On November 27th, the General Service Administration announced its intention to modernize federal acquisition and transform the Multiple Awards Schedule (MAS) program as we know it. GSA plans to consolidate the agency’s 24 Schedules into one single Schedule for both products and services and operate under a single solicitation with compressed terms and conditions.

2018 is expected to be a record-breaking year for Mergers and Acquisitions activity. In just the first 3 quarters of the year, $3.3 trillion was spent in M&A deals, with American companies making up 40% of all global M&A activity.

During the government’s Fiscal Year 2017, federal agencies purchased nearly $70 billion worth of professional services making it the second-largest category of Government Spend. The General Services Administration’s (GSA’s) Professional Services Schedule (PSS) currently holds 4,258 awarded federal contractors to provide government customers with professional services, and new contractors are being added continuously, but only after what has become an average 12-month review wait time for New Offers under the PSS Solicitation.

The Department of Homeland Security recently gained a new agency thanks to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act of 2018. The agency, called the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), focuses on U.S. cybersecurity, infrastructure security, and emergency communications. This new initiative will require the collaboration of a variety of private and public-sector organizations, which could mean great upcoming opportunities for government contractors!

Applying for a GSA Schedule can be a great way to grow your business, but it is not an easy and quick task, as many companies already know. What’s surprising is that the “fun” part, in the full sense of the word, begins after your contract has been awarded. Many companies achieve successful sales and retain their contract with the Government for 20 years, while others don’t even last 2 years or less from the inception date.

As a GSA MAS Schedule Contract holder, it’s important to stay current with all solicitation refreshes and potential changes to your Schedule contract. Each Schedule undergoes updates via refreshes periodically, and often, GSA will release a Request for Information to compile feedback and pertinent data from those whom the changes directly affect.