Government Contracting Blog

On the journey to obtain your GSA Schedule contract, you will encounter North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Codes. NAICS Codes appear at all phases of GSA contract acquisition and throughout the life of your contract. As you register your SAM.gov account, you will have to select your NAICS Code and if you want to add new Special Item Numbers (SINs) to your contract, you will need to add the appropriate code. Government solicitations such as Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Requests for Quotation (RFQs) all have NAICS Codes attached to them. Each time you come across one or have to select a NAICS Code, the question is “how do I determine the right NAICS code for my business?”

With a GSA Schedule, you can easily access a wide network of federal, state, and local agencies looking to buy products and services. But great opportunity doesn't come without competition. While you are part of a unique pool of contractors, you still have to compete with other companies for business, and be proactive about advertising your solutions to government agencies. 

Another contract vehicle is on the horizon for government contractors—GSA is creating a new services Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) to replace OASIS. Named Services Multi-Agency Contract (MAC) and also recently referred to as OASIS+, this contract vehicle will support GSA’s Federal Acquisition (FAS) Office of Professional Services and Human Capital Categories (PSHC) and will include a small business set-asides. Here’s what we know about the contract vehicle so far, including the reasoning behind its creation, its scope, and anticipated release dates.

When you open up a government solicitation, you might feel overwhelmed, confused, or even a sense of dread. We know solicitations are not known for light and easy reading, but it shouldn’t seem impossible to you and your team either. With the right direction and knowledge, you can pinpoint which sections to start with and how to tackle the hefty document. In this blog, we’ll outline the key sections and what you should do when you first click on that PDF.

Whether you already have a GSA Schedule, are working on obtaining one, or are just considering the possibility, you may start to wonder what your competition looks like. Conducting business with a GSA contract has its advantages and in this case, that includes transparency regarding pricing and sales. Once you find out what your competition on the GSA Schedule is, you can look into what they are offering, what their sales look like, and more. This research should allow you to develop a more informed plan on taking advantage of the opportunities available to you on your own GSA Schedule.

What’s with all the red tape? Like it or not, the bureaucratic processes of the U.S government will outlive us all. The good, the bad, and the ugly of it all do not come without a set of good intentions, but when doing business with the federal government, it can be daunting at times when questions of compliance arise. A good measure of domestic policy, a dash of foreign trade, and a large portion of American depression-era law are where we find ourselves today, so let’s take a look at some of these policies and their impact on GSA contracting. There are several acquisition product sourcing policies we must keep in mind as government contractors. Primary among these is the Buy American Act (BAA) and the Trade Agreements Act (TAA).