Overview
FAR Subpart 38.2 outlines the mandatory coordination requirements between contracting agencies and the General Services Administration (GSA). It ensures that the establishment, modification, or discontinuation of Federal Supply Schedules (FSS) is centralized and approved by the GSA to maintain consistency across the federal marketplace.
Key Rules
- Mandatory Approval: Contracting officers must obtain formal approval from the GSA’s Federal Supply Service (FSS) before taking significant actions regarding schedules.
- Scope of Coordination: Approval is specifically required for:
- Establishing entirely new schedules.
- Terminating or discontinuing existing schedules.
- Modifying the geographical coverage or the specific agencies allowed to use a schedule.
- Technical revisions, including adding/deleting Special Item Numbers (SINs), National Stock Numbers (NSNs), or changing item descriptions.
- Submission Protocol: All requests for changes or new schedules must be formally forwarded to the GSA Federal Supply Service Office of Acquisition (FC) in Washington, DC.
Responsibilities
- Contracting Officers (COs): Responsible for initiating the coordination process and ensuring no unauthorized changes are made to the scope or structure of a schedule without prior GSA consent.
- GSA Federal Supply Service (FSS): Acts as the central authority and clearinghouse for the FSS program, responsible for reviewing and approving or denying requests to ensure they align with government-wide procurement strategies.
- Agencies: Must operate within the bounds of interagency agreements when managing schedule contracts.
Practical Implications
- Centralization over Autonomy: Individual agencies cannot unilaterally "pivot" their FSS programs; this prevents the fragmentation of the federal supply chain and ensures that different agencies aren't creating redundant schedules that compete with one another.
- Administrative Lead Time: Contractors and agencies should account for GSA review cycles when planning to introduce new categories of goods or services (SINs), as these changes require external validation before they can be implemented.
- Standardization: By requiring approval for NSN and SIN descriptions, the FAR ensures that "Item A" in one schedule remains consistent with "Item A" across the government, facilitating better data spend analysis and price comparisons.