The federal government uses Simplified Acquisition Procedures, otherwise known as ‘SAP,' to help streamline the contracting process. In layman’s terms, SAPs emphasizes the “keep it simple” approach. SAPs are governed by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), specifically FAR Part 2 and Part 13, and aim to reduce the overall administrative burden and time of awarding procurements below a certain dollar threshold. SAPs are designed for the purchase of relatively simple supply or service requirements. If you find yourself curious about the FAR in large and want to know more, please feel free to check out our recent blog post titled Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 101.

Think of the last deadline you missed in your current position or back in school. It happens to the best of us, but either way, we all want to make things right so you can keep your GSA Schedule compliant. One deadline in particular that we stress to not lose track of is your company’s Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) certification. In the past, required contractors just needed to self-certify, but as of this year, you need to officially register and certify through the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) Contractor Portal.

The Trade Agreements Act (TAA) is a common concern among our clients whether they are getting a GSA Schedule for the first time or are several years into their contract. You might be wondering: why does the TAA exist? How is it different from the Buy American Act (BAA)? Or, what does the “Substantial Transformation” rule mean? To help clear up all the questions our clients may have, we put together a list of FAQs so you can use this as a quick reference guide whenever you have a question about TAA and how it relates to your GSA Schedule.

As a GSA Schedule contractor, you have a lot of contracting opportunities available to you. Yes, you are already a part of the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program, but with this designation you are able to compete for a range of other contracting vehicles. One of them is Best-In-Class (BIC) contract vehicles, which are pre-vetted and well managed solutions available to multiple government agencies. GSA alone has several BIC vehicles, including the upcoming Services MAC, or also referred to as OASIS+. Here's a deeper look into Best-In-Class contract vehicles.

As a small business, you have a lot of resources available to help you succeed in the government marketplace. In an effort to increase small business participation, the federal government has designated small business contracting vehicles set aside specifically to support small business efforts. Small businesses can also compete in other contract vehicles meant for both large and small businesses.

If you are interested in selling to the government, but don’t want to deal with the potential headache of managing your own General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award (MAS) Schedule, an authorized GSA reseller could be the right choice for your company. While having your own prime GSA Schedule has its own benefits, sometimes it’s not the right fit for an organization. Managing your own GSA Schedule requires the right internal resources, personnel, and funding, and often comes with many upfront challenges including the cost and time to obtain a prime GSA Schedule. Partnering with a reseller can reduce the overall compliance risks in selling to the government, while also increasing overall speed to market in the public sector marketplace.