If you need something for your office, chances are you’ll hop onto a site like Amazon because it’s easy to search, the prices are reasonable, and it’ll arrive at your door in just a few days. If a government agency wants to purchase something, they can’t just order whatever they want from popular retailers, but they still need a simplified way to order products. So where do they go?

SIP—it’s only three letters, but it can be a dense and frustrating program for GSA Schedule contractors. SIP, which stands for Schedule Input Program, is a software program created by the General Services Administration (GSA) for contractors to upload their contract information to GSA eLibrary and GSA Advantage! platforms. GSA contractors have to upload their catalogs and price lists to reflect the MAS Consolidation by March 31, 2021, so it's important you know how to use SIP.

Whether you’re a new GSA Schedule contractor or you have been selling to the government for years, Contractor Assessments (CAs) can be stressful if you’re not prepared. Even if you are on top of your contract maintenance, it can be intimidating to have an official checking up on your company and handing you a detailed report card about your performance. How do you know what to expect? Now you have a guide to help you make sense of the process.

COVID-19 has altered our perception 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.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the acronym PPE is repeatedly plastered all over the internet and frankly, it’s overwhelming. In short, PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment, but there is a lot packed into those three letters. A simple web search produces over 7 million results and includes myriad topics such as the types of PPE, PPE use, reuse, and where it can be found during the pandemic. As a provider of PPE to the government and businesses, we at Winvale know that PPE is crucial for healthcare personnel and other essential workers fighting on the frontlines of the pandemic, and it’s also becoming increasingly important for civilians as they begin to head back into the office. But what really is PPE and why has it suddenly become such an important acronym?