Schedules consolidation, revamping OASIS and Alliant II RFP’s, electronic commerce, and continued work on Category Management are just some of the major, heavy lifts facing the General Services Administration right now.  Although the changes are generally well-intended, the sheer number of actions required are likely to place a significant burden on agency officials, potentially creating delays on various projects.  One area that could feel the impact is the Schedules consolidation project.  A delay here would not be inherently a bad thing, however.  Many contractors with which we have spoken are hopeful that GSA does take its time on Schedules consolidation to ensure that its own workforce is on-board with the project.  Contractors still have fresh memories about the TDR project and how many GSA people knew less about it than industry.  The changes from Special Item Number classifications to NAIC’s codes are just one area where contracting officers may need additional training.  Uniform contract clauses also need to be well-understood and, importantly, GSA leaders need to ensure that they have CO buy-in to ensure that uniform clauses stay that way without devolving into the localized changes that have resulted in the need for standardization in the first place.  It’s a lot for GSA leadership.  The bottom line for contractors is to expect delays ahead on major initiatives even as most day-to-day work proceeds.  Plan accordingly.