Government Contracting Blog

The General Services Administration (GSA) has been making several changes to their Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program whether it’s the GSA MAS Consolidation which consisted of condensing all 24 legacy Schedules into one Schedule, or streamlining online tools to make the procurement process easier. One of the most recent updates is GSA’s work on migrating the Federal Procurement Data System (FDPS)-Next Generation (NG) Report Function to beta.SAM.gov.

The General Services Administration (GSA) is the great facilitator behind a large margin of government spending. GSA is how the government gets its products and services—from pens used at the Department of State to Information Technology (IT) services at the Department of Labor, GSA makes government acquisition much easier for government agencies and saves those agencies a great deal of bureaucratic work. But how does the GSA stay afloat? Surprisingly, not by using your tax dollars.

Selling to the government through your own GSA Schedule contract can be a daunting task for many businesses. There are certain prerequisites you need to meet before you can obtain a Schedule, and there are several requirements you need to follow throughout the life of your GSA Schedule contract. Although the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program is a great opportunity for companies to expand their customer-base and access a new marketplace, we understand the process may be difficult for certain companies. However, there are a few ways to sell through a GSA Schedule without having your own contract.

The GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program can give your company a whole new world full of opportunities. Not only is it the leading contract vehicle for the federal government, government buyers often prefer purchasing through the GSA MAS program because contractors are pre-vetted and government buyers know they are getting the best prices available. However, this also means access to the program is not entirely unfettered. Before you can become a federal contractor, you need to make sure you are eligible to sell to the government through a GSA Schedule contract. Contractors must meet a number of requirements before they can pursue a GSA Schedule contract. 

Currently, the U.S. is dealing with the destruction caused by Hurricane Laura while Hurricane Sally makes landfall in the Gulf of Mexico. As the states attempt to recover and rebuild after these devastating storms, the country is also working to stay ahead of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, causing government spending to rise on federal, state, and local levels.  In order to acquire the goods and services that are necessary to rebuild in a quick and efficient manner, many government agencies are purchasing items from commercial businesses through the General Services Administration (GSA) Disaster Recovery Purchasing Program. This program is an essential part of ensuring the government’s response to disasters is successful, cost-effective, and timely.

It’s no secret the federal government prioritizes small business participation in federal contracts. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, the federal government awarded $132 billion in prime contract dollars to small businesses and awarded just over $90 billion in subcontracts to small businesses. How does the government accomplish this? As children we were always taught to share, and although it’s slightly more complex and heavily regulated in adulthood, the concept is still very relevant. The federal government requires Other Than Small Businesses (OTSB) to create a “practicable opportunity” for small businesses to participate in federal procurement. One of the ways to accomplish this is through small business subcontracting.