Government Contracting Blog

As a new calendar year begins, it’s important to review key events that occurred within the federal contracting world recently to prepare for a successful year for your GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract. Forty years ago, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) was established as a “rulebook” featuring policies and regulations that would guide federal agencies during the procurement of supplies and services, totaling over 2,000 pages of content.

If you have a GSA Schedule or have worked with the federal government in any capacity, you have undoubtedly heard the term “NAICS Code” referenced before. But what exactly is a NAICS Code? And what is its relevance to GSA Schedules? We at Winvale get a lot of questions regarding NAICS Codes from our clients, so let’s break down the basics of NAICS Codes.

It’s a new calendar year, and although federal government Fiscal Year 2026 is already in full swing, it’s not too late for Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contractors to start evaluating trends that are predicted for the remainder of the year. Rising defense and homeland security budgets, a government-wide push toward IT modernization, and new procurement strategies are just a few trends that we expect to see continued growth in under the Trump Administration. We anticipate there’s a lot more to come for MAS contractors in the next several months. Let’s dive into federal trends we anticipate for 2026.

For many defense contractors, especially those looking to be involved in Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) programs, National Stock Numbers (NSNs) are an integral part of successful procurement. NSNs have become one of the most important tools for global defense procurement, and contractors who have limited knowledge of them aren’t doing themselves a favor.

As the largest government commercial acquisition program, the General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program connects government buyers with vendors from a wide variety of industries. However, not every good or service can be sold through the MAS Program. Here at Winvale, we get a lot of questions about whether certain items, such as vehicles, can be sold through the Multiple Award Schedule.

With the new administration cracking down on non-compliant GSA MAS Schedule contracts, it’s important to understand how Contractor Assessment Visits (CAVs) work and how to succeed. No contractor wants to be caught off guard when conducting business with their GSA MAS contract, so it’s crucial to remain compliant and avoid putting your contract in danger.