The Biden-Harris Administration intends to heavily invest in our nation’s infrastructure. In March 2021, Biden unveiled the the American Jobs Plan, which will allocate $2 trillion to create more jobs and rebuild the U.S. infrastructure.
A significant aspect of the American Jobs Plan is a $621 billion investment in transportation infrastructure, including public transit, modernizing roads, bridges, and highways, and electric vehicles (EVs). Electric vehicles are a large part of Biden’s plan—he wants to build a network of EV charging ports across the nation’s highway system and electrify the federal government’s transportation fleet.
What does this mean for companies that sell products and services supporting electric vehicles and EV chargers? Now is the time to look into government contracting opportunities through the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program. Let’s take a closer look at Biden's plan for EVs and what you can do to get involved.
The Biden-Harris Administration’s Plan for Electric Vehicles (EVs)
One goal of the American Jobs Plan is to “create good jobs electrifying vehicles.” The Biden-Harris administration wants to spur the automaker domestic supply chains from raw materials to parts, retool factories to compete internationally, and support American workers to make batteries and EVs. To accomplish this, Biden is proposing a $174 billion investment in the EV market.
EV Charging Ports
There are a lot of moving parts to this plan, but one of the biggest undertakings is a national EV charging network. Biden wants to install at least 500,000 charging ports so EV owners can drive on 20,000 miles of roads and highways.
This effort will not solely rest on the shoulders of the federal government. The administration will also establish grant and incentive programs for state and local government to help build the national EV charging network by 2030. And of course, it’s clear the new administration will be relying heavily on government contractors in the coming years to supply the products and services they need to reach this goal.
Electrifying Government Vehicles
In addition to the American Jobs Plan, the Biden-Harris administration signed an Executive Order mandating “lean and zero-emission vehicles for federal, state, local, and tribal government fleets” to combat climate change.
To reach its electric vehicle objectives, the new administration plans to:
- Replace 50,000 diesel transit vehicles with electric ones.
- Electrify 20% of yellow school buses through a new Clean Buses for Kids Program.
- Electrify the federal fleet including agencies like the U.S. Postal Service.
- Ensure the American workforce is trained to maintain this new infrastructure.
- Give consumers sale rebates and tax incentives to buy American-made EVs.
What Biden’s American Job Plan Means for the Electric Vehicle (EV) Industry
The American Jobs plan is not solely for auto manufacturers—it includes any company that supports electric vehicles including raw materials, parts, and all related services. Although EVs are not new, they are still not widely used in the government marketplace, meaning there is a great opportunity to get your foot in the door in the public sector.
You might be wondering: what’s the benefit of selling to the government rather than focusing all your efforts on commercial markets? The obvious reason is that the Biden-Harris Administration plans to spend a lot of money and energy procuring products and services related to EVs. However, even without this large spending project, the government marketplace is bustling. The U.S. government is one of the largest purchasers of products and services in the world, and the public sector is a stable marketplace, even during times of economic uncertainty like the current COVID-19 pandemic.
You'll also gain more potential customers: the American Jobs plan also indicates that there will be incentives for state and local government to procure solutions for EVs, so you’ll be able to sell to the federal, state, and local government.
Now is the time to consider selling to the government through a contract vehicle such as the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program.
How Can You Sell Your EV Solutions to the Government?
Like all things related to the government, contracting is highly regulated. You can’t just start selling your solutions to an agency, you need to become a government contractor first. One way to do this is to become a GSA Schedule contractor through the MAS Program.
The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the U.S. government that helps government agencies acquire pre-vetted commercial products and services at a discounted rate. You can sell your solutions to the government as a commercial company through the MAS Program by obtaining a GSA Schedule contract.
Government agencies often prefer purchasing from GSA Schedule contracts because they know the contractors meet all the regulations and offer the best value. If you are considering selling your solutions to the government, a GSA Schedule contract might be a good option for you.
How Do You Add EV Solutions to Your GSA Schedule?
If you already have a GSA Schedule, you can add products and services through a Special Item Number (SIN) addition modification. While the process to add a SIN is generally consistent, you’ll want to make sure the SIN doesn’t have any special requirements.
For example, if you are proposing a service-based SIN, past performance will likely be required. Products don’t usually require past performance descriptions, but there may be additional technical requirements such as testing, certifications, or cybersecurity compliance.
Are You Interested in Getting a GSA Schedule?
If you’re interested in selling your EV products and services to the government through a GSA Schedule, we have some blogs to help you decide if it’s the right decision for your company:
- Is My Company Eligible to Sell to the Government through a GSA Schedule?
- Who Can I Sell to with a GSA Schedule?
- The GSA Schedule Acquisition Process from Start to Finish
Although getting a GSA Schedule can be a great opportunity, it’s not an easy process to acquire and maintain your contract. The government marketplace can be intimidating, and you don’t have to navigate it alone. A lot of companies choose to hire a GSA consultant to guide them through the process.
If you have any questions about getting a GSA Schedule or adding EV solutions to your GSA contract, we are here to help.
