Now that we are past government Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 and have the opportunity to take a breather and regroup, what’s next? FY 2023 is in full swing and it’s time to start making GSA Schedule goals for the upcoming year. A good place to start is taking a closer look at federal government FY 2023 funding—how much money is allocated, which industries and agencies will be procuring the most, and what trends will we see? Let’s discuss what’s in store for the next year.

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.