The President's Column

by Steve Weitekamp

February 2014

A little less than six years ago, CMSA put together a group of Mover members  actively engaged in office moving for the state of California with the goal of assisting the California Department of General Services (DGS) in the development of a Master Service Agreement (MSA) for Office Moving for state agencies. Our efforts at that time were successful and established a program that served both the industry and our government customers. That program was scheduled for five years and ended July 31, 2013.

In an attempt to be proactive, CMSA reached out to the MSA project manager almost a year before the end of the program to offer input on a renewal of the program with an understanding that potential modifications could be beneficial for both sides. We were advised — several times — that our assistance was not needed and that there would be no opportunity for discussion between the industry and government staff. Twice the DGS project manager released a proposed MSA and twice CMSA filed comments explaining the flaws in the program revisions. DGS decided to move the program to a new manager who, once contacted by CMSA, gave us the opportunity to share our concerns and proposed modifications.

CMSA once again assembled a team of dedicated members to review and develop a platform of points to address with DGS. Our meeting and subsequent communications with DGS addressed both the MSA for Office Moving and the “Standard State Rates for Transporting of Used Household Goods and Personal Effects.” We have been encouraged by the willingness of DGS to listen to our concerns and their desire to develop a program that serves state agencies, the industry and the taxpayers of California.

While a revised MSA for Office Moving has yet to be finalized, our combined efforts have resulted in a revised “Standard State Rates” tariff. The new tariff is effective February 3, 2014. The revised rates reflect the California Public Utilities Commission Maximum Rate Tariff 4, effective January 16, 2014.
This tariff and additional information on the program can be found at http://www.dgs.ca.gov/pd/programs/transportation.aspx.

Are you certified as a Small Business? If you are interested in the MSA discussed above, you might consider becoming a DGS-certified Small Business.
In order for a small business to be eligible for certification, the small business must meet the following requirements:

• Be independently owned and operated;

• Not dominant in field of operation;   

• Principal office located in California;  

• Owners (officers, if a corporation) domiciled in California; and

• Including affiliates, be either:

• A business with 100 or fewer employees or an average annual gross receipts of $14 million or less over the last three tax years.

Detailed information on becoming a DGS-certified Small Business can be found at

http://www.dgs.ca.gov/pd/Programs/OSDS/SBEligibilityBenefits.aspx.