Upon being awarded a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract, companies officially become contractors in one of the largest and most popular government contracting programs. This, however, does not equal instant success. As much as we would like it to be that easy, you can’t just sit back and watch the orders come in. Once you get your contract, there are a few immediate and long-term things to do to support the foundation for success with your GSA Schedule. What additional steps are required once the contract has been awarded? Let’s break down these crucial first steps.

System for Award Management (SAM) registration and renewal is one of the first steps in the GSA Schedule acquisition process, and is an important part of managing your contract each year. However, since there have been major updates to SAM recently including an update in the entity validation process, there have been a lot of delays causing frustration among contractors. Entity Validation may be just one step in this process, but it’s not one to be underestimated. In order to avoid any hiccups, it's important to make sure you understand the recent changes and have some tips to make the SAM registration and renewal process go smoothly.

After you are awarded your GSA Schedule contract, there are certain requirements you must keep up with including sales reporting, contract, modifications, and meeting a certain minimum revenue. As a small business entering a new marketplace, while it’s all exciting, it may also be concerning or overwhelming for you.

So, you have your GSA Schedule—what’s next? Getting your foot in the door may be difficult at the start, and certain requirements are needed to maintain your GSA Schedule. It's crucial to not only market actively but to market well. We know what you may be thinking, how is a small business supposed to have all the resources to sell to a whole new marketplace? Luckily, there are lots of free tools at your disposal that can give your small business every advantage possible. You just need to know what they are and how to use them, which we’ll cover in this blog.

Once you are awarded a GSA Schedule contract, you are granted access to many platforms and resources to assist in growing your company’s presence in the public sector. As a GSA Schedule contractor, websites like SAM.gov, GSA Advantage!, GSA eLibrary, and more become important assets for success in the federal market. The issue is contractors and government buyers aren’t the only ones that see these resources as valuable. While these sites are crucial for contractors, it also makes their company highly visible with non-confidential information such as email address, numbers, address, and therefore susceptible to a cybersecurity breach.

As of April 4th, 2022, the DUNS number is no longer used in government contracting. The UEI or Unique Entity Identifier has officially taken its place in SAM.gov or the System for Award Management. Whether you are new to the entity registration process or are getting ready to update your registration and related documents, it will help to understand a bit more about how this new system works.