Government Contracting Blog

The sudden disruption to business caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many businesses to rethink their business strategies either out of necessity or a desire for more stability. One of the few areas with a sense of certainty in this chaos has been government procurement. While selling to the federal government comes with its own challenges, being a government contractor provides the assurance that you can sell to one of the largest purchasers of goods and services in the world.

The federal government is known for the mountains of red tape it can take to do business with. Fortunately for GSA Schedule contractors, several barriers have been removed over the years. However, there are still many compliance risks you need to be aware of. 

The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the General Services Acquisition Manual (GSAM) are the primary bodies of regulation used by GSA in the federal marketplace. Knowing the basics of these regulations is important to understanding the requirements of being a successfully compliant GSA Schedule contractor. During the course of contracting, if you find a reference to a FAR or GSAM clause that starts with an acronym you are unfamiliar with, you should check out Acquisition.gov and you will likely be able to find it. But trying to learn and remember all the clauses for GSA contractors is nearly impossible— no one has the time to muddle through all the fine print.

Major disruptions have a way of accelerating changes, like the recent large-scale adoption of work-from-home policies. With a sudden and likely lasting rise in teleworking due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has never been more important to get IT solutions and services to the federal government. As an IT GSA Schedule contractor, now is the time to step up your marketing to federal agencies.

If you want to sell your products and services through the GSA Schedule, you’ll need to  know how to find opportunities in your industry. Like any other business decision, federal contracting requires research into potential costs, benefits, and industries. As a GSA Schedule contractor, North American Industry Classification System codes (NAICS) can help you better understand what opportunities exist in your field for advancement in the federal contracting sphere. NAICS codes designate specific industries with specific codes, and these codes are then related to certain Special Item Numbers (SINS) used to classify goods and services on GSA Schedules.