Multiple Award Schedules fall to new GSA division

The General Services Administration announced yesterday that a new office will oversee its Multiple Award Schedules (MAS) program, a major program in the procurement agency.

The MAS Program Office will develop and put into practice acquisition policy and guidance regarding its MAS contracts, GSA said. The office will define shared systems requirements and coordinate ways to improve the program, the agency also said.

According to the charter that formed the new office, the Federal Acquisition Service's Acquisition Management Office will head the program office to apply consistent rules across more than 17,000 contracts. The program office will strategically align the overall the MAS Program, which is housed under several different offices in FAS, GSA said.

Those FAS business offices still will control the schedules contracts in their scope. The General Supplies and Services, Integrated Technology Services, and Travel, Motor Vehicle, and Card Services will keep management control and operational responsibility of their respective contracts, GSA said.

The MAS Program Office will work with those offices and the Veterans Affairs Department through a governance council.

"I am confident that the MAS Program Office will ensure that the Multiple Award Schedules program remains the government's preferred acquisition vehicle for commercial products, services and solutions," said Barney Brasseux, GSA's deputy administrator. "The new program office is a key accomplishment that will enhance our customers' ability to meet their mission critical requirements."

The office's charter was signed in July by Jim Williams, who was then FAS commissioner and is now GSA's acting administrator. Robert Bourne is the MAS Program Office director.

Schedules contract sales increased to $36 billion in fiscal 2007 from $35.2 billion in fiscal 2006, according to figures from GSA.

Matthew Weigelt writes for Federal Computer Week, an 1105 Government Information Group publication.