Government Contracting Blog

When we enter a new year, it’s common to spend time reflecting on the past year and set goals for the next 365 days. While our calendar year isn’t over just yet (don’t worry we aren’t glossing over Halloween), the federal government Fiscal year (FY) just ended on September 30th, and we are taking the time to glance back at 2024 and report our findings.

To answer your question right away, no, you don’t have to hire a consultant. GSA doesn't require you to have help, but the real question is—will you need it? This is a question that many contractors do not consider initially, and may end up needing assistance last minute. If you have several years of experience selling to the government and have a team dedicated to government acquisition and sales, you probably won’t need to hire someone. However, many of our clients are small businesses who may not have the bandwidth or resources to handle GSA Schedule acquisition and maintenance. Your GSA Schedule contract can last up 20 years, and within that timeframe it requires a lot of special attention, beyond the initial process of getting your contract awarded.

As a current GSA Schedule contractor, you are likely very familiar with the somewhat infamous Special Input Program (SIP), which is the current system used to upload your I-FSS-600 pricelist to GSA eLibrary and your products to GSA Advantage. Over the years, contractors have encountered issues with the outdated and user-unfriendly nature of the program. One common issue faced by Schedule holders when revising their SIP catalog files is encountering errors, which can lead to delays and non-compliance with their contracts.

Another opportunity is on the horizon for GSA IT contractors. GSA has released the final draft solicitation for Pool 1 of their new Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) called Ascend. This contract vehicle will serve as a one-stop-shop for government customers to acquire secure cloud service offerings from GSA contractors. The first pool focuses on Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (Paas), and will be followed by 2 other pools geared toward Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and and cloud-IT related professional services. Let’s breakdown this upcoming BPA and what it could mean for you as a GSA IT contractor.

As most contractors know, or will find out, maintaining compliance is one of the most important factors in doing business with the government. One of the most important, and frustrating, aspects of compliance for GSA Schedule holders is the tracking of Commercial Sales Practices (CSP). The idea of disclosing your Commercial Sales Practices, and tracking to make sure that their relationship to GSA pricing are not disturbed, can be daunting to many GSA Schedule holders and prospective contractors.

If you’ve been awarded a GSA Schedule contract, you may be feeling relieved. After all, you’ve finally completed the lengthy process of putting together your offer, waiting for review, and going through negotiations. While getting a contract award is certainly something to celebrate, it’s also not the end of your work. What many contractors don’t realize is that it is just as important to maintain your contract as it is to acquire it in the first place. In this blog, we’ll cover ways you can optimize your GSA Schedule.