Did you know that having a small business designation can fuel marketing and sales efforts for new federal business opportunities? Every year, the Small Business Administration (SBA) aims for certain percentage goals of budget spending that are designated for small business contracts. So, it’s critical to know if your company is eligible for small business set-aside contracts, but how can you be sure?

It seems like the price of everything has gone up over the past few years. At the gas pump, in grocery stores, and even in business expenditures, Americans have felt the squeeze. For GSA Schedule holders, these increases in costs can put a damper on your GSA Schedule pricing. Since products and services offered through the GSA Schedule have fixed ceiling prices, you may wonder what can be done to increase your GSA Schedule pricing commensurate with changes to your commercial pricing.

If you are a new or prospective GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contractor, you may be wondering how to calculate your GSA prices. It’s important to consider the various factors that are involved so that your business can be profitable, but your prices are also fair and reasonable in the eyes of GSA. Having a well-defined understanding of the pricing prerequisites before entering negotiations with your Contracting Officer can be extremely beneficial for your company.

The Department of Defense (DoD) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) are expecting the release of a proposed Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) rule in September 2023. This rule was originally expected earlier this summer, but once released will set the framework for CMMC. Since this rule has been highly anticipated, let’s cover what you can expect over the next few months and how you can prepare for the implementation of CMMC.

Many government contractors make the mistake of not taking the time to conduct market research. Instead, they spend their time monitoring upcoming opportunities and chasing agencies, which is much more useful if paired with the proper market analysis to determine the right strategy and the most relevant opportunities to pursue. While it's important to get your company's name out there and respond to government solicitations, it can be a waste of time if the opportunity isn't the right fit, or there are components to it you just can't realistically meet.

The U.S. government and its federal agencies are known to be the some of the world's largest buyers of products and services. The federal government procures almost everything they need from both big and small commercial businesses. Since going after government contracts can be competitive, many small businesses worry they could lose out on potential opportunities because they think they can't compete against big industry giants. In some regards, their worries are partially accurate, most small businesses do not have the resources allowing them to compete against these ultra-wealthy big businesses and corporations.