GSA has expanded a program designed to speed up awards of GSA schedule contracts.

In Phase II the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Express program will handle contract offers for 15 schedules, compared to five in the pilot phase. The agency plans to expand it to all 37 schedules eventually.

MAS Express is a technology-based system designed to award schedule contracts in 30 days, a key objective of GSA Administrator Lurita Doan.

In Phase II vendors will be allowed to make offers on their schedule contracts electronically.

The Defense Department wants to require use of its Wide Area WorkFlow-Receipt and Acceptance (WAWF-RA) electronic system for submitting and processing payment requests under DOD contracts.

In a proposed rule published Aug. 14, DOD said fully automating the payment system will improve the timeliness of payments to contractors and reduce the department’s interest costs on overdue bills.

“WAWF-RA, when fully implemented and utilized, will eliminate paper documents, eliminate redundant data entry, improve data accuracy, reduce the number of lost or misplaced documents, and ultimately, result in more timely payments to contractors,” DOD said.

The proposed rule is DFARS Case 2006-D049. Comments are due Oct. 15.

The Federal Acquisition Regulations Councils have adopted a final rule permitting subcontracts awarded to Alaska Native Corporations and Indian tribes to be counted towards a prime contractor’s goals for subcontracting with small businesses and small disadvantaged businesses.

The rule implements a provision enacted by Congress.

It is effective Sept. 17.

The Federal Acquisition Regulation Councils plan to survey vendors and government buyers on their experience with reverse auctions.

The surveys, to be released in the fall, will form the basis of a report to Congress on how reverse auctions are being used, what products and services are suitable for auctions, and other issues.

For more information, go to www.arnet.gov/.