The United States government entered a partial shutdown on December 22, 2018. It is late January, and the shutdown is still in effect today, surpassing the 22-day record for longest government shutdown in U.S. history. This unusually long shutdown has caused many to wonder how it will affect them and/or their business – especially those who do business with the government.

The GSA Multiple Award Schedules Program is the premier contract vehicle for the government. A GSA Schedule Contract is a long-term government-wide contract between contractors and the government. While there are some great benefits to holding a GSA Contract, not everything is sunshine and rainbows! GSA Contracts take some work. Let’s analyze some of the pros and cons of getting on a GSA Schedule contract to better understand what you can expect as a contract holder.

Following the award of your GSA proposal, you’ll be required to fulfill several reporting requirements as well as ensure that your pricing stays up-to-date and in compliance with the Price Reduction Clause. Being a new GSA Schedule vendor, these new requirements may seem overwhelming at first, so that’s why it’s important to stay in front of the requirements by knowing when and how to handle them.

Having a GSA Schedule contract can provide a whole new world of business opportunities for your company. Billions of dollars go through GSA contracts each year, and there are millions of GSA contractors. The GSA Schedules program is a great way to break into government sales, but it can be a lengthy and confusing process if you’re not familiar with the requirements. Check out the steps to getting on a GSA Schedule below.

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.