New Report Card for GSA Schedule Contractors GSA will soon introduce a new report card to grade the performance of contractors on its multiple award schedules. The draft report card includes nine categories that are deemed critical, such as compliance with the scope of the contract; using a current approved price list; and accurately tracking GSA sales. (See the questionnaire, next story.) “Failure to meet any one of these items will result in a rating of ‘serious concerns exist,’” the draft document says. If serious concerns are found, “that doesn’t mean your contract is going to be canceled,” said Maura Kortlang, acting director of GSA’s Contract Management Center. But a contractor receiving that rating would be expected to improve its performance. She discussed the report card March 6 at a forum sponsored by the Coalition for Government Procurement in Arlington, VA. “It really is supposed to be more about education and less about ‘gotcha,’” she said. The 26 questions on the report card will be answered by GSA contract management personnel based on the contractor’s records and a site visit by an industrial operations analyst. A company will normally be graded twice during the five-year contract period. The new report card includes five possible grades: exceptional, very good, satisfactory, marginal and “serious concerns exist.” To receive an “exceptional” performance rating, a contractor must achieve five of the following six milestones: being proactive in adding or deleting items from the contract; accepting credit cards above the micropurchase threshold; using electronic tools such as e-Mod, e-Buy and e-Pay; offering extra discounts on blanket purchase agreements; maintaining customer service and warranty coverage under any teaming arrangements; and being free from bankruptcy proceedings. Kortlang said the new report card will probably be introduced in June. Training sessions for contractors will be offered at the GSA Expo in Orlando, FL, in May. The new questionnaire will replace the current 27-question report card. Kortlang said GSA issued 5,015 report cards to contractors last year; 35% were graded outstanding; 63% successful; and 3% unsuccessful. (Numbers don’t add to 100 because of rounding.) “The vast majority of the unsuccessful did not got an option,” she said.