“In January of this year, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report, VA Acquisition Management: Steps Needed to Ensure Healthcare Federal Supply Schedules Remain Useful (GAO-20-132). The record examines the current state of the non-pharmaceutical Federal Supply Schedules and provides 11 recommendations, nine to the Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA) and two to the General Services Administration (GSA).[1] The report is a timely and thoughtful assessment of the current program and provides a roadmap for the VA and GSA to address the strategic role and contracting operations of the VA Federal Supply Schedules program in supporting Veterans Healthcare.”
“Pursuant to a delegation from GSA, the VA manages nine healthcare related Federal Supply Schedules (the VA FSS) that provide the VA and other authorized users with a schedule of medical products and services. The VA FSS include, among other items, medical surgical equipment, pharmaceuticals, patient mobility devices, and medical laboratory testing and analysis services. The VA FSS accounts for approximately $15.4 billion in annual purchases, with the pharmaceutical schedule accounting for about $12.6 billion and the remaining eight schedules accounting for about $2.8 billion. Sales under the eight non-pharmaceutical schedules have been relatively flat over the last four years. The GAO report covers the eight non-pharmaceutical schedules.”
“The GAO identified a series of challenges facing the VA FSS. Among them were a lack of collaboration between the VA and GSA, limited guidance and training for contracting staff and possible duplication between the VA FSS and the VA’s Medical Surgical Prime Vendor program. These challenges have led to increased processing times for contract awards and certain modifications, increased administrative costs for the VA and industry, and reduced access to the latest medical technologies from the commercial market…”
“GAO’s 11 recommendations to the VA and GSA fall into four general categories…” Read the full blog post here.
Source: The Future of the Healthcare Federal Supply Schedules – By Roger Waldron, February 21, 2020. Coalition for Government Procurement.
