Government Contracting Blog

The day has arrived—after over 5 years of development and delays, the Department of Defense (DoD) has released the final rule for Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). It was released for public comment in October, and went into effect on December 16, 2024, establishing the CMMC program and process into law. No updates were made during the public comment period. Let’s dive into what this rule entails and the timeline for implementation so you can be prepared for this new requirement.

Within the last year and a half, GSA has beefed up opportunities for Joint Venture (JV) companies looking to acquire a GSA Multiple Award Schedule. In May 2023, GSA released Solicitation Refresh 16, which provided in depth MAS offer instructions applicable to Joint Venture companies that help entities be consistent and align with Small Business Administration (SBA) standards. These updates to the Solicitation also included clarifications for specific rules to Joint Venture GSA proposal submissions.

Acquiring and managing a GSA Schedule contract is full of decisions--first you have to decide if it's right for your company, then figure out how you are going to handle submitting the GSA Schedule offer, and lastly, how you will effectively manage your contract once it's awarded. These considerations may have led you to an ever bigger decision that may rest outside your company: Will you need to hire a GSA Schedule consultant? Most companies, unless they have extensive experience with government sales or have the resources to higher a Full Time Employee with the appropriate knowledge, consider hiring a consultant at some point throughout the GSA Schedule process.

As the U.S. is preparing for a change in presidency in January, GSA Schedule contractors, businesses, and citizens alike may be wondering how this shift in the nation’s leadership could impact government spending trends. With the incumbent party leaving office and a new party entering, agencies might experience potential increases or decreases in their budgets and a different emphasis on future initiatives than the previous four years. While current government Fiscal Year (FY) budgets for agencies have been set, a new president can influence the type of contract opportunities emerging from agencies and how their funds will be directed depending on the polices the Trump administration plans to enforce.

In April, the GSA Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) issued a Request for Information (RFI) to better understand how to align Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) pricing with commercial practices. They recently posted an article on GSA Interact outlining their takeaways from this RFI, opportunities to strengthen policies, and their next steps. In this blog, we’ll go over the RFI itself, the GSA’s response, and what this means for contractors.

Managing your GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract is not an easy task. There are many items to keep up with, which require organization, knowledge, and most of all, time. A large part of maintaining your GSA Schedule is making sure your contract is updated through various compliance requirements. In this blog, we have outlined the top 10 most forgotten updates that contractors miss when managing their GSA Schedule contract. Read further to avoid skipping over any important compliance and to be well prepared for your next Contractor Assessment Visit (CAV).