When we enter a new year, it’s common to spend time reflecting on the past year and set goals for the next 365 days. While our calendar year isn’t over just yet (don’t worry we aren’t glossing over Halloween), the federal government Fiscal year (FY) just ended on September 30th, and we are taking the time to glance back at 2024 and report our findings.

If you’ve been awarded a GSA Schedule contract, you may be feeling relieved. After all, you’ve finally completed the lengthy process of putting together your offer, waiting for review, and going through negotiations. While getting a contract award is certainly something to celebrate, it’s also not the end of your work. What many contractors don’t realize is that it is just as important to maintain your contract as it is to acquire it in the first place. In this blog, we’ll cover ways you can optimize your GSA Schedule.

After your GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract is awarded, you may be wondering how to connect with potential customers. Through a GSA Schedule contract, your customer base includes federal government agencies, state and local governments, educational institutions, and other eligible entities. If you are new to government contracts, it can be overwhelming to analyze opportunities, understand the various solicitation types, and compete against experienced contractors.

After having a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract awarded, contractors will have access to a large federal marketplace with many potential buyers. However, it can be overwhelming to understand the opportunities and strategies available to contractors. Government buyers use a few resources to research or evaluate potential GSA Schedule contractors that could fulfill their project or order requirements through a Request for Information (RFI), Request for Proposal (RFP), or Request for Quote (RFQ). While each request differs in their degree of formality, a Request for Quote is important for contractors to understand to accurately respond to a government solicitation and hopefully win a contract.

GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contracts provide businesses with the opportunity to sell their products and services to the federal government, but many potential contractors are unaware of the tools available to shape a competitive offer.

If you are considering joining the world of government contracting, there’s a lot of information to consume. Where do you even start? At Winvale, we talk a lot about the General Services Administration (GSA) and the MAS program because it's one of the most widely used programs among federal buyers, but government contracting is a massive industry overall. In this blog, we'll cover some of the government contracting basics so you can feel confident in figuring out your first step into the public sector.