Software vendors take notice: The General Services Administration (GSA) is proposing a new rule regarding something arcane but important.
GSA has identified 15 terms and conditions common in commercial supplier agreements that it considers incompatible with existing federal law. And where there is a conflict, government’s own commercial terms rule. It’s designed to save everyone time. Vendors won’t have to comb their contracts for offending clauses — they just can’t be enforced.
For now it applies to any GSA contract that includes software. But don’t rule out the possibility of the rule going governmentwide.
For example, GSA is forcing an end to automatic renewals of period-limited software licenses or maintenance agreements. Instead, ordering agencies will award one-year with renewal options to be negotiated and re-awarded in subsequent years. The legal basis for this is that a contracting officer may not obligate funds that have not been appropriated, lest he or she be found in violation of the Anti-Deficiency Act.
Keep reading this article for a complete description of all the nullified terms and conditions: http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/fedbiz_daily/2015/04/software-vendors-be-warned-the-old-rules-may-no.html
