Three Bids to be Required on GSA Schedules Federal buyers would be required to solicit at least three bids when ordering through GSA schedules under a proposed amendment to the Federal Acquisition Regulation. When purchasing supplies or fixed-price services, buyers would be directed either to get three quotes or to compare prices using GSA Advantage, the website where schedule contractors post their catalogs. When seeking services priced at hourly rates, buyers would be required to prepare a statement of work and circulate it to at least three contractors on any order exceeding the micro-purchase threshold, $2,500 for most purchases. Buyers would also be directed to use best value in choosing a vendor. The proposed amendment was published in the April 18 Federal Register by the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council. Comments will be accepted until June 17. The amendment is somewhat similar to one adopted last year by the Defense Department after Congress ordered it to increase competition on GSA schedules. The DOD rule applies to orders for services worth more than $100,000. The DOD rule goes further than the current proposal, however: Instead of requiring the contracting officer merely to solicit three bids, it requires that he must receive at least three bids, or else document his efforts to attract more bidders. (SAA, 11/1/02) In proposing the latest rule, the regulatory councils said they were reacting to the increasing use of GSA schedules to buy services. The schedules were originally used for everyday commodities such as office supplies. A study by the market research firm Input of Chantilly, VA, found that the schedules accounted for nearly one-third of federal information technology spending in fiscal 2002. The General Accounting Office reported that schedule orders for IT services grew more than tenfold from 1997 through 2001. “The FAR Council seeks to significantly improve the application of acquisition basics on (multiple award schedule) purchases,” the announcement said. Before establishing blanket purchase agreements, agencies would be required to circulate the statement of work to several vendors, although the proposed rule does not say how many. The General Accounting Office and the Defense Department’s inspector general have produced numerous reports documenting a lack of competitive bidding on GSA schedules. One IG report said the vast majority of task orders went “to selected sources without providing all multiple award contractors a fair opportunity to be considered.” The proposed amendment is FAR Case 1999–603 in the April 18 Federal Register.