The General Services Administration introduced a proposed rule to add a number of items to its Multiple Awards Schedule, including information technology equipment and software.

The proposed General Services Acquisition Regulation rule, which hit the Federal Register on Sept. 9, adds several Order Level Materials—also called Other Direct Costs—to the agency’s largest buying program.

The rule, which will have a 60-day comment period open to the public, adds several item schedules to MAS, including Schedule 70 and the following:

Federal Supply Schedule 03 FAC: Facilities Maintenance and Management

Federal Supply Schedule 56: Buildings and Building Materials/Industrial Services and Supplies

Federal Supply Schedule 71: Furniture

Federal Supply Schedule 84: Total Solutions for Law Enforcement, Security, Facilities Management, Fire, Rescue, Clothing, Marine Craft, and Emergency/Disaster Response

Professional Services Schedule 99: All Professional Services

Federal Supply Schedule 738X: Human Resources and EEO Services

"This proposed rule is another step forward and a crucial component of GSA’s MAS Transformation efforts," said Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Tom Sharpe, in a statement. "We have heard, from both our federal agency customers as well as our industry partners, that allowing for OLMs as part of the MAS program is a much-needed and extremely important feature missing from their procurement toolbox."

The rule change resulted from what officials said was agency frustration in ordering OLMs because inflexible policies and "elaborate workarounds" to get the services.

The proposed rule would allow contracting officers to acquire the OLMs through MAS schedules and reduce the number of open market procurements when making orders.

GSA officials requested that the public makes comments

through the Federal Register

during the open period, which ends on Nov. 8.

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