Within the last year and a half, GSA has beefed up opportunities for Joint Venture (JV) companies looking to acquire a GSA Multiple Award Schedule. In May 2023, GSA released Solicitation Refresh 16, which provided in depth MAS offer instructions applicable to Joint Venture companies that help entities be consistent and align with Small Business Administration (SBA) standards. These updates to the Solicitation also included clarifications for specific rules to Joint Venture GSA proposal submissions.
Recently, GSA eBuy issued updates to further support Joint Venture GSA contract holders—JVs will now be able to see socio-economic set-aside opportunities in eBuy. We will discuss what this means for current JV Schedule holders, and Joint Ventures companies considering pursuing a GSA Schedule.
What is a Joint Venture?
A Joint Venture is when two or more businesses (no more than three) combine their resources to compete for contract award. A Joint Venture can be thought of as a teaming arrangement between two or more companies—a potential prime contractor agrees with one or more business to have them act as its subcontractors under a specified government contract or acquisition program.
Pursuing a JV and acquiring a GSA Schedule under your JV entity could be a strong strategic move for your business. Joint Ventures allow you to expand horizons and capitalize on more opportunities. When pursuing a GSA Schedule, forming a Joint Venture allows you to access the federal government contracting space, utilizing partnered companies’ industry experience, resources, and market share to win contract awards. JVs can also open more channels, especially small business set-aside opportunities that your company historically may not have been able to go after.
What Does the New Set Aside Information in eBuy Mean for GSA Contractors?
On November 15, GSA Interact announced that Joint Ventures can see socio-economic set-aside opportunities in eBuy. This is important for Joint Venture contractors for several reasons. A small business set aside is a procurement program established by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to ensure that a certain percentage of contracts are reserved exclusively for small businesses. These set-asides are designed to provide small businesses with a fair opportunity to compete for government contracts and increase economic growth at the local and national levels. If one of the partners in your JV is considered a small business under SBA regulations and qualifies for one of the four socio-economic designations below, you will now be able to see and respond to these set-asides through eBuy.
There are four Joint Venture socio-economic indicators that will be eligible to see these opportunities in eBuy. These include:
- Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Joint Venture Eligible
- HUBZone Joint Venture Eligible
- Women Owned Joint Venture Eligible
- 8(a) Joint Venture Eligible
If you are an eligible Joint Venture, it is important to first confirm the JV information is showing on your “Contractor Information” page on GSA eLibrary. If you are eligible through one of the four socio-economic classes and the correct status is reflected on eLibrary, you will be able to view those specific set-aside opportunities in eBuy. If you are having trouble seeing these opportunities, we’ll discuss how to remedy this below.
Your socio-economic information will first need to be reflected through your SAM.gov registration before it can be listed on GSA eLibrary. If your correct socio-economic status is showing in SAM but is not reflected on eLibrary, you should take one of the two following actions:
- If you are a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Joint Venture Eligible, HUBZone Joint Venture Eligible, or Women Owned Joint Venture Eligible you will need to complete a ‘re-representation of small business type’ modifictation in eMod.
- If you are an 8(a) JV, and the JV socio-economic information is not showing in eLibrary, you will need to complete a do a ‘re-representation of business type’ MOD in eMod and select ‘8(a) Joint Venture Eligible’ from the list under “Select Business Types to Add to Contract”. It’s also important to note for 8(a) JV contractors that if the exit date in SAM has passed, you cannot add 8(a) Joint Venture Eligible to the contract.
Additional information and the documents required for both modification types can be found through the MAS Modification Guidance.
Benefitting from Joint Venture Opportunities
Since the new year starts in just a few weeks, companies are starting to draft their strategic plans to increase growth and success in 2025. Whether you are a current Joint Venture with a GSA Schedule or a prospective contractor curious about the GSA Schedules Program, there is no doubt JVs are becoming a larger part of the government marketplace and will create more opportunities for companies. Now is the time to plan your next move. If you have questions about Joint Ventures and GSA Schedules, or would like to pursue a GSA Schedule with Joint Ventures, feel free to contact one of our consultants.
