Multiple Award Schedule

The intention of this post is to share additional information about the VPP and the associated upcoming changes to the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS).  Please send any feedback to VPP@gsa.gov.  For inquiries from members of the media, please email press@gsa.gov.

The VPP will be a manufacturer and wholesaler-facing portal containing authoritative product content, including standardized:

• manufacturer names;
• part numbers; and 
• specifications, including images, product videos, and pdf documents for commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products. 

In addition to the authoritative product content, the VPP will capture and display supplier authorization information. This will enable automated supplier authorization enforcement and reduce the burden on authorized resellers to provide individual letters of supply.  By receiving supplier authorization information directly from the manufacturers and wholesalers, we will reduce the buyer’s risk of purchasing counterfeit or non-compliant parts.  The data will also be used to standardize contractor catalogs, ensuring products across GSA marketplaces are accurately represented.  

VPP benefits, when fully implemented, include the following:

• Ensures Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) products are accurately represented in GSA ecommerce platforms.
• Eliminates variability among identical products through standardized catalog data coming directly from the manufacturer or a trusted source.
• Improves the customer’s buying experience by providing rich syndicated product content such as videos and product manuals.
• Allows manufacturers and wholesalers to authorize and deauthorize products and resellers in near-real time to protect against supply chain risks and ensure product and reseller authenticity. 
• Reduces the burden on resellers to provide letters of supply and product specifications (potentially automating the letter of supply in the future).
• Facilitates Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) activities to enhance the security of GSA’s supply chain, to include verifying that products are compliant with Section 889 and Trade Agreement Act requirements.

Implementation of the VPP will also enable the FAS acquisition workforce to quickly and easily identify unauthorized products both pre- and post-award. Unauthorized products can then either be removed from consideration in new offers and modifications or deleted from existing contracts.

Multiple Award Schedule implementation of the VPP is tentatively planned for April 2021.  

To learn more about the updates included in the upcoming MAS solicitation refresh, please see Catalog Management's Interact post.