OS4 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

GSA OS3 will be expiring in 2019 and will be replaced by Schedule 75, OS4.

The good news is that ABM Federal has been awarded a Schedule 75, OS4.

GSA’s new and improved Schedule 75, aka “OS4”, features two new and Enhanced Special Item Numbers (SINs). The new Schedule 75 Enhanced SINs will include all of the improvements that made FSSI OS3 a “Best In Class” (BIC) solution.

By combining the two current solutions (Legacy Schedule 75 and FSSI OS3), this new single acquisition solution will allow GSA and Federal Agencies an opportunity to achieve significant savings, reduce contract duplication and improve efficiencies, as well as meet sustainable acquisition and other socioeconomic goals.

Schedule 75 is GSA’s solution for office supplies. It is a purchasing channel solution that helps federal customers achieve significant savings on their office supply purchases, while also supporting the nation’s small businesses.

Contractors will be able to offer federal, state, local, and tribal government the products that GSA awarded to be part of the Schedule 75 contract. The contract is not a traditional contract—having the contract does not automatically mean business; rather, it provides Contractors the opportunity to sell to the government under the program.

The reopening of Schedule 75 & OS4 will meet the goals of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service by:
• Refreshing and expanding a competitive pool of qualified vendors;
• Increasing opportunity for small business participation;
• Improving customer’s value on OS4 by offering more favorable terms/conditions and savings; and
• Increasing OCONUS (overseas) utilization.

This reopening, which includes the OS4 SINs, is intended to provide an office supplies solution that is the successor acquisition vehicle to OS3.

GSA’s new and improved Schedule 75, aka OS4, features two new and Enhanced Special Item Numbers (SINs). The new Schedule 75 Enhanced SINs will include all of the improvements that made FSSI OS3 a “Best In Class” (BIC) solution.
By combining the two current solutions (Legacy Schedule 75 and FSSI OS3), this new single acquisition solution will allow GSA and Federal Agencies an opportunity to achieve significant savings, reduce contract duplication and improve efficiencies, as well as meet sustainable acquisition and other socioeconomic goals. A major objective of the new solution is to increase opportunity for small business participation by at least 5 percent.

The reopening of Schedule 75 and addition of the new enhanced SINs, as OS4, will meet the goals of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service by:
• Refreshing and expanding a competitive pool of qualified vendors;
• Increasing competition to drive cost savings.
• Increasing opportunity for Small Business participation;
• Enhancing controls against gray/black market abuses;
• Improving compliance with Trade Agreements Act (TAA) and other regulations;
• Establishing a trusted marketplace with good pricing and strong oversight;
• Supporting Agencies in meeting socio-economic goals; and
• Maximizing efficiencies and effectiveness in contract administration.

The new Schedule 75, aka OS4, will include all of the improvements that made FSSI OS3 a “Best In Class” (BIC) solution. The Enhanced SINs (OS4) are expected to be granted BIC status by end of year.

The new enhanced SINs (75-220 and 75-280) and legacy SINS (75-200, 75-210, and 75-85) will be open to all socio-economic categories and business sizes. There is no restriction on the number of contracts to be awarded.

It is the contractor’s responsibility to develop (or have in place) an adequate system to ensure that all products awarded on GSA schedule contracts are compliant with the Trade Agreements Act (TAA) in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Clause 52.225.5.
This system must allow you to monitor the country of origin (COO) for products awarded on contract to ensure that they are TAA compliant and that they remain TAA compliant while on contract, particularly for products not manufactured by your company.
In developing a TAA compliant system, the contractor should include proactive processes and not rely on the manufacturer and/or wholesalers to notify you of changes in production points. In addition to maintaining TAA compliance, the contractor must ensure the COO information uploaded to GSA Advantage is accurate.

The GSA price negotiated must be offered no matter which contractor sales platform the customer buys from, unless another contract or agreement is in place. For example, if a contractor operates retail stores, the price for items on contract in that store must be automatically available to an eligible customer.

The TDR rule enables GSA to collect transactional-level data on purchases made through a GSA contract vehicle. This data provides valuable information that not only helps GSA craft smarter buying strategies, but allows agencies to make smarter purchasing decisions, enhances competition and gives the federal government key intelligence around buying patterns. Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) is mandatory for SINs 75-220 and 75-280.

A CTA is an arrangement between two or more GSA Schedule contractors to work together to meet an agency’s requirements. The CTA allows the contractor to meet the government agency needs by providing a total solution that combines the supplies and/or services from the team members’ separate GSA Schedule contracts. It permits contractors to complement each other’s capabilities to compete for orders for which they may not independently qualify. A customer benefits from a CTA by buying a solution rather than making separate buys from various contractors.

GSA is re-opening Schedule 75 to new offers and establishing new Enhanced Special Item Numbers (SINs).
The SINs being reopened are:
• SIN 75-200 for Office Products with updated Requirements
o Demonstrated ability to meet all environmental reporting and green product requirements
o Demonstrated system to remain compliant with Trade Agreements Act
o Updated Letter of Supply (LOS)
• SIN 75-85 for Restroom Products with an updated Letter of Supply
• SIN 75-210 for Office Services with an updated Letter of Supply
Schedule 75 newly established Enhanced SINS mirroring the attributes of the FSSI OS3 solution:
• SIN 75-220 Enhanced SIN for Office Products & Services / Office Supplies 4th Generation (OS4)
• SIN 75-280 Enhanced SIN for Overseas Office Products & Services / Office Supplies 4th Generation (OS4)

A company cannot hold a Legacy SIN 75 200/210 and an Enhanced SIN 75 220/280.

Schedule 75 contractors cannot modify their existing contract to add the Enhanced OS4 SIN(s); they must undergo the new proposal offer process.