We live in the digital era and as we have seen with the pandemic, more and more aspects of life are becoming digitized. This does not exclude our federal entities, so it’s imperative that our federal government is protected from the threats that come with the digital age. As result, GSA created a HACS (Highly Adaptive Cybersecurity Services) SIN which is dedicated to preventing leaks and cyberattacks. Before an entity can obtain a HACS SIN, they must show that they are qualified to provide thorough and extensive cybersecurity. A main part of the qualification for the HACS SIN is determined by an Assessment Evaluation and Standardization (AES) High Value Asset (HVA) assessment. Let’s dive into the HVA assessment and what it entails.

When considering your company’s opportunities for growth, taking stock of your resources is important. Certain small businesses may feel like they do not qualify for a GSA Schedule contract due to a variety of reasons, such as a lack of marketing presence, or lack of employees and experience to meet federal demands, etc. Something that many businesses could benefit from is a Joint Venture. Throughout the course of this post, we will be going over what a Joint Venture is, what it means for your GSA Schedule, and how to obtain one.

Historically, if you were looking to do business with the federal government you would register your business under a unique identifier, known as a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number. The government has recently announced an initiative to move away from DUNS as the identifier and now will use a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). This transition is projected to be completed by April 4th, 2022. What does this mean for you and your business?

It’s that time again—GSA released the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Solicitation 47QSMD20R0001 Refresh #7 on August 31, 2021. With Q4 of the federal government Fiscal Year in full swing, it’s important for contractors to stay updated on all the changes to their GSA Schedule contracts. So, what does the Solicitation Refresh mean for contractors and what action needs to be taken?

If you are a government contractor serving the Department of Defense (DoD), then you are part of an elite group of organizations that make up the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) estimates the DIB to be made up of more than “100,000 companies and subcontractors working under contract for the Department of Defense at any given time.” As part of the DIB, you are subject to the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, or better known as CMMC. CMMC is a set of cybersecurity standards created to ensure the DIB and other relevant government contractors are properly protecting sensitive unclassified information.

If you are new to the world of government contracting, you may be asking yourself, “how is the federal marketplace organized so that I can sell my products or services?” The General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program is a long-term governmentwide partnership with commercial companies providing federal, state, and local government buyers access to more than 11 million commercial products and services at volume discount pricing. To put it simply, the GSA Schedule acts a medium for government agencies to search for and purchase contractors’ products and services at already determined discounts and terms and conditions. One of the greatest features of the GSA Schedule to prospective contractors is that it encompasses such a wide variety of products and services.