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January 5, 2021 By cs

Academy launches webpage containing Coronavirus information for contracting officers and contractors

The Contracting Education Academy, a Georgia Tech unit dedicated to supporting the professional education needs of the government’s contracting workforce, has launched a special webpage devoted to providing information and guidance dealing with the impact of COVID-19 on federal contracts.
Click on image above to visit the webpage.

The webpage, located here, presents helpful information to both contracting officials and contractors who are navigating the current contracting environment.

Numerous topics are addressed on the webpage.  For Contracting Officers and other members of the federal acquisition workforce, topics include:

  • Teleworking by contractor employees
  • Quarantine restrictions and excusable delays
  • Equitable adjustments
  • Extending performance periods
  • Contract modifications
  • Maintaining a contractor state of readiness
  • Application of the Stafford Act
  • Communication and transparency in contract administration
  • DoD emergency acquisition and preparedness
  • Tracking COVID-19 contract spending
  • The Defense Production Act
  • The Defense Priorities and Allocations System
  • GSA Schedule purchasing
  • Fraud and price gouging

For the contractor community, the following topics are addressed on the webpage:

  • Preventing workplace exposure and risks
  • Identifying critical infrastructure industries
  • The System for Award Management (SAM)
  • Excusable delay contract provisions
  • Changes clauses
  • Obligation to perform
  • The Defense Priorities and Allocations System
  • DoD progress payments
  • Sales through GSA Schedules
  • Advice for small businesses
  • Economic disaster loans
  • The Families First Coronavirus Response Act

Additional information and updates will be added as often as daily to the site.  We suggest you bookmark the site now and check back frequently for the latest news involving the impact of coronavirus on federal contracts.

Filed Under: Academy News Tagged With: acquisition workforce, change orders, contract administration, contractor performance, coronavirus, COVID-19, critical infrastructure industries, Defense Priorities and Allocations System, DoD, emergency contracting, equitable adjustment, excusable delay, Families First Coronavirus Response Act, GSA Schedules, loans, micropurchase, progress payments, quarantine, SAM, SAT, simplified acquisition threshold, Stafford Act, telework, threshold

June 3, 2020 By cs

The current approach to awarding big multiple-award contracts is broken — here’s how to fix it

It’s been awhile since I’ve jumped back on my soap box, but after the latest news of protests delaying yet another large multiple award, governmentwide contract, it’s time to bring back the call for competition at the task order level.

The General Services Administration’s Second Generation IT (2GIT) services is facing four new bid protests making 13 overall since the agency launched the effort more than a year ago.

At the same time, GSA is facing more pressure to make a decision about the Alliant 2 small business vehicle that has been on hold for more than a year and in the works for almost five years. GSA officials have said multiple times over the past few weeks that a new information about Alliant 2 small business would be forthcoming “soon,” which in government talk means anywhere from one day to six months.

These are just two of latest examples of why large multiple award contracts should just make getting on the vehicle as easy as possible and then let the real competition happen at the task order level.

Instead, agencies are dragged down by an acquisition model that is well past its prime and no longer meets the needs of today’s marketplace for many reasons.

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsnetwork.com/reporters-notebook-jason-miller/2020/05/the-current-approach-to-awarding-big-multiple-award-contracts-is-broken-heres-how-to-fix-it/

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: acquisition workforce, Alliant, GSA, GSA Schedules, GWAC, multiple award contract, small business, task order

March 25, 2020 By cs

GSA reports coronavirus-related fraud and price gouging

The General Services Administration (GSA) says it has received reports of companies fraudulently claiming to be GSA vendors attempting to exploit legitimate COVID-19 concerns to mislead Federal consumers into paying exorbitant prices for products associated with COVID-19. 

If a supplier claims to be a GSA vendor, GSA advises buyers to verify their status by checking prices and details on GSA Advantage or validate the contract number and supplier details on GSA eLibrary vendor database.

In a bulletin posted on March 19, 2020, GSA advises: “Even if information seems credible, take a moment to verify.”

In addition to worries about possible scams, there are product availability issues.  Evidence of this is the recent message posted on the GSA Advantage website: “Due to current heightened demand for products which could be associated with COVID-19, please contact the vendor(s) prior to placing your order to confirm availability.”

Questions or reports of suspect fraudulent activity or price gouging with companies claiming to be GSA vendors, can be directed to GSA’s National Customer Service Center at (800) 488-3111 or via email to NCSCcustomer.service@gsa.gov.

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: coronavirus, COVID-19, fraud, GSA, GSA Advantage, GSA Schedule, GSA Schedules, price gouging, scam, supply chain

February 18, 2020 By cs

GSA praised for progress on contracting schedule consolidation

As the second phase of the General Services Administration’s merger of 24 multiple-award schedules into a single contracting vehicle started at the end of January, experts applauded the progress the agency has made.

Initially, GSA put only new contracts on the consolidated schedule when it was first published in October. Then on Friday, GSA started the process of restructuring the terms and conditions of current contracts so that they are in sync with those on the new, single contracting vehicle. Contractors have until July 31 to accept the changes. Agencies purchase about $31 billion in goods and services every year through the schedules, and GSA assured them they should not experience disruptions throughout the merger.

“We’re right on track with [the multiple award schedule] consolidation,” GSA Administrator Emily Murphy said in a recent press release. “Moving to a single schedule is good for federal agencies, our industry partners, and our acquisition workforce. It’s a key piece of the picture for making it easier to deliver solutions.“

The Professional Services Council, a trade organization that has over 400 member companies that contract with the federal government, “applauds GSA’s continued progress in phase two of the multiple award schedules consolidation to meet the critical milestones needed to modernize the GSA schedules program,” said Alan Chvotkin, executive vice president and counsel. “PSC has long supported a single schedule that will make it easier for contractors to offer products, services, and solutions, and for agencies to find these offerings.”

GSA announced its plans for the consolidation in November 2018 after many vendors and federal buyers complained about the different terms and conditions for contracts across schedules that led to inconsistencies in the contracting process, Nextgov reported. In addition to making the process for obtaining more than 10 million commercial products easier, the agency wanted to lower the entry barrier for small businesses, technology start-ups and others that might want to contract with the government.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.govexec.com/management/2020/02/gsa-praised-progress-contracting-schedule-consolidation/162837/

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: contract consolidation, FSS, GSA, GSA Schedule, GSA Schedules, PSC, small business

February 12, 2020 By cs

GSA moves into phase two of its massive contract merger

The General Services administration has begun the process of altering current contracts under its Multiple Award Schedule program, as part of its ongoing initiative to take the 24 different schedules currently existing under the program and merge them into one, unified schedule.

The agency announced Jan. 31 that current schedule holders will receive notice of a “mass mod” to their contracts in the coming months, which will align their terms and conditions with the new, consolidated Multiple Award Schedule.

“We are planning for a smooth transition and federal agencies should experience no disruption to their purchasing practices during the mass mod,” said Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Julie Dunne in a news release.

“There will be no change to contract numbers, which makes the transition less burdensome overall. And, we’ve been steadily training our contracting workforce to ensure a seamless transition. Soon, we’ll have just one Schedule, with a single set of terms and conditions, making it much easier to buy and offer complete solutions.”

Keep reading this article at: https://www.federaltimes.com/acquisition/2020/01/31/gsa-moves-into-phase-two-of-its-massive-contract-merger/

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: FAS, Federal Supply Schedule, GSA, GSA Schedule, GSA Schedules, MAS, multiple award, multiple award contract

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