GSA filled out the details of its Formatted Product Tool (FPT) before a packed industry gathering last week, stating that the tool will end “outlier” pricing and enhance the federal buying process via GSA Advantage!  This should be a huge, flashing “Warning” sign to contractors.  As we reported a few weeks ago, the beta version of the FPT is filled with flaws.  GSA’s system assumes that products with identical part numbers are the same, with no recognition that, for example, a 3M product with part number “ABC” is nowhere near the same as Intel part number “ABC”.   Companies will also have to be very careful about what key words they use to describe items, lest the FPT system lump a basic notebook computer with a ruggedized, high capacity laptop.  GSA also intends to do away, at last, with the GSA Advantage! SIP system, which everyone agrees should be a good thing.  The risk, however, is that your items will be uploaded onto Advantage! automatically at time of award or modification.  This provides companies with no time to enhance product descriptions or add things like additional pictures.  The FPT system is scheduled to start rolling out in mid-May.  It is one more attempt by GSA officials to commoditize Schedule transactions, the vast, vast majority of which are not for commodities.  The result may certainly be transparent, but perhaps not in the way the agency intends.