# Transforming Federal Procurement: A Bold Vision for the Future of Government Contracting
The federal government’s acquisition landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, with sweeping reforms to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) opening the door to parallel modernization of the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program. These changes represent a rare and exciting moment for procurement professionals, industry partners, and taxpayer advocates alike.
## Why MAS Reform Matters
The MAS program has long served as a primary vehicle for federal agencies to access commercial goods and services. However, the complexity surrounding the program’s solicitation documentation—stretching to hundreds of pages—has created a tangled web of requirements that burdens both government contracting officers and private-sector offerors. This over-complication has slowed down the procurement process, raised costs, and limited the government’s ability to quickly tap into the best commercial innovations available.
A comprehensive overhaul of the MAS program would simplify the solicitation process, strip away outdated terms and conditions that don’t align with modern commercial practices, and make the entire system more navigable for everyone involved. The goal is clear: reduce red tape while expanding access to cutting-edge commercial capabilities that agencies need to fulfill their missions.
## Addressing Contract Term Limitations
One of the most impactful areas of reform involves the duration of MAS contracts. Recent regulatory changes have effectively reduced contract terms from the original 20-year span to 10 years through the introduction of Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) with a decade-long performance window. However, existing MAS rules still require contractors to maintain full contract coverage—including all option periods—throughout the entire BPA period.
This creates a significant competitive problem. A contractor with only nine years remaining on its current agreement cannot simply compete for a new 10-year BPA without first securing an entirely new 20-year contract. The result is reduced competition, diminished access to best-value solutions, and inflated bid and proposal costs for both the government and industry.
A practical solution exists in the form of “evergreen” contracting. By issuing optional modifications that incorporate two additional five-year options into existing MAS contracts, agencies can immediately mitigate the competitive harm caused by the shortened contract terms. Contractors would have the choice of whether or not to accept these extensions, ensuring that no party is disadvantaged. This approach also provides agencies with the breathing room needed to develop and implement a comprehensive, long-term solution through the ongoing rewrite of the General Services Acquisition Regulation (GSAR).
The 20-year contract cap is not a legal requirement—it is a discretionary policy decision that was established at the end of the previous century. Modernizing this framework to reflect 21st-century needs is both logical and overdue.
## Leveraging Competition at the Task Order Level
Another powerful reform opportunity lies in the implementation of provisions from the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, specifically those designed to increase competition at the task order level. These provisions eliminate the redundant, formulaic, and burdensome administrative work that comes with negotiating contract-level pricing for services.
Under this reformed approach, pricing and value are determined at the competitive task order level, where the specific requirements of the customer agency meet the best-value solutions proposed by MAS contractors. This method has proven to be efficient, effective, and commonsense—particularly for professional services procured under MAS and other multiple award indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract vehicles. Embracing this approach ensures that the government gets the most value for every dollar spent.
## Modernizing Ordering Procedures
The ongoing rewrite of the GSAR ordering procedures for the MAS program represents a major step forward in simplifying how task and delivery orders are awarded and issued. The new procedures offer clear, concise, and understandable guidance that replaces the duplicative language found in older FAR-based versions. By eliminating redundant information that is already embedded in the standard terms and conditions of each MAS contract, the rewrite streamlines the entire ordering process.
Additionally, the updated GSAR provides greater flexibility for including order-level materials within task orders and removes previous restrictions on single-award BPAs, allowing for longer terms than the previous five-year cap imposed by FAR-based regulations. These improvements create a more efficient and effective process for competing and issuing best-value task and delivery orders across the government.
## The Best Value Legislative Proposal
Perhaps the most transformative element of this reform effort is a legislative proposal that would fundamentally shift the MAS program’s evaluation standard. Rather than selecting vendors based solely on the “lowest overall cost alternative”—a metric that often fails to account for administration costs, product quality, delivery timelines, and other critical factors—the best value approach would prioritize solutions that deliver the greatest overall benefit to the government.
This shift establishes a modern management framework that balances flexibility with accountability. It is a pro-innovation, pro-taxpayer, pro-commercial-item, and pro-competition provision that positions the MAS program to deliver meaningful results for the American people in the decades to come.
## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
**Q: What is the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program?**
A: The MAS program is a government-wide acquisition vehicle that allows federal agencies to access commercial goods and services from pre-approved contractors under streamlined terms and conditions. It is managed by the General Services Administration (GSA).
**Q: What is the FAR Overhaul, and how does it relate to MAS reform?**
A: The FAR Overhaul is a comprehensive revision of the Federal Acquisition Regulation designed to modernize federal procurement rules. MAS reform builds on this effort by applying similar principles of simplification, efficiency, and modernization to the specific procedures and terms governing the Multiple Award Schedule program.
**Q: What are Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs)?**
A: BPAs are long-term procurement vehicles that allow agencies to place orders against pre-negotiated contracts as needs arise, without going through a full and open competition each time. They are a key component of the MAS ordering process.
**Q: Why does the 10-year contract limitation create problems?**
A: Because existing MAS rules require contractors to maintain full contract coverage—including options—throughout the entire BPA period, a contractor approaching the end of its current term may need to start an entirely new 20-year contract cycle just to participate in a 10-year BPA. This reduces competition, raises costs, and delays access to services.
**Q: What does “evergreen contracting” mean in this context?**
A: Evergreen contracting refers to the practice of offering existing contractors the option to extend their contracts through additional option periods, allowing them to remain eligible for new BPA awards without starting a brand-new procurement cycle.
**Q: What is Section 876 of the 2019 NDAA?**
A: Section 876 is a provision that promotes competition and efficiency at the task order level by eliminating redundant contract-level pricing negotiations for services, shifting the pricing and value determination to the competitive task order level instead.
**Q: What is the GSAR?**
A: The General Services Acquisition Regulation is a set of rules and procedures specific to GSA programs, including MAS. It governs how task and delivery orders are awarded and managed under GSA contracts.
**Q: How does the best value approach differ from the lowest-cost approach?**
A: The lowest-cost approach focuses narrowly on price, while the best value approach considers a broader range of factors including quality, delivery speed, administration costs, innovation potential, and overall lifecycle value to the government.
**Q: Who benefits from MAS reform?**
A: The reforms benefit federal agencies by streamlining their procurement processes, taxpayers by reducing waste and improving value, and industry partners by reducing administrative burdens and making it easier to compete for government work.
## Conclusion
The convergence of the FAR Overhaul and proposed MAS reforms represents a pivotal moment for federal procurement. By streamlining solicitations, addressing contract term limitations, embracing competition at the task order level, modernizing ordering procedures, and adopting a best value legislative standard, the government can build a procurement system that is faster, fairer, and far more effective. These structural reforms promote competition, unlock access to commercial innovation, and ensure that taxpayer dollars deliver maximum value for the missions that matter most.
Thank you for reading.
