Government Contracting Blog

Prior to the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Consolidation, contractors looking to sell to the federal government would prepare offers under one of the 24 individual GSA Schedules organized by industry. In order to simplify and modernize the federal procurement process, the General Services Administration (GSA) recently made changes to how it organizes the Schedules through which federal agencies buy goods and services from contractors. Instead of 24 individual Schedules, there is now a single Multiple Award Schedule that houses 12 Large Categories. 

Commercial enterprises that are interested in selling to the federal government have numerous different avenues available to reach this goal. However, many potential government contractors choose to sell their products and services through the GSA Multiple Award Schedules (MAS) Program.

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.

In order to maintain Trade Agreements Act (TAA) compliance with your GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract, you must agree each “final product” you sell will have been “substantially transformed” in the United States or in a signatory country designated by the TAA, throughout the entirety of your contract term. While it may sound complicated, it’s not. You just need to make sure you fully understand what TAA compliance means and how you can abide by the rules. 

If you’re new to the world of government contracting, you may have little to no experience with writing and responding to a government solicitation. This may seem like a daunting task for those who haven’t crafted many solicitations. However, if you are armed with the right information, responding to a government solicitation can be a breeze for you and your company.

The GSA Schedule acquisition process can be difficult and lengthy - you have prepared and submitted your MAS offer, gone through negotiations and clarifications, and finally received your award. Now that you have a GSA Schedule, your top priority is to generate sales by marketing your products and services and finding government customers. However, you must also be sure to maintain your contract’s terms and conditions.