The General Services Administration (GSA) is constantly creating programs and platforms to help make the acquisition process more efficient. From procurement platforms like GSA Advantage! and GSA eBuy, to catalog management initiatives like the upcoming Verified Products Portal (VPP), GSA has myriad resources out there to help GSA contractors succeed in the federal marketplace. One of these resources is the Assisted Services Information System (ASSIST).

What could the future with 5G look like? Imagine you’re getting ready for work. You start your day with a workout with your virtual reality goggles. With each calorie you burn and every slight escalation of your heart rate, the data is collected and sent to an app on your phone so you can track your performance. You leave your house and get into the backseat of a driverless taxicab. The car in front of you brakes quickly to avoid a pedestrian. The cars communicate to each other signaling danger up ahead, so your cab automatically slows down, avoiding a crash.

GSA Schedule contractors have dealt with a lot of changes recently - from the three phases of the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Consolidation to the recent MAS Solicitation Refresh #5, it can be a lot to keep up with. One of the newest updates to eOffer and eMod is part of GSA’s IT modernization efforts to support security and provide solutions that are recognized internationally.

At the height of the Cold War in 1962, U.S. officials conducted the Starfish Prime Test where they detonated a 1.4 megaton bomb above the Pacific Ocean causing irreparable damage to electronics over 870 miles away. This is when everyone started to realize the detrimental effects Electromagnetic Pulses (EMPs) could have on our technologically dependent society. Electromagnetic Pulses (EMPs) are short bursts of electromagnetic energy that can swiftly damage or destroy electronics. They can come in many different forms whether manmade as a weapon of war or natural from a rare super storm, but the big picture is the same – they can pose as a great threat to our nation.

If you look back at your 2020 plans and goals from last January, they probably don’t mention anything about a global pandemic. 2020 was an incredibly unpredictable year for all of us. Despite the economic uncertainty, government spending continues to steadily increase as agencies spring to action to make sure national, state, and local organizations have the resources they need to provide COVID-19 relief.

On December 22, 2020, Congress passed a COVID-19 relief bill making it part of one of the highest spending bills in American history. The $900 billion Coronavirus bill is attached to an omnibus spending bill for the 2021 Fiscal Year totaling $2.3 trillion.