Federal Manager's Daily Report

GSA has proposed a policy change that it says will make it easier for agencies to buy, and industry partners to provide, complete procurement solutions through the Multiple Award Schedule program by incorporating order level materials, also known as other direct costs, into that program.

“Government agencies buying through MAS have expressed frustration with the lack of flexibility around how to properly handle order-level materials on orders,” GSA said. “This has led to the creation of elaborate workarounds and the inconsistent application of policies.

“Customer agencies and industry partners have long advocated for GSA to provide the ability to acquire OLMs through the MAS program. The proposed rule seeks to provide this buying flexibility, resulting in better value for customer agencies, industry partners and ultimately, for the taxpayer,” it said.

The proposed General Services Acquisition Regulation was released for a 60-day comment period September 9.