3) GAO rules for GSA

The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently responded to complaint B-296371.2 by Metro Business Systems, LLC against Ameritel Corporation, which protests the award of a purchase order through the GSA Federal Supply Schedule.

In the GAO’s decision, FAR Subpart 8.4 was referenced: “When using these procedures, an agency is not required to issue a solicitation to request quotations, but rather may simply review vendors’ schedules and, using business judgment to determine which vendors’ goods or services represent the best value and meet the agency’s needs at the lowest overall cost, may directly place an order under the corresponding vendor’s FSS contract. This is contrasted with situations where an agency issues a request for quotations (RFQ) and thus shifts the burden to the vendors for selecting items from their schedule.”

This decision, although not unique, reinforces the government’s right to buy from the GSA Schedule. Contracting Officers are required only to compare businesses’ GSA Schedules for the product or service that best fits their needs. They then can purchase directly from a business listed on the GSA Schedule rather than undertaking an RFQ/RFP process.