As a GSA contract holder, you may be contacted by a GSA Industrial Operations Analyst (IOA) to conduct a Contractor Assessment. During this assessment, the IOA will review your records to verify contractual compliance. The frequency of assessments depends on several factors, including your sales volume. The IOA will contact the GSA contract holder to schedule an assessment when necessary but at a minimum a review should be conducted prior to the execution of a new option period.
Purpose of a GSA Contract Assessment
The purpose of the assessment is to help the GSA contract holder succeed. During the assessment, the IOA will verify that you are in compliance with the critical clauses of your contract as well as ensure you have an understanding of your responsibilities and opportunities relating to your GSA contract.
How to Prepare for a GSA Contract Assessment
When it is time for an assessment, the GSA contract holder will be contacted by an IOA by phone or email. That initial contact will establish the logistics of the assessment and will also address the IOA’s goals for the assessment. This assessment may take the form of a face to face meeting or be performed virtually as determined by the IOA. The IOA will identify what documentation the GSA contract holder will need to have available and organized for the assessment to be completed efficiently and effectively.
The following are some examples of the types of documentation that may be necessary during the assessment:
- The original Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract, including the Final Proposal Revision (FPR) letter
- All approved modifications and price lists to your GSA schedule contract.
- Sales tracking system standard operating procedures
- GSA and non-GSA quotes/proposals, invoices and statements of work
- Any Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) awarded against your GSA contract (if applicable)
- Letters-of-supply and country-of-origin information (if applicable)
- Listing of all GSA-authorized dealers (if applicable)
It is also important for all applicable personnel to be in attendance or available during the assessment. This might include personnel from sales, marketing, accounting and/or shipping (basically anyone who has a role in handling GSA contract orders).
The IOA may request that the GSA contract holder send their company’s sales data prior to the scheduled review. Doing so will allow the IOA to review and sample the sales data prior to the assessment, possibly reducing the amount of time necessary to complete the assessment process.
What to Expect during the GSA Contract Assessment
During the assessment, the IOA will have questions pertaining to the GSA schedule contract and the internal processes implemented to manage the contract successfully.
These processes could include, but are not limited to:
- Sales tracking system
- Basis of Award customer discount monitoring
- Scope of GSA schedule contract
- Trade Agreements Act compliance
Depending on the number of orders involved, the IOA may review a sample from the sales data. Both GSA and non-GSA orders will be reviewed in order to ensure that your sales tracking system is functioning to provide accurate and complete sales reporting for GSA contract sales. Each GSA order will be reviewed to check for the following things:
- The correct GSA approved pricing was extended to all GSA customers.
- That the Price Reduction clause has not been triggered by a sale to a Basis of Award customer.
- Any open market items provided as part of a contract order were properly identified to the customer.
- All deliverables were provided within the contractually negotiated scope and contract terms.
GSA Contractor Assessment Report
Shortly after the completion of the contractor assessment with the IOA, the contractor assessment report is completed and made available simultaneously to both the contractor and the Contracting Officer. The Assessment Report provides a “snapshot” of the GSA contract holder’s ability to meet the terms and conditions of their contract at the time of the contractor assessment. Its purpose is to identify areas of compliance as well as areas needing improvement.
The Assessment Report is designed to provide GSA contract holders with helpful feedback on how they are managing the many obligations that come with holding a GSA schedule contract. It deals with performance against contract terms and conditions and is visible only within GSA and to the individual contractor.
To view a sample report card, please visit: https://vsc.gsa.gov/administration/files/reportcard.pdf
If you require assistance with preparing for your Contractor Assessment and ensuring that your GSA contract is in compliance, please contact one of our GSA consultants at SharpMinds.