The General Services Administration (GSA), on September 9^th, 2016, published a proposed rule in the Federal Register that incorporates Order Level Materials (OLMs) into the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program.  Also known as Other Direct Costs (ODCs), OLMs are defined as “supplies and/or services acquired in direct support of an individual task or delivery order placed against a Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contract, when the supplies and/or services are not known at the time of Schedule contract award” in section 537.7100 of the proposed rule.  As the current General Services Acquisition Regulations (GSAR) stand, OLMs are difficult to purchase under MAS contracts.  With this new rule, GSA aims to give the MAS program the same flexibility and authorization that the majority of commercial indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts currently possess.  Following its publication, the new GSAR commenced a 60-day comment period.  To view the publication on the Federal Register and engage in the comment period click here.

Benefits to the Federal Marketplace

Over the past several months GSA has taken many steps to improving the MAS program through new implementations such as the Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) rule, Formatted Product Tool (FPT), and the introduction of the Highly Adaptive Cybersecurity Services Special Item Numbers (HACS SINs).  Much like TDR and FPT, the OLM GSAR rule is only being applied to a finite number of Schedules at this time: 03 FAC, 56, 70, 71, 84, 00CORP, and 738 X.  Furthering this effort, the addition of OLMs to the afore mentioned Schedules will not only benefit contractors and contracting officers, but also federal customers and industry partners alike.  The OLM GSAR rule eliminates the need for cumbersome open market procurements which can easily result in mirroring contracts, clearly identifies and bestows authority to purchase OLMs to contracting officers, increases products and services that can be brought to the federal marketplace, and overall stimulates greater use of the MAS program.  To view more facts about the OLM GSAR rule click here.

Over the past several months GSA has taken many steps to improving the MAS program through new implementations such as the Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) rule, Formatted Product Tool (FPT), and the introduction of the Highly Adaptive Cybersecurity Services Special Item Numbers (HACS SINs).

Find Out How BH Sky Can Help You Manage Your MAS Schedule Contract

For more information on Order Level Materials, understanding your contract, and maintaining compliance, contact BH Sky directly by calling 866-468-7420 or email.