THE TIME IS NOW. You may or may not be aware that by submitting a proposal for a GSA Schedule 70 contract with the new GSA Cyber Security SINs (Penetration Testing, Incident Response, Cyber Hunt, and Risk & Vulnerability Assessments) it will take you on average 45 days to be awarded a schedule. In the commercial world this may sound like an ordinary time to award, but since we are dealing with the US Government, this is extremely expedited. The average time-to-award for a GSA Schedule 70 proposal including other SINs under the GSA’s IT Schedule 70 is 4-6 months.

President Trump has made it no secret that he plans to spend a lot improving the nation’s infrastructure. With the transfer of powers completed and the new administration officially in place, changes to how the Government approaches procurement and focus on new/different initiatives will follow. While the details are still being parsed, we can assume that this will include everything from the proposed border wall in addition to repairing and building new transportation, utilities, and structures as well as changes to how the Government approaches procurement. But what are some things that you should be thinking of to stay proactive? Let’s take a deeper look at the top 3 trends we expect to see over the coming years.

On November 18th The General Services Administration (GSA) announced that the Schedule 70 solicitation has been updated to incorporate the Transactional Data Reporting pilot (TDR). This pilot program will affect thousands of Schedule 70 contractors under the following SINs: 132-8, 132-32, 132-33, 132-34, 132-54, and 132-55. For current Schedule 70 holders who have one of the impacted SINs it is important to note that contractors participation in this mass mod is optional. If you choose to decline the mod, you will opt out of the TDR pilot and continue with the Most Favored Customer (MFC) and Price Reduction Clause (PRC) System until it becomes a more formal requirement.

If you’re new to the topic, or perhaps a little rusty, the General Services Administration (GSA) administers a purchasing program called the GSA Multiple Award Schedule program. The GSA Multiple Award Schedule Program awards commercial companies GSA Schedule contracts to sell their products or services to federal agencies at a discounted price. As previously discussed on this blog, a GSA Schedule contract, or simply a GSA Schedule, is a little bit like being part of an exclusive selling network which allows you to agree upon set prices, terms and conditions with the GSA. This simplifies the buying process for different agencies and allows you to sell to the Federal Government through established long-term contracts. With that said, let’s discuss the 5 W’s of GSA Schedules!

GSA adds new Highly Adaptive Cybersecurity Services (HACS) SINs to its Schedule 70 Solicitation in September 2016 and will immediately begin review of modifications and new offers submitted for any of these four SINs. The HACS SINs support President Obama’s Cybersecurity National Action Plan (CNAP) and the Cybersecurity Strategy and Implementation Plan (CSIP) to strategize long-term solutions to cybersecurity awareness and protection. Until now, it has been difficult for federal agencies to find a marketplace that has streamlined cybersecurity services that are both trusted and reliable. Eligible Schedule 70 contractors can now offer services under the four new HACS SINs: