Information Technology (IT) is a crucial part of our daily lives, no matter what industry we are in. Nearly all communication depends on it, whether it be casual such as chatting with friends, professional at work, or confidential. It holds up our websites, databases, and entire programs and structures that we depend on every day. This is not news to anyone, and especially not to IT contractors.

There are a lot of terms, processes, and requirements to remember when it comes to GSA Schedule acquisition, but in this blog, we're going to focus on pricing, specifically determining what is "fair and reasonable." When establishing a GSA Schedule contract, the first thing to note is that the federal government intends to obtain equal or better pricing. Why do they need to do this? Well, GSA has determined the prices under the GSA Schedule to be "fair and reasonable." During GSA Schedule negotiations, if the proposed prices are not deemed “fair and reasonable,” the offer can be either denied or negotiated further to meet the standards of the GSA. So, who determines "fair and reasonable" pricing and how do you ensure you are proposing the right numbers? Let’s discuss the highlights so that your offer can be successful during the contract review process.

It’s important for new and prospective GSA Schedule contract holders to keep in mind a GSA Schedule award is just the beginning of your contract’s life cycle. GSA Schedule contracts are broken out in four 5-year option periods, meaning your GSA Schedule can last for up to 20 years. And while some aspects of your GSA Schedule may not change drastically, a large portion of your offerings will likely look very different by the end of your contract. To help facilitate these changes to your GSA Schedule as easy as possible, GSA allows contractors to make modifications to their Schedule.

Managing catalog and contract data for a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract isn’t easy, but GSA aims to simplify these processes for contract holders through the new FAS Catalog Platform (FCP). Since GSA is unrolling FCP slowly, currently only selected contractors are eligible to transition from using the Schedule Input Program (SIP), the existing program for catalog management, to using FCP.

In October 2023, the 6th generation of NASA’s System for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) draft was released for Q&A. This 100+ page draft Request for Proposal (RFP) provided industry with an abundance of information on how to best prepare for the upcoming opportunity. Let's dive into this draft and point out some key takeaways for you to consider.

As technology advances, the federal government focuses on adding regulations that improve the security of network systems. In early October, the Federal Register published two proposed cybersecurity Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rules to partially implement Executive Order 14028, “Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity.” In this blog we will discuss Executive Order (EO) 14028 along with the two proposed FAR rules and how it can impact you as a government contactor.