President Donald Trump will reportedly be signing a disaster or emergency declaration under the Stafford Act today in response to the Coronavirus, or COVID-19. With universities closing, the N.B.A. suspending its season, and flights being cancelled left and right, the Coronavirus outbreak is no laughing matter. However, the outbreak should be confronted with facts and figures rather than hysteria. With regards to your government contract, the world will continue to turn. The General Services Administration is designed to continue to function in times of national emergency or disaster. GSA's Disaster Purchasing Program allows federal, state, and local governments to buy services and supplies directly from GSA Schedules to assist with disaster preparation, response, or major disaster recovery. Purchases made in support of recovery must be in response to a Stafford Act Presidential declaration, like the one President Trump is likely to announce this afternoon. So let’s break down how the GSA Schedule Program can help in a national emergency or disaster.

If your company would like to do business with the Government, one initial question you may have is how to find Government contract opportunities that exist within the federal, state, and local marketplace. While finding opportunities may be fairly simple process, you should consider the following: Who is my ideal Government customer? What are my differentiators? What is my go-to-market strategy? After determining the answers to those important questions, your company should be able to capitalize on the myriad of opportunities that Government agencies at the local, state, and federal level offer to commercial vendors.

What is CMMC? The Office of the Secretary of Defense released CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) version 1.0 on January 31, 2020 to verify contractors of the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) are operating with effective cyber hygiene. In order to bid on, maintain, and win future DoD contracts, all organizations will need to prove their required level of cyber maturity. We covered CMMC basics and Draft 0.7 in this webinar and will be discussing CMMC 1.0 and how to prepare in this upcoming webinar.

The world of government contracting provides ample opportunities for businesses to work and sell directly with government institutions across the board. This is done through the General Services Administration, a government agency that provides centralized procurement for federal purchasers with cost-effective, high-quality products and services from commercial vendors. These products and services cover a large range of business arenas – from information technology to furniture and everything in between. Although working with GSA can be profitable, it is not a simple process. Companies interested in participating in this potentially beneficial government program often turn to experts to help them navigate through specific requirements needed to qualify, which is where GSA consultants come in. GSA Consulting covers a large area of services that are associated with acquiring a GSA Contract.

On Monday, January 6th, 2020 the Small Business Administration's (SBA) final rule to implement a 2018 law took effect. The 2018 Small Business Runway Extension Act allows small businesses to calculate their revenue over 5 years instead of 3 years. The goal of this change is to allow more businesses to participate in small business set asides. This will allow the government to meet its goals for small business spending while allowing small businesses to better transition from small to large.

[This article was last updated on June 27, 2020] It’s no secret that the U.S. federal government has a great need for Drone and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in today’s day and age. If your company offers these products, then your 2020 resolution should be to get involved with the ASTRO program!