For small businesses looking to break into government contracting, teaming up with an experienced business through a Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP) can be a great strategy. In addition to the widely used MPP run by the Small Business Administration (SBA), contractors can participate in Mentor-Protégé Programs at specific federal agencies, such as the Department of Defense (DoD) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

So far in 2024, the federal government has spent over $13,479,101,845 billion dollars on contracts with roughly 12,000 small businesses vendors under the General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule.

GSA plans to end the year with another update to the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Solicitation. Refresh #23 will be the third refresh of 2024, and includes several updates to both the entire solicitation as well as specific Large Categories and Special Item Numbers (SINs). The Refresh is expected to be released in December. Let’s review these updates so you are prepared when the Mass Modification is released.

Congratulations on being awarded a GSA Schedule contract—this achievement likely required countless hours of hard work navigating the requirements outlined in the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) solicitation. However, the effort doesn’t stop here. As a contract holder, it's important to remain vigilant about several ongoing contract responsibilities.

GSA has recently announced that it has rolled out a major update to GSA Advantage! that enhances its functionality by introducing "Related Products," a rebranding of what was previously called "Product Accessories." This update simplifies acquisition for government buyers by making accessories more visible, easier to find, and accessible either as standalone purchases or accessories to base line items. In this blog, we’ll cover what the updates are and what contractors should be on the lookout for in the future.

If you hold a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract, you are probably familiar with the digital platforms available for contractors to market their pricelists, research competitors, and find contract opportunities. These platforms include GSA Advantage!, GSA eLibrary, and GSA eBuy.