Managing a GSA Multiple Award Schedule, or MAS, contract does not end after the award. Contractors must keep contract and catalog information current, submit required reports, process modifications correctly, maintain supporting records, and comply with the terms of their Schedule throughout its life.
Many compliance problems develop because a company's commercial operations change faster than its GSA contract. Products are discontinued, prices change, employees leave, suppliers change, or new services are introduced, but the corresponding Schedule information is not updated. Good contract management therefore requires a routine process for identifying changes that affect the contract.
Letting Contract and Catalog Information Become Outdated
One of the most common mistakes is treating a GSA Schedule as a static contract. When relevant business information changes, contractors need to determine whether a contract modification or catalog update is required.
This applies to products, services, pricing, labor categories, administrative information, and other awarded contract data. Government buyers should see information that accurately reflects the contractor's current awarded offering.
Common maintenance problems include:
- leaving discontinued products on the Schedule;
- failing to update company or contact information;
- allowing catalog prices to differ from awarded prices;
- using outdated product descriptions or manufacturer information;
- failing to process required contract modifications;
- making commercial changes without evaluating their effect on the GSA contract.
Catalog management is also changing as GSA continues its transition to the FAS Catalog Platform, or FCP. Contractors should follow the procedures currently applicable to their contracts rather than relying on older catalog-management processes.
A useful internal rule is that significant changes involving products, services, pricing, suppliers, or company information should trigger a GSA contract review. Not every commercial change requires a modification, but it should at least be evaluated.
Making Errors in Sales Reporting and Contract Modifications
Accurate sales reporting is another major responsibility. Contractors need to identify which transactions qualify as GSA Schedule sales and maintain the information required for federal reporting.
Transactional Data Reporting, or TDR, became mandatory across MAS SINs with MAS Solicitation Refresh 31 in 2026. Under TDR, contractors submit required transaction-level data through GSA's Sales Reporting Portal. Reporting is generally due within 30 calendar days after the end of each month.
Contractors are also responsible for the Industrial Funding Fee, or IFF, on applicable Schedule sales. The IFF is currently 0.75 percent of reported sales. Accurate identification of GSA transactions is therefore important both for reporting and for calculating the fee.
Contract modifications create another frequent source of mistakes. Contractors cannot simply change awarded products, services, or prices because the same changes have already been made commercially. Where a modification is required, it must be submitted and accepted through the applicable GSA process.
| Common mistake | Why it matters | Better practice |
| Schedule sales are classified incorrectly | Reporting and IFF calculations can be inaccurate | Establish clear rules for identifying GSA sales |
| TDR data is submitted late | Creates a reporting compliance issue | Maintain a recurring reporting calendar |
| Products or services change without a modification review | Contract data may become outdated | Review commercial changes for GSA impact |
| Pricing differs across systems | Buyers may see inaccurate contract information | Reconcile awarded and published pricing |
| Modification records are scattered | Current contract terms become difficult to track | Maintain a central modification history |
Modification management should include a review after approval as well. Contractors should verify that the accepted change is reflected correctly in the applicable contract and catalog information rather than assuming that every system has automatically been updated.
Poor Internal Controls and Recordkeeping
GSA contract management frequently involves several departments. Sales may handle government customers, accounting records revenue, product teams maintain catalog data, and management makes pricing or supplier decisions. If these teams do not communicate with whoever manages the Schedule, contract information can quickly fall behind the company's actual operations.
Contractors should clearly assign responsibility for GSA administration and establish procedures for communicating relevant changes. Employees do not all need detailed knowledge of MAS rules, but they should know which events need to be escalated for contract review.
Important records should also be maintained in an organized and accessible form, including:
- approved contract modifications;
- sales and transactional reporting records;
- supporting pricing information;
- product and service documentation;
- relevant order records;
- IFF reporting and payment information;
- correspondence and documentation supporting significant contract changes.
Good recordkeeping is particularly important during Contractor Assessments. GSA Industrial Operations Analysts review contractors' compliance with MAS requirements and can examine areas such as sales reporting, contract administration, and other contractual obligations.
Trying to reconstruct years of contract activity immediately before an assessment is inefficient and can expose problems that should have been addressed earlier. Records should be maintained as part of normal Schedule administration.
How Price Reporter Can Help Manage Your GSA Contract
Managing a GSA Schedule requires ongoing attention to modifications, compliance, catalog information, reporting, and government orders. Price Reporter provides GSA Contract Management services for companies that want experienced support maintaining their Schedule after award.
Founded in 2006, Price Reporter has managed more than 1,500 GSA contracts and completed more than 20,000 contract modifications. Our team assists contractors with contract management, compliance, GSA Advantage catalog updates, modifications, and other administrative requirements that arise throughout the life of a Schedule.
Price Reporter also provides GSA Order Management solutions and an Order Management System designed to streamline the order lifecycle and transactions with federal buyers. This allows companies to combine contract administration with structured management of their growing government business.
How to Prevent Common GSA Contract Management Problems
Most routine management problems can be reduced through consistent oversight rather than occasional large compliance reviews. A contractor should know who owns the Schedule internally, when the contract was last reviewed, which modifications are pending, whether catalog information matches awarded terms, and whether reporting obligations are being completed on schedule.
A periodic contract review should compare the Schedule with current business operations. Products that are no longer available, changed pricing, new services, supplier changes, and administrative updates can then be identified before the difference becomes significant.
Contractors should also monitor GSA program changes. MAS requirements evolve through solicitation refreshes, system transitions, and updated guidance. Procedures that were correct several years ago may no longer reflect current contract administration requirements.
The key principle is to manage the GSA Schedule continuously. Contractors should not wait for a reporting deadline, government inquiry, or Contractor Assessment to discover that records or contract information are outdated.
A well-managed Schedule remains aligned with the company's actual government business. Accurate reporting, timely modifications, current catalog information, organized records, and clear internal responsibility help reduce compliance risk while allowing the contractor to focus more resources on federal sales and order fulfillment.
