Information Technology (IT) contractors entering the federal government marketplace are often confronted with a wide range of acronyms and terms they’re likely unfamiliar with. GWAC is one term that is used quite frequently and will likely come up often as you search for new federal opportunities. GWAC stands for Government Wide Acquisition Contract, a type of federal contract vehicle that allows contractors to all government agencies using a central contract managed by a single agency. GWACs are specific to the IT sphere of contracting. Having a GWAC can make contracting more streamlined for both the government and contractors. In this blog, we’ll explore what is a GWAC, how they can be beneficial, and the different types of GWACs.

If you’re in the federal contracting world, you probably have some familiarity with small business set-asides and the various socioeconomic types of small businesses that the government is concerned with. Small business set-asides influence every type of federal acquisition strategy, including purchases made off of GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule (MAS), and other government-wide acquisition contracts.

Contract compliance should always be a priority for Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contractors, but it’s now more important than ever. The new administration has recently issued Executive Orders and initiatives aimed at increasing both government efficiency and taxpayer savings. As a result of these federal policies, GSA is enforcing contract compliance more heavily, with the goal of increasing the MAS program’s efficiency.

The process of acquiring a General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract can be an intimidating one. Given the recent Executive Order (EO) directing most federal procurement activities under GSA’s management , it’s expected that the MAS program will experience an increase in opportunities as a result. Thus, you may be interested in acquiring a GSA Schedule contract to participate in this expected growth, and, like anyone setting out on a new journey, you probably have a lot of questions.

Entering the federal marketplace can be daunting. Especially if you are a small business with little to no resources on how to cut through the bureaucratic red tape and successfully secure a spot on a contract vehicle. What many businesses don’t know is you can approach your path to market in different ways. The Department of Defense (DoD) has a few innovation programs that are designed to help companies with innovative solutions gain access to critical funding and become visible to government buyers. These programs allow for technology development acceleration, innovative research and development, and give small businesses the opportunity to share their cutting-edge solutions with less barriers to market.

To busy government contractors, market research may seem like a trivial activity that can be pushed toward the bottom of their to-do list. Since it won't directly end in a contract award, it's not worth prioritizing, right? Wrong. Market research (often in the form of Requests for Information, or RFIs) is just as essential as Requests for Proposals (RFPs). Market research is generally used to build an RFP, so it's actually important to get your foot in the door early.