Government Contracting Blog

If you are an Information Technology (IT) firm entering into the federal government marketplace, you will be introduced to a whole new world of terms that you were previously unfamiliar with. After taking advantage of some open market contracting opportunities, you may be encouraged by one of your Contracting Officers to get on a GWAC.

As a businessperson, you are probably always looking for new ways to unleash the untapped potential of your company. This can involve offering new solutions, entering new markets, and researching your competitors to gain an advantage. Many of the same business development tactics can translate over to the government sphere. As a commercial company, you can sell your products and services to the government, provided you meet all the requirements. However, you cannot simply start filling orders for government agencies—you typically need to become a government contractor first. As you have probably witnessed throughout your life, government processes are heavily regulated, and that includes procurement.

The U.S. federal government has become increasingly connected in the digital age. This affords great opportunities but also requires a significant investment in cybersecurity. Every organization has information that it needs to keep private, but the federal government has especially sensitive data that needs to be heavily guarded. A single leak could cause rampant issues from identity theft to leakage of confidential information. To keep information secure in our constantly changing digital world, the Highly Adaptive Cybersecurity Services (HACS) Special Item Number (SIN) was created under the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program. 

One of the most common Special Item Numbers (SINs) on the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) is the OLM SIN. You may have added this SIN to your GSA Schedule and not given it much thought, as it was added through a Mass Modification. So what exactly is the OLM SIN and how does it work?

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.