GSA Moves to Speed New Schedule Contract Awards GSA is moving to fulfill one of Administrator Lurita Doan’s promises: to award new schedule contracts within 30 days. The agency is now accepting offers from vendors under its Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Express program. It is not promising a 30-day turnaround but says it will “strive” for that. Currently GSA says it takes an average of 120 days to award a schedule contract. In its first phase, MAS Express will process offers with no more than 500 products/line items on just five of the 37 schedules: *Schedule 70 General Purpose Information Technology Equipment, Software, and Services; *Photographic Equipment—Cameras, Photographic Printers, and Related Supplies and Services (Digital and Film-Based); *Schedule 78 Sports, Promotional, Outdoor, Recreational, Trophies, and Signs (SPORTS); *Schedule 58 I Professional Audio/Video, Telecommunications, and Security Solutions; and *Schedule 81 I B Shipping, Packaging, and Packing Supplies. GSA said it plans to expand the program to all schedules later. A SPEED Desk (Schedule Program Express Evaluation Desk) will expedite the initial review and qualification of offers. The SPEED Desk will immediately notify the vendor whether the offer can be considered under the MAS Express program and, if not, what the company needs to do. “The overall time to review, evaluate, negotiate, and award a GSA Schedule contract should be greatly reduced,” the agency said. Before a company can submit an offer under the MAS Express Program, it must complete GSA’s “Pathway to Success” education seminar either in person or online. Details are available at www.gsa.gov/masexpress.