Government Contracting Blog

The world of government contracting provides ample opportunities for businesses to work and sell directly with government institutions across the board. This is done through the General Services Administration, a government agency that provides centralized procurement for federal purchasers with cost-effective, high-quality products and services from commercial vendors. These products and services cover a large range of business arenas – from information technology to furniture and everything in between. Although working with GSA can be profitable, it is not a simple process. Companies interested in participating in this potentially beneficial government program often turn to experts to help them navigate through specific requirements needed to qualify, which is where GSA consultants come in. GSA Consulting covers a large area of services that are associated with acquiring a GSA Contract.

The GSA MAS Consolidation is here, and things are changing FAST for government contractors. Not to worry, Winvale is here with all the information your company needs to help successfully navigate the new MAS solicitation updates. We’ve seen the updates and how they affect new offerors, but let’s take a look at how current contractors will be affected. 

If you’ve made the decision to pursue a GSA Schedule, the first choice you will need to make is whether to go it alone or hire a GSA consultant to help. At first, the answer might seem easy – you’ve been selling to the government for years, why would you pay someone to tell you how to do it? Unfortunately it’s not that simple and every company, regardless of size, should seriously consider hiring an outside consultant before managing the process in-house.

On Monday, January 6th, 2020 the Small Business Administration's (SBA) final rule to implement a 2018 law took effect. The 2018 Small Business Runway Extension Act allows small businesses to calculate their revenue over 5 years instead of 3 years. The goal of this change is to allow more businesses to participate in small business set asides. This will allow the government to meet its goals for small business spending while allowing small businesses to better transition from small to large.

What is a Contractor Team Arrangement? GSA defines a GSA Schedule Contractor Team Arrangement (CTA) as an arrangement in which two or more GSA schedule contractors team together to provide a total solution to meet a customer’s needs. The Schedules CTA does not create a separate legal entity, but allows Schedule contractors to meet buyer requirements by combining the supplies and/or services from each team member’s separate Schedule contract in response to a buyer’s Request for Quote (RFQ). CTAs are different from Prime/Subcontracting Agreements - more information about that here.  It is important to note that Schedule CTA’s are different from FAR 9.6 Contractor Team Arrangements; Schedule CTAs require both participants to have a GSA Multiple Award Schedule Contract.

It’s no secret that the U.S. Federal government has a great need for Drone and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in today’s day and age. If your company offers these products, then your 2020 resolution should be to get involved with the ASTRO program!