80 FR 27310 - Modernizing the Federal Supply Schedule Program: Standardization of Part Number Data

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 92 (May 13, 2015)

The Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) of the General Services Administration (GSA) is publishing this notice in order to clarify the structured data elements required under the Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program price list clause.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 92 (Wednesday, May 13, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27310-27311]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-11534]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[Notice-FAS-2015-01; Docket No. 2015-0002; Sequence 11]


Modernizing the Federal Supply Schedule Program: Standardization 
of Part Number Data

AGENCY: Federal Acquisition Service, General Services Administration

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) of the General Services 
Administration (GSA) is publishing this notice in order to clarify the 
structured data elements required under the Federal Supply Schedule 
(FSS) program price list clause.

DATES: May 13, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Denise Alley, Procurement Analyst, 
FAS Office of Acquisition Management, at [email protected] or 703-
605-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

    The purpose of this notice is to clarify for existing FSS 
contractors that pursuant to the price list clause: (1.) Manufacturer 
Part Number (MPN) data is required for all awarded products, and (2.) 
Universal Product Code Type A (UPC-A) data is required for all awarded 
products for which this information is commercially available. FSS 
solicitation instructions have already been updated to clarify MPN and 
UPC-A data requirements for new offerors. This notice is solely 
intended to provide clarification for existing FSS contractors.
    FAS plans to begin efforts to obtain this data from existing FSS 
contractors 45 days after publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register.

B. Background

    The FAS is embarking on several initiatives to improve the quality 
of its offerings under the FSS program. A major piece of this effort 
involves the standardization of part number data in order to improve 
the quality of the descriptive data available to customers in FSS price 
lists published on

[[Page 27311]]

gsaadvantage.gov. The goal is to provide customer agencies with 
quality, meaningful, complete data to better search and compare 
products, thereby enhancing competition and saving taxpayer dollars. 
This endeavor is a critical piece of a larger effort to modernize the 
FSS program as a whole, under which FAS aims to increase efficiency and 
effectiveness, facilitate the purchase of total solutions, maximize 
competition, and promote small business utilization across Government.
    The availability of MPN and UPC-A data improves overall data 
integrity, encouraging additional business from customers looking for 
the ability to quickly and accurately compare identical products. The 
standardization of part number data allows for greater transparency and 
improved business intelligence that will enable customers to make 
smarter, data-driven buying decisions. Collectively, these benefits 
will yield increased customer confidence as GSA works to make the FSS 
program the Government's premier acquisition vehicle.
    Unaltered MPN data is required for all products, except where the 
manufacturer has not assigned a part number to identify the item. UPC-A 
data is required for all products for which this information is 
commercially available. The FAS performed market research to determine 
the Federal Supply Schedules and Special Item Numbers (SINs) under 
which UPC-A data is commercially available--a complete listing can be 
viewed at http://eoffer.gsa.gov.
    MPN and UPC-A data is widely utilized throughout the commercial 
marketplace. FSS contractors are simply providing the existing MPN and 
UPC-A data that is used to classify their awarded FSS products. Many 
FSS contractors have already provided this data in their price lists. 
In fact, approximately 8 million MPNs and 1.3 million unique UPC-A 
codes are currently listed in FSS contractor price lists published on 
gsaadvantage.gov.
    Obtaining MPN and UPC-A data from existing FSS contractors will 
allow GSA to acquire baseline information across the contracts already 
awarded under the FSS program. A bilateral ``mass modification'' will 
be distributed by GSA to all contractors with FSS contracts that 
include products. FSS contractors will be required to sign the 
modification and provide this data in their price lists within 60 days 
of distribution.
    FSS contractors that do not provide this data will have 
noncompliant products ``grayed-out'' (i.e., no longer accessible/
visible) within GSA's customer-facing eTools (GSA Advantage!, eBuy, 
etc.). In addition, GSA may consider noncompliance when determining 
whether to exercise the next contract option period. GSA might choose 
not to exercise the next option period, thereby allowing the contract 
to expire.

    Dated: May 7, 2015.
Lisa P. Grant,
Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Office of Acquisition Management, 
Federal Acquisition Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-11534 Filed 5-12-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6820-89-P