[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 137 (Friday, July 17, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38653-38654]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-19107]
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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
Federal Supply Service; Move Management Services (MMS) and the
General Services Administration's (GSA's) Centralized Household Goods
Traffic Management Program (CHAMP)
AGENCY: Federal Supply Service, GSA.
ACTION: Notice of proposed program changes for comment.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces GSA's plan to continue providing MMS
under the Household Goods Tender of Service (HTOS) until October 31,
1999, with the expectation of adding MMS to the Governmentwide Employee
Relocation Services Schedule as a separate service during the next open
season scheduled for Spring 1999. Under this plan GSA will continue to
be able to meet customer needs while transitioning MMS to a FAR
contract procurement method. This notice supersedes two previous
Federal Register notices published for comment on this subject (62 FR
64225, December 4, 1997, and 63 FR 30496, June 4, 1998).
DATES: Please submit your comments by September 15, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Mail comments to the Travel and Transportation Management
Division (FBT), General Services Administration, Washington, DC 20406,
Attn: Federal Register Notice. GSA will consider your comments prior to
implementing this proposal.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Larry Tucker, Senior Program Expert, Travel and Transportation
Management Division, FSS/GSA, 703-305-5745.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: GSA has been exploring for almost a year
alternative procurement strategies for providing MMS to Federal
agencies, two of which were published in the Federal Register for
comment (see references under SUMMARY paragraph above). It was our hope
to offer GSA customers access to a full spectrum of MMS through an
alternative approach by expiration of the current household goods rates
on October 31, 1998.
While exploring alternatives, we have continued to meet with
customer agencies and household goods industry representatives.
Dialogue from these meetings, coupled with reaction to the two previous
Federal Register notices, have led us to conclude that the
Governmentwide Employee Relocation Services Schedule offers a viable
long-term strategy for providing MMS to agencies. We can fully
transition to providing MMS as a separate service under the schedule
during the next
[[Page 38654]]
open season scheduled for Spring 1999. In the interim, we plan to
incorporate MMS in the current schedule as an add-on or ``enhanced
service'' as announced previously in the Federal Register. To use the
add-on (i.e., ``enhanced service''), however, a customer agency would
be required to purchase MMS as part of a total relocation services
package, and would be limited to the three vendors now on schedule.
While such an approach would meet the needs of a small number of
Federal activities that buy the entire package of relocation services
(real estate services, mortgage assistance, etc.) customers interested
in acquiring only MMS would not have access to the services.
After having carefully weighed all the issues, we have concluded
that for the immediate future we can best satisfy customer needs and
meet industry concerns by continuing to provide MMS through the HTOS
until October 31, 1999, with the clear expectation of adding MMS to the
Governmentwide Employee Relocation Services Schedule as a separate
service during the next open season scheduled for Spring 1999.
Under this plan, agencies that currently produce MMS under the HTOS
will enjoy uninterrupted service, and agencies that wish to procure a
more comprehensive package of relocation services, including MMS, will
be able to do so in the very near future under the schedule. Carrier
and non-schedule-broker MMS providers will be able to continue offering
service under the HTOS until the next open season when they will have
opportunity to compete and transition to the schedule. The broker MMS
providers currently on schedule also will be able to continue offering
service under the HTOS until the open season when MMS will become a
separate procurement item on the schedule.
As stated in the SUMMARY paragraph above, this inclusive approach
will allow GSA to continue meeting customer needs and address concerns
raised by interested industry representatives while we transition MMS
to a FAR contract procurement method.
In anticipation of favorable reaction to this inclusive plan and in
an effort to keep the household goods program on target, we plan to
immediately proceed with issuance of an RFO allowing both general
transportation and MMS providers to file new rates for November 1,
1998, implementation (or as soon thereafter as realistically possible).
Under the described plan, the new rates would be effective until
October 31, 1999.
Dated: July 13, 1998.
Janice Sandwen,
Director, Travel and Transportation Management Division.
[FR Doc. 98-19107 Filed 7-16-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-24-M
