Government Contracting Blog

As GSA prepares to take on more Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) and other large-scale vehicles, you may have noticed changes in timelines for obtaining a GSA Schedule contract, as well as receiving GSA Schedule modification awards. Unfortunately, these changes in timelines may not be in your favor, as you may have experienced prolonged delays in approvals for your submissions.

As we are making our way into 2025, the landscape of U.S. trade policy has seen numerous shifts with the Trump Administration. One of the first major actions taken by President Trump was signing the America First Trade Policy Executive Order in January 2025. This executive order aims to prioritize American interests in global trade. This order also explicitly addresses the Buy American Act (BAA) and will most likely have an impact on the Trade Agreements Act (TAA). These executive actions mark a new era in trade policy. Let’s dive in and provide a bit of a refresher on the differences between BAA and TAA and how they tie together with the previous and new administration.

Contractors reviewing the latest update to the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Solicitation under Refresh #23 will notice that many of the changes are technical updates regarding templates and modification guides. Some of the most notable updates include revised instructions for several Special Item Numbers (SINs) and edits to sample cover letters available on the available offerings for modification and mass modification guidance page.

Congratulations on being awarded a GSA Schedule contract—this achievement likely required countless hours of hard work navigating the requirements outlined in the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) solicitation. However, the effort doesn’t stop here. As a contract holder, it's important to remain vigilant about several ongoing contract responsibilities.

Timeliness and accuracy in delivering your products to customers are critical aspects of your performance as a contractor. If you order an Amazon package and it doesn’t get show up on your porch by the delivery date, you’ll probably be frustrated especially if you were counting on it. Your government customers feel the same way when they are expecting an order placed against your GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS).

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.