Government Contracting Blog

If you are a new or prospective GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contractor, you may be wondering how to calculate your GSA prices. It’s important to consider the various factors that are involved so that your business can be profitable, but your prices are also fair and reasonable in the eyes of GSA. Having a well-defined understanding of the pricing prerequisites before entering negotiations with your Contracting Officer can be extremely beneficial for your company.

Approximately 210 days before a 5-year option period ends, GSA Schedule holders receive an automated email notifying them of the option to extend their contract. If you are one of them, knowing you have two options is important. You can choose to let your contract expire or complete an option extension modification to continue the life of your contract for another 5 years. If you are going through the option extension process for the first time, it may seem overwhelming, but a clear understanding of the requirements can put you at ease. In this blog, I will share with you everything you need to know about a GSA Schedule option extension.

If you're a GSA Schedule contractor, contract maintenance is crucial to your success. It's essential you stay up to date with the requirements and regulations that apply to GSA contractors, including Human Resources (HR) specific requirements. Along with adhering to HR practices, you must also fulfill other contract maintenance requirements, including sales reporting and modifications. However, the HR requirements are often forgotten about when it comes to maintenance because they are not necessarily frequent action items such as changing information on your Schedule, adjusting prices, or reporting your sales. This blog highlights the crucial HR requirements and other contract maintenance requirements that federal government contractors must meet.

For GSA contract holders, it is no secret that some of the tools used to manage and maintain contracts are slow and outdated.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. 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 FAS Catalog Platform (FCP) which will replace SIP, the Contracting Officer Reporting System (CORS), and the current Price Proposal Template (PPT).

Certifying as a small business is an important step for GSA contractors who qualify, and some small businesses can even go further to certify for one of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) socioeconomic programs. This includes the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) programs. This certification allows small businesses access to exclusive set-aside opportunities. Women Owned Small Businesses make up 5% of the government’s acquisition goals, and it’s important all businesses that qualify know how to certify.

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.