Government Contracting Blog

The world of government contracting can be a very intimidating place due to its complexity and competitiveness. Companies that decide to pursue a Schedule contract can easily access the network of federal, state, city, county, and municipal level agencies looking to buy products and services. It is important to understand the basics of government marketing in order to successfully sell your products and services.

The Department of Homeland Security recently gained a new agency thanks to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act of 2018. The agency, called the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), focuses on U.S. cybersecurity, infrastructure security, and emergency communications. This new initiative will require the collaboration of a variety of private and public-sector organizations, which could mean great upcoming opportunities for government contractors!

In our blog last week, Women in Business: WOSB and EDWOSB Sole Source Advantage, we discussed the competitive advantage the WOSB and EDWOSB programs give Women-Owned Small Businesses. This week we’re going to focus on who and how you should be marketing to the federal government. An agencies past performance can be a good indicator of future needs, so we will also take a look at some agencies’ spending patterns related to the Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs) and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Businesses (EDWOSBs) programs.  

If you’re new to the topic, or perhaps a little rusty, the General Services Administration (GSA) administers a purchasing program called the GSA Multiple Award Schedule program. The GSA Multiple Award Schedule Program awards commercial companies GSA Schedule contracts to sell their products or services to federal agencies at a discounted price. As previously discussed on this blog, a GSA Schedule contract, or simply a GSA Schedule, is a little bit like being part of an exclusive selling network which allows you to agree upon set prices, terms and conditions with the GSA.  This simplifies the buying process for different agencies and allows you to sell to the Federal Government through established long-term contracts.  With that said, let’s discuss the 5 W’s of GSA Schedules!

When a federal agency wants to purchase a product or service, there are many requirements that must be met. What does that translate to for government contractors? A buying process that can be tedious, time consuming and costly. The good news is that being a GSA Schedule holder provides your business with one huge benefit - a stamp of approval stating that you’ve met all the requirements to sell to the federal government, therefore reducing the time and cost involved in the overall federal purchasing process.

  Now that you’re a GSA contract holder you may have noticed that there’s quite a bit of red tape to work around. Certain performance orders issued under your GSA contract may require you to travel out of area. If this is the case for your organization, there are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to travel expenses and per diem charges.