What is CMAS?
California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS) agreements are established with contractors registered in the State of California to sell information technology and non-information technology products and services to California State and Local government agencies. CMAS operates as a streamlined procurement option, offering competitively assessed and pre-negotiated products and services.
A CMAS is not established through a competitive bid process but rather recognizes all pricing, products and/or services which have been previously bid and awarded on a Federal General Services Administration (GSA) multiple award schedule. This GSA schedule is referred to as the “base” contract. The State of California then applies their own terms and conditions to the agreement to ensure compliance between the contractor and the ordering agency.
CMAS Value Proposition
Contractors holding CMAS agreements deliver value-added benefits to their agency customers including:
1. Realize cost savings
- Up-to-date, Federal Acquisition Regulation-compliant acquisition vehicle approved by California Public Contract Code (PCC) §10298 and 10299 for State and Local agencies to use without competitive bidding which helps minimize risks
- Competitive, market-based pricing that leverages the GSA Schedules program with the ability to negotiate further discounts at the order level
2. Experience flexibility and choice
- The ability to tailor orders to get what is needed by customizing terms and conditions at the order level
- Set-aside orders for small business in order to help achieve an agency’s annual small-business goals
- Decision tools and contracting solutions proven to meet complex requirements
- A vast selection of contractors offering expert solutions for services and product
3. Save time
- Pre-competed, on-demand contracts to increase the productivity and capacity of scarce acquisition resources
- Quick and easy access to the right industry partners, allowing you to make the most use of your valuable time
- State of California has added standard contract terms and conditions and procurement codes, policies and guidelines, resulting in a totally independent California agreement
4. Realize transparency
- A suite of eTools that can be leveraged to identify qualified contractors, maximize competition, and assist you in reaching your socioeconomic goals
- Copies of a CMAS agreement for approved contractors can be obtained at https://www.caleprocure.ca.gov
5. Control the procurement
- Self-service access that allows agency contracting offices to retain control of their procurements, including requirements development, evaluation, award, and administration
- Full-service options when in-house resources are tapped with other pressing projects
CMAS Fee, Sales and Payment
The selling CMAS contractor is required to pay the Department of General Services (DGS) a 1% incentive fee (excluding sales tax and freight) on all local government sales if they are not a California certified small business. Sales are reported quarterly by the CMAS contractor for each CMAS agreement. Payment by a State or Local agency through CMAS will be made in accordance with the provisions of the California Prompt Payment Act, Government Code (GC) §927 et. seq. Unless expressly exempted by statute, the Prompt Payment Act requires agencies to pay properly submitted, undisputed invoices not more than 45 days after (i) the date of acceptance of goods or performance of services; or (ii) receipt of an undisputed invoice, whichever is later.
For clarification or additional information, please contact ClearCoast today.
