GSA schedule consolidation to take 2 years

      GSA officials expect the consolidation of 24 schedules to take place in two phases, with completion within two years. The officials shared details in a press call with several publications.

      In the first phase--through fiscal 2019-- the GSA will develop a new, consolidated schedule. The existing schedules will continue to operate for existing contract holders and users, but no new contractors will be added. New contracts will be placed on the new, consolidated schedule.

      In the second phase, in fiscal 2020, existing contractors will be moved to the consolidated schedule.

      Contractors who hold multiple contracts will be consulted and will be able to keep their same contract number, MAS Program Management Office Director Stephanie Shutt told Federal Times. For consolidations, those who hold multiple schedule contracts will get several options, she added.

Read more at: Federal Times report: https://bit.ly/2DOFqhC

IG: GSA has many challenges in procurement

      The GSA faces many challenges in procurement, including obstacles to its plans to consolidate 24 schedules,” according to a new report on the GSA’s management issues for 2019 from the GSA inspector general.

      The schedules consolidation concerns include “a lack of buy-in from all stakeholders, a lack of dedicated resources, excessive costs related to existing systems and the need for new systems, a lack of insight into its own business trends and legislative restrictions that would require updates and changes,” the IG wrote.

      The IG noted:

• that it is hard to measure the success of the Acquisition Gateway;
• that the Transactional Data Reporting Pilot was not designed effectively and may not be providing useful data;
• that the Contract Awarded Labor Category Tool may not provide all the data that is needed;
• and that GSA Advantage! suffers from functionality issues.

Read more at:
GSA IG report: https://bit.ly/2SylhR4.

OASIS on-ramp traps

      It is not as easy as it seems to succeed on an OASIS on-ramp, according to consultant Lisa Pafe. “Detailed, voluminous” proof is required and there are pitfalls in obtaining it, such as:

• Verifying NAICS and PSC codes used in past work. The best proof is from FPDS documents directly;
• Making sure you submit signed Contractor Performance Assessment Reports to verify past performance. Obtaining the reports can take time;
• Providing contractual evidence that your staff worked at multiple locations, if that was the case.

Read more at: Washington Technology story: https://bit.ly/2EnGw51

$750B for defense

      President Trump has changed his mind about limiting the defense budget for fiscal 2019 and is now supporting a $750 billion budget request for defense, major news outlets reported.

      Because the U.S. deficit is rapidly rising, Trump said previously that he would seek a 5% budget cut from most federal agencies and would keep defense spending at around $700 billion.

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Bill to improve online service

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GAO protests up by 1%

Column: Make These New Year’s Resolutions for 2019

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