Government Contracting Blog

It’s the most wonderful time of the year—if you look at the numbers, government Q4 (July through September) of each year are far and away the busiest months for government contractors. In recent years, Q4 of the government fiscal year has accounted for roughly 1/3 of all government contract dollars awarded throughout the year. This increase in spending can be attributed to an array of reasons including later award dates due to delays in budget availability, greater negotiation leverage, and adapting to potential new requirements that may factor into a particular procurement.

The 4th quarter always seems to be the most important--whether it’s in a football game where a quarterback is running a 2-minute drill while down one score, a basketball team is rallying back from a deficit and banking on a buzzer beater to take home the win, or even discussing government spending toward the end of the fiscal year when government agencies are rushing to use up their annual budget. One statistic that stands out to rookies and seasoned contracting veterans alike is that nearly one-third (yes, 1/3!) of federal contract dollars are awarded during Q4 of the government’s fiscal year. With agencies spending the remainder of their annual budget, and a rising need to procure a larger volume of products and services, the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program becomes a key vehicle for both buyers and sellers.

Obtaining a GSA Schedule contract for your company can be a major victory for growing your public sector footprint and opening the door to untapped government sales. However, the process of getting on the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) can seem a little daunting considering the amount of information that is required to get a contract award.

Professional services, SaaS, cloud solutions, power tools – if your company is selling it, GSA (probably) has a Special Item Number (SIN) for it. Previously, the GSA Schedules Program was separated by Schedule number and limited contractors to one scope of work per contract, including Information Technology, Professional Services, Hardware, and more. With the new Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Consolidation, contractors have the ability to pursue more SINs on their GSA Schedule than ever before.

Having a small business designation can fuel marketing and sales efforts for new federal business opportunities. Every year, the Small Business Administration (SBA) aims for certain percentage goals of budget spending that are designated for small business contracts. So, it’s critical to know if your company is eligible for small business set-aside contracts, but how can you be sure?

As a government contractor, you’ve probably run into NAICS codes more than a few times, and you likely know which ones are applicable to your products or services. But like many, questions still linger about their true meaning and function. Questions like: “What does the acronym even mean in the first place?” “How do they affect your business and how you work with the government?” “What is a size standard?”