Government Contracting Blog

North pole reindeer won’t be the only thing you think of when you hear the word comet this season—GSA has plans in FY 2024 for version 2 of COMET, a multiple award Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for IT modernization, transformation, and operations/maintenance. COMET, which stands for CIO Modernization and Enterprise Transformation, has awarded task orders totaling almost $1 billion, making it a great success for GSA and all contractors involved, especially when it comes to updating GSA’s legacy systems. GSA wants to continue the success with COMET 2, but make it larger and improve upon certain lessons learned. Here’s what we know so far about COMET 2 and how GSA plans to further the impact of this vehicle.

As the New Year approaches, the General Services Administration (GSA) is making some updates with the upcoming release of Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Solicitation Refresh #18. While some of these updates are run of the mill changes and additions, GSA has also included some significant changes in this refresh including altering the minimum sales requirement and instituting a Cyber-Supply Chain Risk Assessment. GSA anticipates this Refresh to be released sometime in December 2023 along with the subsequent Mass Modification. Here’s everything you need to know about this upcoming Refresh.

For new and experienced GSA Schedule contract holders, juggling the task of acquiring and managing orders from another larger purchaser like the government can be daunting. Especially when there's a specific number of sales you need to meet to comply with the minimum sales requirement.

Recently, the Department of Defense (DoD) proposed to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to permanently authorize and modify the DoD’s Mentor Protégé Program. This program, sometimes referred to as the MPP, helps small businesses get their foot in the door and expand their experience in the defense industrial base.

If you are reading this, you are probably researching your options to be a part of the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program. Maybe you have read about its numerous advantages and how getting on a GSA Schedule substantially streamlines the federal contracting process for commercially successful companies, but how long is the GSA Schedule acquisition process itself?

Veteran-owned businesses (especially small businesses) are often met with obstacles when entering the federal marketplace, which can make the process lengthy and more difficult. The government tries to mitigate this with providing more resources and opportunities for disadvantaged small businesses. Small businesses have access to unique opportunities within the federal government, including specialized programs and set-aside contracts. One socio-economic group the Small Business Administration (SBA) recognizes for set-asides and additional resources is Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDBVOSBs). In this blog, we’ll discuss what SDVOSBs are, how to certify, and what the federal contracting landscape looks like.