A new federal acquisition rule is seeking to ensure enough competition for purchases made through General Services Administration schedules.

GSA schedules are long-term programs meant to make the buying process easier on federal agencies by pre-negotiating prices and other terms. Multiple companies can hold a spot on a schedule, but they must compete for individual orders, meaning they have to win twice to see actual work.

Earlier this month, the government issued a rule that ensures that all companies on a given schedule — schedules are sorted by type of purchase — are notified of each opportunity worth between $3,000 and $150,000. Opportunities worth more than $150,000 are already governed by traditional procurement regulations.

These contractors must be given the opportunity to to make an offer and have it considered by the contracting officer. Read Full Article.