Government Contracting Blog

It’s no secret the federal government prioritizes small business participation in federal contracts. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, the federal government awarded $132 billion in prime contract dollars to small businesses and awarded just over $90 billion in subcontracts to small businesses. How does the government accomplish this? As children we were always taught to share, and although it’s slightly more complex and heavily regulated in adulthood, the concept is still very relevant. The federal government requires Other Than Small Businesses (OTSB) to create a “practicable opportunity” for small businesses to participate in federal procurement. One of the ways to accomplish this is through small business subcontracting.

As a GSA Schedule contractor, you know there are a multitude of laws, regulations, and guidelines you need to follow to remain compliant. If you provide services through your contract, one of the laws you may have heard of is the McNamara O’Hara Service Contract Act (SCA). Enacted in 1965, the SCA’s main purpose is to protect employees performing work for contractors and subcontractors. At Winvale, we have a lot of clients asking us if the SCA impacts them as GSA Schedule contractors so let’s review the SCA, SCA exemptions and compliance, and why it’s relevant for several GSA Schedule contractors.

Who are my customers? It’s often the burning question in any commercial marketplace. You know what your products and services are, you have an idea where and how you want to market them, but who is your target audience? It’s no different when you’re selling to the government through a GSA Schedule contract. As public sector consultants, we’re asked this question a lot because a wide array of agencies purchase through the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program and the answer isn't always clear. The GSA MAS program was created for government agencies to have access to around 11 million different products and services at a volume discount, but it’s not open to just any government entity. So who can you sell to with a GSA Schedule contract?

If you’re interested in selling to the government through a GSA Schedule contract, you might be wondering how government agencies will find your products and services and what the buying process will look like. If a government buyer wants to purchase a product, they can’t just hop onto one of the mega online retailers to find what they need because there are several requirements that need to be met. Instead, they use government online shopping and ordering sites like GSA Advantage!®.

COVID-19 has altered our conception of the workplace. Living rooms are being transformed into makeshift offices, conference room meetings have turned into virtual Zoom sessions, and employees are donning masks before they enter the office. As states slowly begin opening in phases, employees are trickling back into the workplace, but they will not immediately return to a pre-pandemic environment. There are certain social distancing measures and routine disinfection practices to follow, but with the right equipment, you can minimize the spread of COVID-19. As a supplier of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), we at Winvale know it’s important to make sure your employees are outfitted with the proper PPE they need to combat the virus. Here are the top five types of PPE you should purchase for your office to ensure the safety of your employees.

From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been hungry for more answers — we turn to the Google search bar, ask Siri or Amazon’s Alexa, and scroll endlessly on social media platforms to consume information that can keep us safe. We are lucky to have such a vast amount of data at our fingertips, but as we know, the internet can be a double-edged sword. With legitimate facts and scientifically backed studies comes just as much misinformation. The facts we do find can also be confusing. For example, face masks are one type of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that is commonly used by essential healthcare workers and the public, but that wasn’t the case at the start of the pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) originally recommended face masks be worn by healthcare personnel only, but now the CDC suggests everyone should wear a mask when going out in public.