Government Contracting Blog

As the need for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) continues to mount across the country, new players are stepping forward in the government contracting space to provide the public sector the proper protective gear they need as employees slowly begin to return to their offices. In times of national crisis like this, it is absolutely essential that the right companies are able to provide the right products and services to the public sector. However, as many of our regular blog-readers may be aware, selling to the government is not always as straightforward as it may seem. Contractors who are working with the government must be aware of the nuances of each deal and the compliance aspects that companies who sell primarily to commercial customers may not be familiar with.

Each year, the government awards billions of dollars in federal contracts to businesses to meet the needs of government agencies. But how do you enter these opportunities? If you are considering joining the world of government contracting, there’s a lot of information to know. Sometimes it can be confusing to figure out where to start. At Winvale, we talk a lot about the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Multiple Award Schedules (MAS), but government contracting is a wide net. Here are some government contracting 101 basics you should know:

As a GSA contractor, or just a government contractor in general, odds are that you have come across subcontracting requirements and processes. GSA’s requirements are set forth in order to help government agencies meet their small business spending budgets each fiscal year, whether directly or indirectly. Within the scope of subcontracting, there are many intricacies, but Winvale is here to provide you a streamlined guide to the basics of GSA subcontracting.

COVID-19 has hit the global economy in strange ways. The obvious economic impacts include unemployment levels and problems with the stock market, but a surprising effect has been how common it is to now consider the prices of toilet paper and face masks — prices that were definitely not on the forefront of Americans’ minds before this crisis. It’s important to recognize the economic effects that the Coronavirus has had on items like N95 masks, KN95 masks, and other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Let’s discuss a breakdown of PPE pricing in the COVID-19 era.

In what has become an unprecedented time for companies and their employees, adjusting to a “new normal” of working away from the office has been challenging for many as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. As companies begin to look ahead and plan for a return to some normalcy, continuing to practice safe social distancing measures in the workplace will be key to providing a safe and efficient workplace environment. This includes continuing to keep a 6-foot space between individuals and the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as face masks. Differentiating between the types of masks and the protection they provide is important for companies to know before bringing employees back into the office.

The answer, put simply, is yes. Yes, you can participate in government contracting bids without a GSA Schedule. But it may not be the best way to secure government contract opportunities. Open market sales to the federal government take longer and are more expensive than sales through a contracting vehicle.