GSA TRANSACTIONAL DATA RULE ISSUED, IMPACT YET TO BE KNOWN

GSA Schedule contractors will have to start collecting and remitting information on every Schedule sales transaction under a new rule made final June 23rd. Sales prices, discounts, unit amounts and customer agency information are all part of the information that will have to be provided on a monthly basis. To sweeten the deal for industry, GSA is eliminating the Basis of Award trigger from the Price Reductions Clause and the requirement to fill out Commercial Sales Practices sheets. All or part of 8 Schedules are included in the initial roll out of the program, including the hardware and software portions of Schedule 70 and the PES portion of the 00 Corp Professional Services Schedule. Sales information will ultimately be shared with federal buyers as a tool to help them make better pricing decisions when buying from Schedule contracts. The variability of pricing, however, means that “apples to apples” comparisons may not always be possible, a point that GSA acknowledges. Spot discounts will be more widely visible, a fact that may give some companies pause when deciding whether, or how deeply, to offer special discounts moving forward. Allen Federal has prepared a briefing paper on the final rule. Find it on our website here.