Product Vendors Are Put On Notice

GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service just sent a reminder to Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contractors, and if you sell products on your schedule, this one is aimed right at you. When GSA puts something like this in writing, it usually means they have already seen enough problems to start acting on them.

As the contractor of record, you are responsible for every MAS order from acceptance through delivery, invoicing, and sales reporting. That includes Trade Agreements Act (TAA) compliance, which governs where your products are made, plus your Industrial Funding Fee (IFF) reporting, product marking, pricing, and staying within your approved scope. It doesn’t matter whether the order came through eBuy or GSA Advantage!. If you are drop shipping from an unauthorized supplier or filling orders through a third-party marketplace, GSA considers that a compliance risk, and the responsibility lands on you.

You cannot sell a product on your schedule if you lack authorization from the manufacturer or if the manufacturer has prohibited you from selling it. If a product falls under an authorized reseller or controlled distribution program, you must be enrolled in that program. Here is the part that matters most, GSA will now verify authorization using information that manufacturers submit directly. Plainly put your paperwork has to match theirs.

GSA is also looking closely at ownership structures, product origin, and supplier relationships. When they find a problem, the remedies can include removing products from your contract, requiring repayment for misreported sales, negative CPARS ratings (the past performance record agencies check before awarding you work), contract cancellation, and even suspension or debarment.

What I would do this week if I were you. Pull your product list and confirm you hold current authorization for every item on it. Look at how your orders actually get filled, not how you think they get filled. If anything doesn’t line up, fix it now with a modification before GSA finds it for you.

This is exactly where the GSA MAS Modification Services come in. Whether you need to delete products you can no longer support, update your authorization documentation, or clean up your catalog, we will handle the modification and make sure it holds up to review. I know what contracting officers look for because I used to be the one looking.

Reply to this email or click here and let’s make sure your schedule is protecting your business instead of putting it at risk.

GSA Proposal Maven Inc. is a government contract firm that has helped thousands of businesses increase their bottom line with the GSA MAS contract program, 8(a) Certification Program, VOSB Certification, SDVOSB Certification, and other federal agency contracts. Contact us at (877) 302-3773 or click here to schedule your FREE fifteen-minute consultation by clicking here.