Government Contracting Blog

Selling products and services to the U.S. government means adhering to several established rules and regulations. For potential and current GSA Schedule holders, complying with regulations outlined in the Trade Agreements Act (TAA) is one of the many requirements. While preparing an initial GSA Schedule proposal, most schedule holders become vaguely familiar with required trade laws and regulations. However, after their contract is awarded many make the mistake of not broadening their understanding and fail to regularly monitor their contract to maintain TAA compliant. In this blog, we will define what TAA compliance means and discuss 5 ways to stay TAA compliant.

As a government contractor, you have to stay vigilant about certain regulations so you are staying within the guidelines of the federal government. However, it’s not always an easy guidebook to follow. Some contractors are subject to additional policies if they handle certain types of information. If you are a government contractor within the Defense Industrial Base (DIB), or you handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), there are certain regulations and clauses you have to follow. Here’s what you need to know about the security requirements for safeguarding CUI.

If your family is as competitive as mine when playing games, you may have to bring out the rule book. The rule book outlines a set of instructions and is the ultimate authority on what rules must be followed for success. Well, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the General Services Acquisition Manual (GSAM) and Acquisition Regulation (GSAR), and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), are like the rule books that GSA contractors must reference when it comes to their GSA Schedule. Many of our clients ask us how to make sense of it all because it can be overwhelming. In this blog, we are going to outline the FAR, DFARS, GSAM/GSAR, and explain what they are, how you can understand them, and a few important clauses to follow.

It often comes as a surprise to many contractors that they can leverage their GSA Schedule contracts to sell to state and local governments. Contractors are not limited to using their Schedule to sell only to federal buyers. As a consultant, I come across clients who are constantly looking for ways to expand their customer base. Many are unaware that GSA also supports the procurement needs of state and local governments through various programs, especially during this time with recent natural disasters and the global pandemic. This blog will cover a few emerging opportunities that contractors can take advantage of and use to sell to state and local governments.

For GSA contract holders, it is no secret that some of the tools used to manage and maintain contracts are slow and outdated. For example, the layout of the Schedule Input Program (SIP) is difficult to navigate, and catalog information is divided into multiple tabs. Though most find it frustrating, it’s crucial for GSA contractors to use this program to update their contract data and maintain compliance. However, after receiving feedback and hearing contractor’s frustrations, GSA started developing solutions to replace some of their existing platforms to modernize the acquisition process. One of the solutions is the Common Catalog Platform (CCP) which will replace SIP, the Contracting Officer Reporting System (CORS), and the current Price Proposal Template (PPT). 

As the pandemic lingers, the demand for goods and services continue to be a spending trend among government agencies. To respond to this crisis and other health-related emergencies, state and local governments are able to purchase items from GSA Schedules by participating in GSA’s Public Health Emergencies (PHE) Program. This program allows some non-federal entities to use the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program for essential public health emergency supplies.