Considering all the resources available to businesses pursuing a federal contract, it’s very easy to feel overwhelmed with all the information you have access to. On the other hand, perhaps you are unaware of all the useful resources that are out there. You may be asking: Where do I go to find information? Where do small businesses come into the picture? Where do I find contracting opportunities?

Once you get your GSA Schedule contract, you become part of an elite marketplace reserved for contractors who are pre-authorized to sell to the government. While this will certainly increase your business opportunities, you still have to face competition just like any other market. With your GSA Schedule, you’ll be competing for orders on procurement sites like GSA Advantage!, and competing in government solicitations. How do you make sure you stands out from the other government contractors? We put together 4 ways your company can gain an advantage over other companies and best practices you should follow.

Government agencies use contract vehicles like the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program to purchase many of the products and services they need from commercial customers. The GSA Schedules Program provides over 11 million products and services to federal, state, and local government buyers, and is often the preferred contract vehicle for government agencies. This is because GSA has simplified the acquisition process to make purchasing of products and services as smooth and efficient as possible.

Once you’ve submitted your GSA Schedule proposal, you are probably excited to get it awarded and start selling your products or services as soon as possible. Unfortunately, perhaps the hardest part of the Schedule acquisition process is waiting. Although this can be frustrating, GSA needs some time to process and review your GSA Schedule proposal to make sure it’s worthy of award. GSA can take anywhere from around three months to a year to complete the review of your GSA Schedule proposal, depending on several factors.

When it comes to federal procurement, the government has a distinct order in which government agencies can purchase goods and services. For example, offerings through the AbilityOne Program, a program that provides employment opportunities for people who are blind or who have significant disabilities, must be considered for purchase before GSA Schedule contracts and other federal contracts.

On August 10, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, sending it to the House of Representatives for consideration. It is welcome news that an infrastructure bill is being discussed after years of Congressional inaction, but simply securing funding will not guarantee successful projects. An unprecedented combination of economic, social, and climate challenges will loom over the construction sector for years, making effective project management systems more necessary than ever. Before the first projects begin, government agencies and contractors alike should examine and take the necessary steps to improve their own project management infrastructure.