Historically, if you were looking to do business with the federal government you would register your business under a unique identifier, known as a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number. The government has recently announced an initiative to move away from DUNS as the identifier and now will use a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). This transition is projected to be completed by April 4th, 2022. What does this mean for you and your business?

It’s that time again—GSA released the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Solicitation 47QSMD20R0001 Refresh #7 on August 31, 2021. With Q4 of the federal government Fiscal Year in full swing, it’s important for contractors to stay updated on all the changes to their GSA Schedule contracts. So, what does the Solicitation Refresh mean for contractors and what action needs to be taken?

If you are a government contractor serving the Department of Defense (DoD), then you are part of an elite group of organizations that make up the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) estimates the DIB to be made up of more than “100,000 companies and subcontractors working under contract for the Department of Defense at any given time.” As part of the DIB, you are subject to the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, or better known as CMMC. CMMC is a set of cybersecurity standards created to ensure the DIB and other relevant government contractors are properly protecting sensitive unclassified information.

If you are new to the world of government contracting, you may be asking yourself, “how is the federal marketplace organized so that I can sell my products or services?” The General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program is a long-term governmentwide partnership with commercial companies providing federal, state, and local government buyers access to more than 11 million commercial products and services at volume discount pricing. To put it simply, the GSA Schedule acts a medium for government agencies to search for and purchase contractors’ products and services at already determined discounts and terms and conditions. One of the greatest features of the GSA Schedule to prospective contractors is that it encompasses such a wide variety of products and services.

As a businessperson, you are probably always looking for new ways to unleash the untapped potential of your company. This can involve offering new solutions, entering new markets, and researching your competitors to gain an advantage. Many of the same business development tactics can translate over to the federal government sphere. As a commercial company, you can sell your products and services to the government, provided you meet all the requirements. However, you cannot simply start filling orders for government agencies—you typically need to become a government contractor first. As you have probably witnessed throughout your life, federal government processes are heavily regulated, and that includes procurement.

Navigating the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) acquisition process from beginning to end can leave you with lots of questions. Knowing where to go to answer these questions will give you more confidence as a GSA Schedule contractor. GSA has several websites to help contractors sell their solutions, find contracting opportunities, market their contract, report their sales, and keep their contract updated. While these websites are crucial to becoming a successful GSA contractor, it can be difficult to track down all the necessary sites and learn how to use them at first. So, we put together an essential guide to GSA’s key sites to help you find the answers you are looking for and help you best optimize your GSA Schedule.