Government Contracting Blog

Exploring the world of government contracting vehicles may feel like a deep dive into an ocean of acronyms and abbreviations that you have never come across before. Don’t panic—it takes time to make sense of it all. If you are interested in selling your products or services to the government or you are a new contractor, it’s important you understand what vehicles are available to you. Below is a guide to the government contracting vehicles that you will come across in your research.

In the world of government contracting, one of the most confusing elements to navigate is all the acronyms. From government agencies to GSA Schedule terms, it seems as if there's an acronym for everything--and they aren't always spelled out. As a current or prospective GSA contractor, it's important you begin to learn government jargon because these terms will come up when you submit your GSA Schedule proposal, during GSA Schedule maintenance, and when you are communicating with government buyers.

Another contract vehicle is on the horizon for government contractors—GSA is creating a new services Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) to replace OASIS. Formerly named Services Multi-Agency Contract (MAC) and more recently dubbed as OASIS+, this contract vehicle will support GSA’s Federal Acquisition (FAS) Office of Professional Services and Human Capital Categories (PSHC), and will include small business set-asides. GSA has slowly been releasing draft sections, but the final RFP is currently anticipated to come out on or about March 30, 2023. So here’s what we know about the contract vehicle so far, including the reasoning behind its creation, its scope, and anticipated release dates.

While GSA Multiple Award Schedules (MAS) provide contractors with ample opportunities to provide products and services to an array of government buyers, there can also be times a contractor may not able to solely satisfy a buyer’s needs with their offerings. Thankfully, there’s an answer for GSA contractors who want to combine their expertise to create one total solution. In these situations, contractors can enter a GSA Schedule Contractor Team Arrangement (CTA).

NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) codes are a very important part of government contracting. We've covered what a NAICS code is, how to use codes to determine if your organization qualifies as a small business, top spending trends and much more. Now that you know the basics of NAICS codes, let's talk about how you can use them to find relevant government contracting opportunities. 

GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contracts have many compliance requirements to ensure that contractors provide products and services that align with federal procurement regulations. One aspect of compliance that many contractors are hesitant about is the Trade Agreements Act (TAA). Under TAA, contractors must agree each "final product" they sell will have been “substantially transformed” in the U.S. or another approved country. GSA contractors often have a lot of questions about “substantial transformation” and what this means. In this blog, we’ll explain the TAA, what “substantial transformation” means, and how Advisory Ruling requests can help you navigate this requirement and remain in compliance.