How to check a GSA TDR file before you submit it
Check it in two layers. First, what GSA's upload instructions ask for: the current template, every required column filled on every line, returns and discounts entered the way GSA describes. Then what those instructions don't cover: whether your prices, SIN mapping and totals are right for your contract.
The rules the file has to follow
Under TDR, contractors report transactional data every month, within 30 calendar days after the month ends, and confirm a month with no reportable data in the same window (GSAR 552.238-80, Alternate I). The Sales Reporting Portal FAQs add that zero-sales months must still be reported and that missed earlier months have to be reported before the current one.
You can enter data in a form or upload a file: an Excel spreadsheet built from GSA's template, or a special-character-delimited file. The portal's MAS file upload instructions list the required columns for products and for services, and explain how to enter returns and discounts. The steps below follow those instructions.
Seven checks before you upload
- Step 1
Start from GSA's current upload template
Products and services report different columns. Download the upload template from the Sales Reporting Portal rather than reusing an old file, and fill in the columns GSA lists for products or for services.
- Step 2
Fill every required column on every line
For products, the required columns are Contract Number, Order Number/PIID, Description of Deliverable, Manufacturer Name, Manufacturer Part Number, Unit of Measure, Quantity of Items Sold, SIN, Unit Price, Total Price, Non-Federal Entity and Order Date. For services, they are Contract Number, Order Number, Description of Deliverable, Unit of Measure, Quantity of Item Sold, SIN, Unit Price, Total Price and Non-Federal Entity. The contract number goes on every line, even when one contract has many orders.
- Step 3
Leave out what doesn't apply
Services contractors should not enter data in columns that are not listed for services. Cloud Service Type applies only when the SIN is 518210C or begins with 518210C.
- Step 4
Paste without carrying over formatting
When copying data into the Excel template, use the paste option GSA gives for your Excel version (Values, Formulas or Match Destination Formatting), so cell formats from your own spreadsheet don't carry over.
- Step 5
Enter returns and discounts the way GSA describes
For products, a return uses the unit of measure RTN. A volume or prompt payment discount uses VD or PPD. For both, the quantity is negative, the unit price is positive, and the total price is quantity times unit price, so it is negative. To correct a month you have already reported, GSA's FAQs point to a sales adjustment to that month rather than new negative lines.
- Step 6
Report every month, including zero-sales months
A report is due within 30 calendar days after the end of each month. If a month has no sales, you still report zero sales. The portal requires any missed earlier months to be reported before the current one.
- Step 7
Check what the format instructions don't cover
Following GSA's format instructions doesn't tell you whether your prices match your award, whether each line sits under the right SIN, or whether the prices you report include the Industrial Funding Fee, as GSAR 552.238-80 requires. Review those before you submit, then certify and submit, and keep the file you sent.
Accepted is not the same as correct
A file can follow GSA's format instructions and still be wrong. A price above what your contract allows, a line under the wrong SIN, or prices reported without the Industrial Funding Fee included all look fine to a format check. They come up later, when fixing them takes more work.
Two free tools can help with the basics: the free TDR line check looks at pipe delimiting and spreadsheet-formula characters in a delimited file, and the IFF calculator estimates the fee on a quarter's reported sales. TDR Guard is designed to review the rest of the file before you submit. It has not launched yet. Request access.
Questions
How do I check a GSA TDR file before submitting it?
In two layers. First, what GSA's upload instructions ask for: the current template, every required column filled on every line, and returns and discounts entered as GSA describes. Then what those instructions don't cover: prices against your award, SIN mapping, totals, and whether reported prices include the Industrial Funding Fee.
What file formats does the Sales Reporting Portal accept?
You can report by form entry, or upload an Excel spreadsheet built from GSA's template or a special-character-delimited file. The portal's user guide describes both upload routes.
Do I have to report a month with no sales?
Yes. Reports are due within 30 calendar days after the end of each month, including months with no sales, and the portal requires any missed earlier months to be reported before the current one.
Does a file the portal accepts mean my report is correct?
Not necessarily. A file can follow GSA's format instructions and still carry wrong prices, SIN mapping or totals. GSA makes every acceptance and compliance determination.
Sources: FAS Sales Reporting Portal user guide, MAS File Upload Instructions; FAS Sales Reporting Portal FAQs; GSAR 552.238-80, Industrial Funding Fee and Sales Reporting (Alternate I). This guide is informational, not legal advice; your contract and GSA's current instructions govern.