What's New?? - Year 2004

Household Goods and Freight Forum

GSA announces its premier Household Goods and Freight Forum to be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 23 – February 25, 2005. The theme is Transportation Trends & Technology. This forum is co-sponsored with the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA) and is given in partnership with the household goods and freight transportation industries. This forum is supported by the American Trucking Associations, Inc., and the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. The host hotel is the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, 1201 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107.  For hotel reservations, call (215) 625-2900 and refer to the GSA Household Goods and Freight Forum.  Federal attendees must request the government rate of $116 before the January 21st cut-off. Don't delay, reserve your room today to ensure the government rate!

This forum brings the federal civilian agency transportation program and procurement community together with the transportation industry experts to learn about transportation solutions, policies and program updates that mutually impact their functional responsibilities. This forum gives government employees an opportunity to learn about the latest trends, procedures, and products within the freight, household goods, and small package arenas. This venture links those with practical experience and insight to minimize transportation challenges. The Atlanta, Georgia, event in February 2004 was a success, and the 2005 forum will be even larger and more dynamic.

Registration is free to all federal civilian agency employees. Household Goods and Freight Transportation Service Providers and industry representatives must register via the AMSA website. See agenda.

For information, contact the following individuals:
Government – Mary Anne Sykes; (703) 305-7061; maryanne.sykes@gsa.gov
Industry – Cindy Simpson; (703) 706-4963; csimpson@moving.org

GSA/Transportation Service Providers Meeting

See Minutes from the GSA/Transportation Service Providers meeting held December 8, 2004.

Transportation Service Providers Customer Satisfaction Survey

See Results from the Transportation Service Providers Customer Satisfaction Survey.

Household Goods Relocation and Freight Committee Meeting

See Minutes from the Household Goods Relocation and Freight Committee Meeting held December 1, 2004.

Proposed changes to the Federal Travel Regulation

See Federal Register Notice proposing changes to the Federal Travel Regulation. The proposed changes are intended to keep government relocation practices in line with current trends and allow better management of the government relocation program and costs.

Notice of revisions/additions to the Household Goods Tender of Service (HTOS).

Section 4A, Move Management Services (MMS), Statement of Work - Paragraph 4A-6.6.2, Section 7, Payment of Charges - Paragraph 7-1.11.1.1., Section 8, Responsibilities and Authorities - Paragraph 8-7, and Section 9, Reporting Requirements - Paragraphs 9-3.1.4. and 9-3.2.2.2. have either been revised or added to correct out dated references and to clarify certain provisions/procedures. All revisions and additions are in bold.

2004-2005 NIB/NISH and Western Distribution Center (WDC) Request for Offers (RFO) and Special Filing Instructions (SFI)

The General Services Administration has posted the 2004-2005 NIB/NISH and Western Distribution Center (WDC) Request for Offers (RFO) and Special Filing Instructions (SFI). The RFO and SFI can be found at http://www.gsa.gov/freightrfo. If you have any questions, contact Carey DeForest at 816-823-3646 or by email at carey.deforest@gsa.gov.

Standard Tender of Service (STOS), General Freight Tender of Service No. 1-F, Section 1

Standard Tender of Service (STOS), General Freight Tender of Service No. 1-F, Section 1, General, Item 1-3 has been revised.

2004-2005 General Supplemental Request for Offers and Special Filing Instructions

The General Services Administration has amended the 2004-2005 General Supplemental Request for Offers and Special Filing Instructions. The Amended Sections can be found at http://www.gsa.gov/freightrfo. If you have any questions, contact Carey DeForest at (816) 823-3646 or by email at carey.deforest@gsa.gov.

CHANGE 2 to 2004 - 2005 Household Goods Request For Offers (RFO)

CHANGE 2 to 2004 - 2005 Household Goods Request For Offers (RFO)

CHANGE 1 to 2004 - 2005 Household Goods Request For Offers (RFO)

CHANGE 1 to 2004 - 2005 Household Goods Request For Offers (RFO)

New Documents

Combined Federal Civilian Agencies Household Goods Relocation and Freight Committee Meeting

Revised Food and Drug Administration's Policy on Food in Unaccompanied Air Baggage and Household Effects

Notice to the 2004-2005 Household Goods Request for Offers

Effective immediately, the 2004-2005 Request for Offers (RFO) is now available.

Include the GSA Household Goods and Freight Forum in your FY05 Travel Plans

The GSA Household Goods and Freight Forum will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 23 through February 25, 2005. This is a reminder to forecast for this event in your FY05 travel and training budget plan. Registration for this event is free to federal civilian employees. This forum is co-sponsored with the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA) and is given in partnership with the household goods and freight transportation industries. This forum is supported by the American Trucking Associations, Inc., and the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. The host hotel is the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, 1201 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107.

For more information regarding this forum, go to Events. Additional information will be posted at a later date.

TMSS Bill of Lading Numbering Change

On July 14, 2004 GSA/FSS Transportation Division requested feedback from industry and customers regarding the bill of lading numbering format for bills of lading produced in the Transportation Management Services Solution (TMSS) system. The TMSS system's bill of lading number is 14 characters in length. Some have advised that a 14 character bill of lading number may require reprogramming for some federal agency finance offices and some industry participants, however, all automated invoicing/payment systems allow for an 8 character Government Bill of Lading number entry in line with the Standard Form 1103, US Government Bill of Lading and the Standard Form 1203, US Government Bill of Lading Privately Owned Personal Property.

GSA proposed returning to an 8 character bill of lading numbering system for billing/payment purposes. All responses received offered no objection to changing the TMSS Bill of Lading sequence and numbering to 8 characters for billing/payment purposes. Effective August 10, 2004, TMSS freight bills of lading will begin with F4XXXXXX and personal property bills of lading will begin with P5XXXXXX. All bills of lading produced from TMSS will have a bill of lading number originating from the same block of bill of lading numbers.

To capture key agency and bureau data, shipments originating in TMSS will still include a 6 character prefix in front of the 8 character bill of lading number. To identify a shipment originating from TMSS, the first two characters will identify the agency code for the agency that created the bill of lading, the next two characters will identify the bureau code for the bureau that created the bill of lading, and the last two characters of the bill of lading prefix will identify the fiscal year the bill of lading was created. The bill of lading number prefix (first 6 characters) will be depicted on the bill of lading in small font. The Suffix (last 8 characters) used for billing/payment will be depicted in a larger font and in bold. Again, only the last 8 characters are required for invoicing/payment of a TMSS bill of lading.

Your contact is Mary Anne Sykes at (703) 305-7061, maryanne.sykes@gsa.gov or use alternate number and email: (703) 305-7536, transportation.programs@gsa.gov.

Specialized Transportation Service Providers

Freight rates offered in the Transportation Management Services Solution (TMSS) system consist of rates to transport less-than-truckload and truck-load freight-all-kinds shipments moving via a closed van. GSA Transportation has received inquiries from federal agencies regarding how to access specialized transportation service freight rates from service providers. Currently, specialized transportation services from service providers and their corresponding rates are not incorporated in the TMSS system. Federal agencies are requested to contact their servicing GSA transportation regional office to attain GSA specialized transportation service providers and rates. Each regional office has tenders on-hand from various types of specialized service providers, i.e.; flat-bed, drop frame, auto, reefer, etc. GSA regional offices can be contacted at the following phone numbers - Region 3, Washington DC: 202-619-8956; Region 4, Atlanta GA: 404-331-3133; Region 6, Kansas City MO: 816-823-3646; Region 9, San Francisco CA: 415-522-2850. Additional direction can be attained by contacting Central Office, Arlington, VA: 703-305-7536 or 303-236-7440. Early in calendar year 2005, GSA Transportation will solicit the specialized Transportation Service Provider industry for rates and will include the electronically filed specialized carrier rates in TMSS for federal agency shipments transported effective May 1, 2005. Federal agencies are encouraged to advise GSA which types, i.e.; flat-bed, drop frame, auto, reefer, etc., of specialized providers they desire to be incorporated into the TMSS system. For additional information and to express the type of specialized service providers desired in TMSS, contact Blaine Jacobs on 703-305-7317 or email at blaine.jacobs@gsa.gov.

Standard Tender of Serivce

Revisions have been made to correct outdated references and to clarify certain provisions of the Standard Tender of Service (STOS), General Freight Tender of Service No. 1-F, for these Sections: Section 1 - General; Section 2 - Participation , and Section 15 - Letter of Intent .

Household Goods and Freight Forum

GSA announces its premier Household Goods and Freight Forum to be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 23 – February 25, 2005. The theme is Transportation Trends & Technology. This forum is co-sponsored with the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA) and is given in partnership with the household goods and freight transportation industries. This forum is endorsed by the American Trucking Associations, Inc., and the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. The host hotel is the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, 1201 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. 

This forum brings together the federal civilian agency transportation community and the transportation industry experts to learn more about transportation policies and programs mutually impacting their functional responsibilities. This forum gives government employees an opportunity to learn about the latest trends, procedures, and products within the freight and household goods arenas. Learn from those with practical experience and those who can provide insight and solutions to transportation challenges. The Atlanta, Georgia, event in February 2004 was a success, and the 2005 forum will be even larger and more dynamic.

Registration is free to all federal civilian agency employees. Household Goods and Freight Transportation Service Providers and industry representatives must register via the AMSA website at www.promover.org which will be available September 2004. An agenda will be posted at a later date.

For information, contact the following individuals: Government – Mary Anne Sykes; (703) 305-7061; maryanne.sykes@gsa.gov Industry – Cindy Simpson; (703) 706-4963; csimpson@moving.org

TMSS Bill of Lading Numbering Change Proposal

The Transportation Management Services Solution (TMSS) system's bill of lading number is currently 14 characters in length. Some have advised that a 14 character bill of lading number may require reprogramming for some federal agency finance offices and some industry participants, but all automated invoicing/payment systems allow for an 8 character Government Bill of Lading number entry in line with the Standard Form 1103, US Government Bill of Lading and the Standard Form 1203, US Government Bill of Lading Privately Owned Personal Property.

GSA is proposing to return to an 8 character bill of lading numbering system for billing/payment purposes. TMSS Freight bills of lading would begin with F4XXXXXX and personal property bills of lading would begin with P5XXXXXX. All bills of lading produced from TMSS will have a bill of lading number originating from the same block of bill of lading numbers.

To capture key agency and bureau data, shipments originating in TMSS would still include a 6 character prefix in front of the 8 character bill of lading number. To identify a shipment originating from TMSS, the first two characters would identify the agency code for the agency that created the bill of lading, the next two characters would identify the bureau code for the bureau that created the bill of lading, and the last two characters of the bill of lading prefix would identify the fiscal year the bill of lading was created. However, only the last 8 characters would be required for invoicing/payment on a bill of lading.

GSA, FSS Travel and Transportation Division is interested in your feedback regarding this issue. Please contact Mary Anne Sykes at (703) 305-7061, maryanne.sykes@gsa.gov or use alternate number and email: (703) 305-7536, transportation.programs@gsa.gov. We will accept comments until 5PM EST on Wednesday, July 21, 2004 before making a final decision regarding the bill of lading numbering in TMSS.

This Notice serves as a reminder that per HTOS paragraph 5-17 "The Participant must remit the GSA Industrial Funding Fee (IFF) specified in HTOS Paragraph 7-1.11 within sixty (60) calendar days after the end of each calendar quarter upon which the shipment reports are required." Failure to remit IFF and shipment and claim reports could result in revocation of your approval in the CHAMP program. Second quarter 2004 (April through June 2004) IFF and shipment reports are due no later than August 31, 2004. Per HTOS paragraph 7-1.11.1.1, "Checks shall be made payable to "GSA-GL474.1 (SCAC code)"; e.g. GSA-GL474.1 (YZAB) and mailed to General Services Administration, Accounts Receivable, P.O. Box 73221, Chicago, IL 60673." Please annotate 2nd Quarter 2004 on the checks to ensure they are credited to the proper quarter. If you have any questions, please contact Lynn Ju at (703) 305-7060 or lynnette.ju@gsa.gov.

Attention Household Goods Transportation Service Providers and Freight Customers, the following is clarification on the Fuel Surcharge and Industrial Funding Fee.

GSA thanks our Transportation Service Providers for participating in the 2004 Transportation Service Provider (TSP) Satisfaction Survey conducted in March-April of this year.

See Minutes from the Transportation Service Providers Partnership Meeting held June 9, 2004.

See Minutes from the Household Goods Relocation and Freight Committee Meeting held May 26, 2004. Optional Form 280, Uniform Tender of Rates and/or Charges for Transportation Services, is now in fillable Adobe Acrobat format.

International transit times between states and international countries were omitted when the DTOS and ITOS were combined into the HTOS. Therefore, use the applicable international country transit time table in reverse, identified in Sections 12A and 12B.

Due to a computer glitch, rate files effective May 1, 2004, for Arpin International (SCAC AIGP) have been updated in the TMSS system, effective May 13, 2004. Any household goods shipment which was moved under a previous AIGP rate beginning from May 1 - 12, 2004, will need to be updated to the correct rate(s).

Congratulations and WELL DONE! to Stuart Hatcher with the Winston Salem Industries for the Blind. He is our FIRST customer to create a bill of lading on our Transportation Management Services Solution system.

This Notice serves as a reminder that per HTOS paragraph 5-17 "The Participant must remit the GSA industrial funding fee (IFF) specified in HTOS Paragraph 7-1.11 within sixty (60) calendar days after the end of each calendar quarter upon which the shipment reports are required." Failure to remit IFF and shipment and claim reports could result in revocation of your approval in the CHAMP program. First quarter 2004 (January through March 2004) IFF and shipment reports are due no later than May 31, 2004. Per HTOS paragraph 7-1.11.1.1, "Checks shall be made payable to "GSA-GL474.1 (SCAC code)"; e.g. GSA-GL474.1 (YZAB) and mailed to General Services Administration, Accounts Receivable, P.O. Box 73221, Chicago, IL 60673." Please annotate 1st Quarter 2004 on the checks to ensure they are credited to the proper quarter. If you have any questions, please contact Lynn Ju at (703) 305-7060 or lynnette.ju@gsa.gov.

"Agencies with a GSA Freight Agreement: Must Renew by June 1, 2004!" For additional information, contact Blaine Jacobs, (703) 305-7317, or Ray Price, (703) 305-7536.

GSA recently migrated program applications from its regional server. As a result, previously established bookmarks may need to be refreshed. Follow the steps below to enter the Transportation Management Services Solution (TMSS) homepage and bookmark the site for future use.

From the user's Internet browser, type http://www.moveit.gsa.gov and the TMSS homepage appears. Bookmark or add to Favorites; or, from the GSA website, type www.gsa.gov/tmss, click on the blue “Visit Now” bar at the bottom of the eTools Transportation Management Services Solution page and the TMSS homepage appears. Bookmark or add to Favorites.

If having any problems accessing TMSS with these instructions, please contact Mary Anne Sykes at (703) 305-7061 or maryanne.sykes@gsa.gov.

GSA is requesting the submission of paper tender offers (Optional Form 280s (OF280s)) for Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) and Truckload (TL) traffic to satisfy additional requirements of the Eastern Distribution Center (EDC) located in Burlington, NJ. OF280s are being requested for the following origins/destinations:

Historical breakdown of requirements will be furnished on request.

If further information and/or assistance is required, please contact Tony Cicala at (202) 619-8991.

TMSS Book On-line and Bill of Lading

Attention Transportation Management Services Solution (TMSS) system users and prospective users. The "Book On-line" and "Bill of Lading" modules were activated on April 9, 2004. These new modules provide significant new features and capabilities to all TMSS users.

The TMSS Book On-line module arranges or changes a booking between a shipper for a federal agency that subscribes to the TMSS system and a Transportation Services Provider (TSP). The module allows the shipper to describe request for shipment and choose the TSP to provide the shipping services. The TSP can use the module to review and respond to the booking requests.

The TMSS Bill of Lading module creates, modifies, or deletes transactional documents used by federal shippers and Transportation Service Providers (TSPs) to effect government shipments. This module uses data created using the Book On-line module. The shipper can create, modify, or delete a Bill of Lading. The TSP can respond to a modified Bill of Lading Notice.

New training dates have been scheduled for the user to learn more about the TMSS system. Please visit the TMSS homepage at http://www.moveit.gsa.gov and view the new training dates posted for April. Additional training dates will soon be posted for May. The training offered will cover current features and will include significant instructions on the new "Booking On-line" and "Bill of Lading" modules. Please go to the TMSS homepage and click on "Training" to see the training dates and details regarding each session. All federal agency customers and Transportation Service Providers are invited to participate. GSA Region Office phone numbers are also listed to obtain training session information closer to the user's area if outside the Arlington, VA/Washington, DC, area. GSA hopes to see you soon at one of the TMSS training sessions.

To sign up for training and for additional training inquiries, please contact Ray Price at (703) 305-7536, raymond.price@gsa.gov or use alternate number and email: (703) 305-7061, transportation.programs@gsa.gov.

GSA’s supplemental filing window will open on February 17, 2004. Domestic rates filed during this supplemental window are based on a 2% increase to the 415 tariff and will become effective May 1, 2004. The increase applies to line haul base rates, max-pack figures, accessorial services, and all storage related charges. For those TSPs with rates on file that became effective November 1, 2003, supplemental rates may be submitted, if necessary, to make any adjustments due to the 2% increase. Rate files will be due by close of business April 2, 2004.