The United States government entered a partial shutdown on December 22, 2018. It is late January, and the shutdown is still in effect today, surpassing the 22-day record for longest government shutdown in U.S. history. This unusually long shutdown has caused many to wonder how it will affect them and/or their business – especially those who do business with the government.

The Department of Homeland Security recently gained a new agency thanks to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act of 2018. The agency, called the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), focuses on U.S. cybersecurity, infrastructure security, and emergency communications. This new initiative will require the collaboration of a variety of private and public-sector organizations, which could mean great upcoming opportunities for government contractors!

Times are changing, and the General Services Administration (GSA) is trying to keep up. The GSA Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) Integrated Workplace Center (IWAC) recently drafted new efforts to update Schedule 36, the Office, Imaging and Document Solution Schedule. Here are some of the changes you may want to look out for in the upcoming months.

As a government contractor, you may have noticed the “spending spree” trend of the Fourth Quarter (Q4). Almost 1/3 of all federal contract dollars are awarded during Q4 consistently from year to year as many of the Federal agencies have “use it or lose it” budgets. As a contractor, you should be prepared for this increase of business. Check out these tips to help your business take advantage of the government’s extra spending!

There is no time like the present to start keeping up with U.S. federal news. I know you may be thinking we’re talking about politics, but the reality is that Federal news covers much more than that and often covers news directly related to government contracting.

The Mentor-Protégé (MP) program is a great program for small or disadvantaged businesses just starting out in government contracting or for businesses that need a helping hand when it comes to growing their government contracting practice. The Mentor-Protégé program may work with any business size, including other than small (mid-sized) businesses. The Small Business Administration (SBA) developed two of the most well-known MP programs: the All Small Mentor-Protégé Program and the 8(a) Small Business Mentor-Protégé Program.