What's going on at GSA?

General Services Administration executives this week highlighted for industry

current and future initiatives under way at the agency.

Among the announcements are:

* Plans to add seat management to the Federal Supply Schedules.

* Plans to require about 8,000 schedule contractors to register on GSA

Advantage by July 1, 2001.

* Implementation of an 8(a) credit program, giving agencies that order

off the GSA schedule credit for using 8(a) contractors.

* The imminent award of a $1 billion blanket purchase agreement for

services.

* Plans to develop a new network services contract dubbed "Connections"

that will replace the Purchase of Telecommunications Service contracts nationwide

and help with FTS 2001 transition.

* The hiring of about 12 national account managers in the Federal Technology

Service's Office of Sales, which is headed by Mary Whitley.

* Plans to award a blanket purchase agreement for a study on how services

are being bought in government.

* Plans to split the information security office into two sections:

client support and governmentwide initiatives.

* Recent conclusion of the largest online reverse auction in government

with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, and the first under GSA's

Buyers.gov exchange.

The executives were speaking Wednesday at an Armed Forces Communications

and Electronics Association breakfast in Bethesda, Md.