Whether you are registering your entity for the first time or you are renewing your registration in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov), you need to understand how entity validation works. Some contractors are getting stuck on this process, and it can hold up their contract award or prevent them from getting their annual renewal completed on time. You might be wondering: why are we just talking about this now if SAM.gov has been around for a long time? When the federal government transitioned from the DUNS Number to the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), the entity validation process changed. This is because it can all be done in SAM.gov instead of a third party source. Here’s what you need to know about entity validation in SAM and how to complete it successfully.

On the journey to obtain your GSA Schedule contract, you will encounter North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Codes. NAICS Codes appear at all phases of GSA contract acquisition and throughout the life of your contract. As you register your SAM.gov account, you will have to select your NAICS Code and if you want to add new Special Item Numbers (SINs) to your contract, you will need to add the appropriate code. Government solicitations such as Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Requests for Quotation (RFQs) all have NAICS Codes attached to them. Each time you come across one or have to select a NAICS Code, the question is “how do I determine the right NAICS code for my business?”

When you open up a government solicitation, you might feel overwhelmed, confused, or even a sense of dread. We know solicitations are not known for light and easy reading, but it shouldn’t seem impossible to you and your team either. With the right direction and knowledge, you can pinpoint which sections to start with and how to tackle the hefty document. In this blog, we’ll outline the key sections and what you should do when you first click on that PDF.

Whether you already have a GSA Schedule, are working on obtaining one, or are just considering the possibility, you may start to wonder what your competition looks like. Conducting business with a GSA contract has its advantages and in this case, that includes transparency regarding pricing and sales. Once you find out what your competition on the GSA Schedule is, you can look into what they are offering, what their sales look like, and more. This research should allow you to develop a more informed plan on taking advantage of the opportunities available to you on your own GSA Schedule.

If you're a GSA Schedule contract holder it’s important to uphold the standards of ethics outlined in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). Becoming familiar with these sometimes dense and taxing regulations can be difficult. However, these policies and regulations are in place so that the integrity of contractors and government officials is upheld. This blog will explore some of the main FAR clauses and the best business practices contractors should follow to comply with government contracting ethics.

As a GSA Schedule contractor, you have a lot of contracting opportunities available to you. Yes, you are already a part of the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program, but with this designation you are able to compete for a range of other contracting vehicles. One of them is Best-In-Class (BIC) contract vehicles, which are pre-vetted and well managed solutions available to multiple government agencies. GSA alone has several BIC vehicles, including the upcoming Services MAC, or also referred to as OASIS+. Here's a deeper look into Best-In-Class contract vehicles.