An Accelerated course for agency personnel and other authorized buyers

The Federal Supply Service's Multiple Award Schedule contracts serve the federal community by providing business, administrative, and mission solutions. The Schedule program provides a source for virtually every commercial product or service an agency might need. With a business volume exceeding $25 billion, and a business base of more than 9,000 contractors, the Schedules are uniquely positioned to meet a wide array of product and service requirements for hundreds of thousands of federal customers.

The Schedule program offers potential benefits of shorter lead-times, lower administrative costs, reduced inventories for customers, opportunities to meet small business goals, and compliance with acquisition, environmental, and socioeconomic laws. To take advantage of these features, you must understand the Schedules, and know how to use them effectively to meet your agency's needs. This two-day course is designed to teach you how to use the Schedules efficiently to meet your organization's requirements.

You will receive a comprehensive overview of the GSA Schedule program. You will learn how to perform market research by utilizing GSA e-tools and quickly determine if the Schedule program can meet your requirements. Additionally, you will gain insight into compliance and contract administration issues as well.

This course is designed to be interactive, and focuses on providing participants with the knowledge and tools to become effective and efficient users of the Schedules. You will learn how to take advantage of its' unique features in meeting your agency's goals and mission objectives.

The course is workbook based. Practical classroom exercises are included in the workbook. In addition, the instructor will demonstrate schedule use online.

1. Overview of GSA
   1. Mission and Organization of GSA
   2. Statutory and Regulatory Bases

2. Key Features of the Multiple Awards Schedule Program
   1. Federal Supply Service Business Lines
   2. Schedules vs. MACs and GWACs
   3. Commerciality Requirement
   4. Advantages of MAS Contracts Versus Open Market Procurements
   5. Limitations of MAS Contracts
   6. Eligibility to Order

3. Types of Schedule Contracts
   1. GSA SmartPay
   2. Financial and Business Solutions
   3. Professional Engineering Services
   4. Advertising and Integrated Marketing Solutions
   5. Energy Services
   6. Language Services
   7. Logistics (LOGWORLD)
   8. Management, Organizational, and Business Improvement Services(MOBIS)
   9. Consolidated Schedule
   10. Product Schedules

4. Using the Schedules to Perform Research
   1. Issues of Scope: Which Schedule(s) Should I Use?
   2. Using GSA Advantage: Online Shopping and Ordering System
   3. Using E-Buy: Online Required For Quote (RFQ) Tool
   4. Using Schedules e-Library.

5. Ordering Procedures
   1. Products
   2. Services
   3. Understanding Statements of Work
   4. Developing Performance-Based Statements of Work
   5. Documentation Requirements
   6. Section 803 of the National Defense Authorization Act

6. Acquisition Planning Considerations
   1. Determining Whether the Schedules Can Meet Your Agency's Needs
   2. Establishing Blanket Purchase Agreements
   3. Using Contractor Teaming Agreements
   4. Utilizing multiple Schedules to Meet Comprehensive Requirements

7. Terms and Conditions and Issues in Task Order Administration
   1. Commercial Item Contracts
   2. MAS Protest
   3. Socio-economic Provisions
   4. Service Contract Act
   5. Economic Price Adjustment Clause
   6. Maximum Order Level
   7. Industrial Funding Fee
   8. Other Direct Costs
   9. Performance Incentives
   10. Terminations

Thad Gassman

Mr. Gassman has 23 years of experience in contracting, logistics, and training. His work experience includes a twenty-year career in the U.S. Army, private sector training and consulting, and three years with the General Services Administration (GSA). He has served under the GSA Schedules program as a Procurement Analyst and a Supervisory Contract Specialist for the MOBIS, LOGWORLD and Energy Management Services Schedules.

He started with the U.S. Army where he served in a variety of logistics and contracting positions. His logistics experience has encompassed maintenance, inventory, and distribution management at both the retail and wholesale levels. His contracting career started at the base operational level, where he procured commercial supplies, services, and construction. Upon completing a weapon systems acquisition assignment at Boeing Defense & Space Group, he was assigned as the Commander of the Defense Contract Management office in Albuquerque where he was responsible for the administration of over 2,000 contracts valued at $2.1 billion. He served as the Director of Acquisitions for the United Nations Logistic Support Command in Mogadishu, Somalia, and has also supported logistics and contracting operations in Europe, the Far East, Africa, the Caribbean, and Central America.

Mr. Gassman served as a Professor of Systems Acquisition at the Defense Acquisition University, Defense Systems Management College, and was a faculty member with the University of Virginia Northern Virginia Center's Procurement and Contracts Management program. He has developed and taught courses in contracting basics and operating practices in acquisition planning, performance based contracting, cost and price analysis, preparing statements of work, construction contracting, and program management.

Mr. Gassman is a Certified Acquisition Professional, Level III in Contracting with the Department of Defense, a Certified Professional Contracts Manager with the National Contract Management Association, and a Certified Purchasing Manager with the Institute for Supply Management. He has a degree in Industrial Management from Southwest Missouri State University, and graduated with high distinction with a Masters of Business Administration from Babson College, Wellesley, MA.