solicitation 47QSMD20R0001, updating the terms and conditions (T&Cs) for all existing MAS contracts. In addition to updating the T&Cs, this Refresh added Special Item Numbers (SINs) to address size standard exceptions and expanded the professional services category by adding Research & Development (R&D) Services to keep up with market trends.

Improvements for Customers

By expanding available program offerings, MAS is keeping up with market trends.

Improvements for Suppliers

Suppliers can request to add new SINs to their contracts and offer R&D types of services to customers. Additionally, Mass Mod A826 keeps MAS contracts up to date with regulatory requirements and aligns templates with current GSA FAS policies.

ASTRO Request for Proposal (RFP)

The ASTRO solicitation will establish a family of ten separate, individual, Multiple Award (MA), Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts that encompass a variety of services related to manned, unmanned, and optionally manned platforms and robotics.

Section 876 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (FY19 NDAA) gives GSA the authority to focus on creating robust competition at the order level, rather than evaluating prices for services acquired on an hourly rate basis at the contract level.

Improvements for Suppliers

The ASTRO solicitation provides businesses of all sizes an opportunity to submit proposals for a potential 10-year award. In line with the new Section 876 authority, awards will be made without consideration of cost and pricing information at the master contract level.

GSA held Industry Listening Sessions so suppliers could share thoughts, proposals, ideas, and responses to the questions posed in the Section 876 advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR).

GSA also issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the ASTRO IDIQ, which closed on Oct. 30, 2020. The acquisition team is now focused on evaluating proposals.

Login Enhancements for GSA Advantage, Global Supply, USMC ServMart, & eBuy

GSA is making it easier and safer to log in and do business online, offering additional authentication methods for customers and suppliers. Suppliers can now use their GSA FAS ID to log into eBuy. GSA FAS ID leverages a secure multi-factor authentication (MFA) process and simplifies your access to multiple GSA systems. eOffer and eMod will also use GSA FAS ID beginning March 8, 2021.

In January 2021, GSA added a Personal Identity Verification (PIV)/Common Access Card (CAC) login feature to several systems used by federal civilian and military customers who rely on GSA systems and services to accomplish their agencies missions.

Improvements for Suppliers

Suppliers used to log into eBuy using their contract number and password provided by the Vendor Support Center (VSC). Now they will use their new GSA FAS ID email address and password making logging in easier across FAS systems. Review the frequently asked questions sheet for more details.

Improvements for Customers

Customers can now use either their GSA FAS ID or their government-issued PIV/CAC cards to more easily login to the following applications:

• GSA Advantage! & Virtual Stores
• GSA Global Supply (GGS)
• USMC ServMart
• eBuy (Buyer)

Federal Service Desk Enhancements

The Federal Service Desk, an online help center for industry partners using the Integrated Award Environment (IAE), launched new functionality, a new look and feel, and multi-factor authentication (MFA) via login.gov.

Improvements for Suppliers

Previously, information on IAE was difficult to find and not intuitive. The new design and functionality provide:

• Navigational tours designed to help users acclimate to the new FSD.gov layout.
• Search Knowledge Base feature allows a direct search of the entire FSD knowledge repository, including FAQs and commonly experienced issues.
• Create an Incident function, (formerly called Web Form) allows submission of an incident ticket to a designated resolver group without the need to call or initiate a chat.
• Live Chat function allows users to engage with a live Tier 1 FSD agent.

SAM.gov System Merger

This spring, GSA will merge legacy SAM.gov into the improved beta.SAM.gov environment, and the site will officially drop the beta designation. The new SAM.gov will continue to be the place where suppliers and buyers conduct all business now housed on two sites, including - register to do business with the federal government, find exclusion records, search for contract opportunities, find wage determinations, and more all under a single sign on.

Improvements for Customers, Workforce and Suppliers

Suppliers and buyers now go to two different sites, SAM.gov and beta.SAM.gov, to conduct all their business with the federal government. Starting this Spring, they will see an upgrade in the look and feel of the beta site, then shortly after, a full transition to one SAM.gov site.

TAMS Modernization Deployment

The Transportation Audits Management System (TAMS) replaced the legacy Transportation Account Receivable Payable System (TARPS). The new TAMS provides an online portal to help with end-to-end auditing of federal transportation invoices.

Improvements for Customers & Suppliers

Transportation Service Providers (TSPs) and federal agencies can now record protests and track their progress through an easy-to-use, cloud-based process. TAMS helps both types of users audit and monitor transportation charges and resolve overcharges. It replaces a former, more manual process.

For information on TAMS, please visit www.tams.gsa.gov or email Audits.Policy@gsa.gov. For assistance with TAMS, please send your email to tamshelp@gsa.gov or call 866-668-3472 (press Option 2 for TAMS).