If you are reading this, you have probably heard about GSA contracts. Maybe you have read about its numerous advantages and how, for commercially successful companies, getting on a GSA schedule substantially streamlines the federal contracting process. As with many important matters, the next question that likely arises is, "so how long will it take?"

On September 4, 2018, Congress passed a bill titled “Securing the Homeland Security Supply Chain Act of 2018 (H.R. 6430)” following a bipartisan introduction led by Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence. Some have noted that the bill appears to come in response largely to a growing concern over commercially-successful companies who have been contracted by the U.S. government, particularly in the IT industry, that later demonstrated to pose significant supply chain risks that are a threat to national security. While these reports generally entail foreign-based cyber firms, the bill seeks to address risky vendors both internationally and domestically.

It’s reporting season, so now is a good time to be conducting a self-audit of your invoicing practices and the repercussions for contractor visits. GSA has two types of visits: Annual Assessments and End of Term Assessments. Annual Assessments will occur every year for contractors that produce more than $150,000 in sales. End of Term Assessments will occur for all contractors approximately 12 months prior to their contract extension.

If your perception of drones involves a “toy” used by children or amateur filmmakers, you aren’t entirely wrong… but that barely scratches the surface. Drones and other classes of unmanned vehicles are making accessible various tasks for humans that have historically been very difficult, costly, or impossible.

After a 10-year, $2.5 billion contract for contact center solutions has come to its end, GSA has elected to acquire these services via a new method. GSA is preparing to add SIN 132-20, titled Automated Contact Center Solutions (ACCS), to Schedule IT70 to secure more advanced AI computing for these applications and processes within the government.  More details surrounding the addition of this SIN can be found online on GSA’s Interact platform.

Times are changing, and the General Services Administration (GSA) is trying to keep up. The GSA Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) Integrated Workplace Center (IWAC) recently drafted new efforts to update Schedule 36, the Office, Imaging and Document Solution Schedule. Here are some of the changes you may want to look out for in the upcoming months.