How Phase 2 of the MAS Consolidation Impacts Your GSA Schedule

These days GSA completes Phase 2 consolidation. This post explains what you should know about Phase 2 (“Mass Mod”) and what you should do if you currently hold a GSA contract or want to apply for one in the nearest future.

What is GSA MAS Consolidation

In 2019-2020 GSA performs MAS Consolidation that involves merging 24 GSA Schedules and concentrating functions of 10 procurement-related websites in one all-encompassing resource, SAM.gov. You can learn more about MAS Consolidation here. The GSA MAS Consolidation is managed by GSA’s MAS Program Management Office.

What is Phase 2 Consolidation

The purpose of the Phase 2 consolidation is to move all currently existing contractors within the MAS system to the new contract vehicle based on a simplified and optimized SIN system developed before. After the phase completes, all GSA schedule contractors will hold just one Schedule within some main category and maybe multiple attachments added to that category that hold various additional conditions of the contract. Put this simply, where previously a GSA contractor had to pursue multiple Schedules if the company offered multiple services to the government, now as soon as the vendor signs Phase 2 there will only be one Schedule with multiple additions to it.

Who is affected?

The current MAS Consolidation only affects GSA Schedules, specifically 24 GSA Schedules. Veteran Affairs Schedules are not affected. So if your company holds a GSA Schedule, you are affected and will need to sign the Mass Modification.

Here is what you should know about Mass Modification / Phase 2

It starts in the end of January 2020

GSA will begin the Mass Modification in January 2020, issuing the Phase 2 update to thousands of existing contractors each day. The process is estimated to finish within a few weeks after that.

Current contract terms and conditions will be updated

All current Schedules will be transferred to the new consolidated GSA MAS with all terms and conditions updated to match the new Schedule.

Contract number and expiry date will remain intact

The Mass Mod will not affect contract numbers. The expiration date of the existing contract is also not changed.

Prices, warranties, delivery conditions and labor categories are not impacted

Signing Mass Modification does not change any of the above for your currently held contracts.

Adding or removing SINs is suspended

From the end of January 2020 and until March 14, 2020 you cannot add new SINs to your existing Schedule or remove SINs from your Schedule. This is to prevent possible technical issues in the GSA’s eMod system.

Submitting new offers is not impaired

Vendors can submit offers to the new MAS the same way they did with the Legacy Schedules. Currently, the time it takes a contractor to win a GSA Schedule should remain the same. However, in the future due to multiple technical modifications made to the GSA eOffer system the time should reduce from 6 months on average to 3-5 days.

Here is what you should do

Prepare for Mass Mod

Make sure to update your contact information so you could receive Mass Modification notifications. Also, take time reviewing the new solicitation to understand how goods and services under your current contracts will redistribute across new categories and SINs.

Sign Mass Modification

After you’ll receive the mass modification, you should review it completely and then accept it. However, there are several points you should take into account before doing that:

1. The time frame for signing Mass Mod is until July 31, 2020. If after that you do not accept the Mass Modification, all your non-signed contracts will be excluded from government procurement catalogs (GSA Advantage!, GSA eLibrary).
2. If you have an offer under the new (post-consolidation) solicitation, and the offer is pending now, make sure to contact your GSA officer now.
3. If you have modified an option of the contract, and now are waiting for GSA approval of that option, DO NOT sign the Mass Mod before the option is approved. The date of Mass Modification signing should be after the date of option approval.
4. If you hold multiple Schedules, you must sign Mass Mod for each one of them. The Schedules remain separate contracts until July 2020. Then, GSA will reach you out to discuss the most preferable way for you to consolidate.