Exploring the world of government contracting vehicles may feel like a deep dive into an ocean of acronyms and abbreviations that you have never come across before. Don’t worry—it takes time to make sense of it all. If you are looking to sell your solutions to government customers or you are a new contractor, you should know the types of contract vehicles available to you. With this knowledge, you can take advantage of the opportunities out there and have a better understanding of how government contracts are organized.

One advantage of selling to the government through a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) is that your GSA Schedule contract comes with pre-negotiated pricing and terms and conditions. Of the terms and conditions included on MAS contracts, two that our clients frequently ask about are the maximum and minimum order limits. In this blog, we’ll discuss what the maximum and minimum order limits mean for you as a current or prospective GSA contractor, as well as how each limit is determined. Understanding the nuances of these terms will help you to maintain contract compliance.

When it comes to GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) acquisition and post-award maintenance, contractors are often left with questions when they come across Transactional Data Reporting (TDR), wondering what it is and what the impacts on their contract are. Through TDR, contractors are required to report specific details of their sales to the government, including prices paid by government agencies for products and services. This type of reporting is chosen when eligible contractors do not submit Commercial Sales Practices (CSP) with their GSA Schedule offer, or switch over to TDR during the period of performance of their contract.

GSA is on a roll with Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Solicitation Refreshes. Refresh #21 is anticipated to be released in May 2024. This refresh will be followed by a Mass Modification, giving contractors 90 days to review the changes and accept the Refresh. If you’ve read a blog or two about our refreshes before, you know the drill—let’s review the changes we expect to see in this Refresh and what it may mean to you as a contractor.

If you’re doing business with the federal government or plan to soon, your organization should have some basic knowledge of what the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is and where to find certain clauses. The FAR is a complex document that outlines a set of rules and regulations for the federal government’s purchasing process. In other words, the FAR is essentially the primary rule book for executive agencies looking to acquire products and services.

It’s almost the most wonderful time of the year—if you look at the numbers, government Q4 (July through September) of each year are by far the busiest months for government contractors. In recent years, Q4 of the government fiscal year has accounted for roughly 1/3 of all government contract dollars awarded throughout the year. This increase in spending can be attributed to an array of reasons including later award dates due to delays in budget availability, greater negotiation leverage, and adapting to potential new requirements that may factor into a particular procurement.