The General Services Administration decided to extend its Transaction Data Reporting (TDR) pilot through fiscal year 2020, a program GSA has said saves the government millions, according to a Aug. 14 news release.
The TDR rule allowed GSA to remove “complex and burdensome” tracking and disclosure requirements mandated on contractors, in addition to asking contractors to electronically report specific procurement data, like prices paid, quantity and product description. The rule requires monthly reporting of transaction sales data from governmentwide contracts, which the GSA wrote increases transparency. GSA estimated when it made the initial announcement about the new rule in 2016 that it would save the government around $29 million a year.
“This rule also supports the government’s shift towards category management by centrally collecting and analyzing information on what federal agencies are buying and how much they are paying,” the GSA wrote in 2016. “This new transparency helps the government leverage its vast buying power and drives competition.”
At the end of FY2020, GSA plans to reevaluate the pilot and decide whether to continue or end it, or expand participation in the pilot to more Special Item Numbers (SINs).
The three-year pilot is optional. Eight different schedules were included, in addition to some SINs.
Currently, GSA is consolidating 24 schedules into one individual schedule. GSA wrote in the release that it’s extending the pilot in response to its consolidation.
The delay “allows both contractors and the GSA acquisition workforce to spend their resources understanding and participating in the consolidated schedule — the most immediate priority,” GSA wrote.
“Additionally, it will allow GSA to gather data about TDR in the new consolidated Schedule environment,” according to the release.
Andrew Eversden covers all things defense technology for C4ISRNET. He previously reported on federal IT and cybersecurity for Federal Times and Fifth Domain, and worked as a congressional reporting fellow for the Texas Tribune. He was also a Washington intern for the Durango Herald. Andrew is a graduate of American University.
