Government Contracting Blog

The federal government is actively working toward making sure small businesses have a big slice of government contracting dollars. Recently, the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) have signed a new 8(a) Program Partnerships Agreement (PA) that will increase contracting opportunities and make it easier for government customers to use GSA Schedules to access 8(a) company solutions. 8(a) companies are a part of a small disadvantaged business program, and the government has been focused on making federal procurement more accessible for contractors under this program. Let’s discuss the 8(a) Business Development Program, what the new partnership will mean, and other ways small businesses can utilize support from the government.

Working with the General Services Administration (GSA) can be difficult. Many times, the information contractors need is already out there in the universe, released by GSA, but the trick is knowing where to find it. One of our specialties as GSA Schedule consultants is pinpointing the right resources for our clients and helping them learn how to use those tools. One of the most underutilized GSA tools is the Contract-Awarded Labor Category, or CALC, tool. The CALC tool is valuable to contractors by helping with market research, particularly for labor categories offered to GSA. Let’s dive in to understand more about the GSA CALC tool.

Managing a GSA Schedule contract is not an easy task. There are many moving parts, which require organization, knowledge, and upkeep. Part of maintaining your GSA Schedule is making sure your contract is updated through various compliance requirements. In this blog I have outlined the top 10 most forgotten updates that contractors miss when managing their GSA Schedule contract.

When you receive your GSA Schedule contract award, you are not entering into a binding document, but rather a contract that will live and breathe with your company. As we know, a lot can happen in 20 years, from technological advancements to changes in company personnel and updates to your products or services. This is where GSA Schedule modifications come in. When you make a change that affects your GSA contract, you will need to submit a modification in the eMod system. But as with any process related to your GSA Schedule, it’s not necessarily an easy or fast process. In this blog, we’ll cover best practices for GSA modifications so you are setting yourself up for success.

Another contract vehicle is on the horizon for government contractors—GSA is creating a new services Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) to replace OASIS. Formerly named Services Multi-Agency Contract (MAC) and recently dubbed as OASIS+, this contract vehicle will support GSA’s Federal Acquisition (FAS) Office of Professional Services and Human Capital Categories (PSHC), and will include small business set-asides. Both the Small Business and Unrestricted draft Request for Proposals (RFPs) were released on November 15, 2022, so here’s what we know about the contract vehicle so far, including the reasoning behind its creation, its scope, and anticipated release dates.

GSA has been developing a slew of Information Technology (IT)-related contracts recently from Polaris, to the Ascend Cloud Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) and now Alliant 3. GSA has recently released the draft Request for Proposal (RFP) for Alliant 3, one of the largest contracts in the works that will focus on the acquisition of advanced and emerging IT technologies. Alliant 3, a follow on from Alliant 2, will be a government-wide Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Best-in-Class (BIC) contract, with an estimated ceiling of $75 billion. Since all questions and comments on the draft RFP are due on January 6, 2023, we’re going to cover what you need to know about this upcoming contract vehicle so your company can get involved early on.