The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), a new set of cybersecurity standards the Department of Defense (DoD) will be implementing on all their contracts, is included in the General Service Administration’s (GSA) $50 billion 8(a) STARS III Request for Proposal (RFP). 8(a) STARS III (Streamlined Technology Acquisition Resource for Services) is a multiple-award IDIQ contract set aside for small businesses that will give the federal government access to a wide range of information technology (IT) services-based solutions. Although STARS III isn’t a contract vehicle specific to the DoD, the DoD was one of the biggest buyers of STARS II, the predecessor to STARS III.

Our world can seem fairly daunting at the moment— high unemployment rates, increased teleworking, and near unprecedented government stimulus proposals. However, though COVID-19 has forced multiple changes worldwide, some industries are able to adapt faster than others. Government contractors have seen their business grow as the need for Coronavirus aid and relief has increased. The government is indeed buying on an extremely elevated level. The GSA Multiple Award Schedules (MAS) Program can offer great benefits to potential contractors, but not everything is smooth sailing. To better understand the GSA Schedules Program and how it fits in with your business plan, we are going to dive into some of the pros and cons of getting on a GSA Schedule contract.

If you’re a GSA Contractor, you may already know some of the benefits of a Small Business Set Aside. 8a certification is a certification given to specific Small Business contractors that allows contractors a wide breadth of opportunities for socially or economically disadvantaged businesses. A new opportunity — the 8(a) Streamlined Technology Acquisition Resource for Services (STARS) III Governmentwide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) is on the horizon for your company. The 8(a) STARS III Request for Proposal (RFP) was released in July of 2020. Here is what you and your company should know if you want to pursue this huge 8(a) opportunity.

The Woman-Owned Small Business Federal Contract Program will adopt a new certification process on July 15, 2020. In 2019, the Small Business Administration (SBA) proposed an amendment to the current Women-Owned Small Business Program that would implement a statutory requirement to certify them as Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs) or Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Businesses (EDWOSBs). This new regulation will allow WOSB and EDWOSBs to be eligible for set-aside and sole source awards, but what does this change mean for eligible contractors?

Selling to the government can seem like a daunting task for any government contractor, but focusing on several key tips and strategies can bring some structure to your public sector efforts and help your company excel in the government marketplace. Building your government sales practice is one of the greatest challenges your company may face, and before you can capitalize on the opportunities that exist for your company, you should have a go-to-market strategy in place. We have covered how to find and win government contract opportunities, but today we we’ll focus on how to successfully sell to the government.

A lot of businesses are looking to the federal government and the public sector to keep their businesses profitable during an economically uncertain time. Thankfully, the U.S. government is taking steps to try to help out Economically Disadvantaged Businesses through methods like those outlined in the OMB Memorandum. The federal government is also prepared for times of emergencies and has put statutes and clauses in place that specifically address small business set-asides and sole-source opportunities in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the Stafford Act. If you and your company are economically disadvantaged due to the effects of the Coronavirus, let’s review how set asides, sole source opportunities, and the updates to the MAS program can help your business.