Government Contracting Blog

Your first government proposal (and even your fifth) can be intimidating. Not every Request for Proposal (RFP) is the same, and it can take a while to review every section and identify what you need to work on first, especially if the proposal is several pages long. Before you can write a compelling response, you need to know how to navigate the solicitation itself.

Most federal contractors are focused on Q4 right now, and for a good reason. Agencies are rushing to spend the remainder of their FY2026 budgets, and businesses are busy looking for opportunities they can pursue between July 1 and September 30. But we can’t lose sight of planning for the next Fiscal Year.

In January 2026, General Services Administration (GSA) released the Solicitation for Phase II of One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services +, or OASIS+. Phase II is an expansion of the scope of Phase I by adding 5 new domains to the original 8, and by implementing continuously open, rolling admissions (for now). These changes represent a major change to how OASIS+ will fit into the overall strategy GSA has to centralize and streamline federal government procurement.

The fourth quarter (Q4) of Fiscal Year 2026 (FY2026) begins July 1st and ends September 30th—are you ready? Q4 is most notably the time when federal agencies look to spend their remaining budgets. Increased activity means greater opportunities for GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract holders, and it’s important to make sure your contract is fully compliant so you don’t miss out on opportunities as the end of the fiscal year approaches.

Since its release this past January, we’ve been tracking the latest updates on Phase II of OASIS+, GSA’s Best-in-Class government-wide contracting vehicle for professional services. OASIS+ Phase II follows closely on the heels of Phase I, which was open for submission from June to October of 2023 and finalized its last awards earlier this year. Phase II, meanwhile, has been continuously open for submission since January, with the first batch of awards issued in May.

Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are a crucial part of business development as a government contractor, but they are not an easy task. There’s a lot that goes into an RFP response, from the early market research stages, to deciphering the sections, and leading an in-depth review so your team can submit a successful response. Not only do you have to read, draft, and submit a winning response, but learn all the terminology that goes along with it.