As part of Winvale's new guest blogger series, Andrea Davis, Director of Contracts at Govplace and a Winvale client, is sharing the top 15 tips about government contracting that she's learned in her 20 years working for government contractors, in no particular order:

Back in April of 2000, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced that Digital Signature Trust Company has received the first interim approval to operate on the Access Certificates for Electronic Services (ACES) contract. This breakthrough was phenomenal because it rapidly sped up the processes of schedule acquisition, maintenance, and compliance more broadly. The ACES contract is currently managed by the Office of Information Security in GSA's Federal Technology Service.

The General Services Administration (GSA) provides the leading contract vehicle for government acquisition. GSA Schedule contracts, also known as GSA Schedules or Federal Supply Schedules, are indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ), long-term contracts under the General Services Administration’s Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program. The GSA Schedule Program continuously accounts for approximately $45 billion of government spending. Businesses, non-profit organizations, and educational institutions can obtain a GSA Schedule Contract to sell products and services to government customers.

There are numerous solicitations available under the General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple-Award Schedules (MAS) Program, each representing a different industry. GSA’s IT Schedule 70 includes Information Technology products and services that have been negotiated and awarded under a GSA schedule contract. Under the GSA MAS Program, the Federal government -- and in some cases, State and Local government -- entities can meet virtually every single purchasing need by buying products and services directly from GSA-approved vendors at pre-negotiated prices. GSA contracts offer government customers direct delivery of high-quality commercial supplies and services at discount pricing.

The General Services Administration (GSA) manages the federal acquisition and award processes using 10 websites. In August 2017, beta.SAM.gov went live and will eventually serve as a replacement for the 10 legacy acquisition websites that GSA maintains. Christy Hermansen, the Integrated Award Environment (IAE) Design Lead, says “We will be continually adding functionality to the site over time, making improvements based on feedback we receive from users. We are not shutting down any of our 10 legacy applications yet. These will be turned off one at a time, once all of the features have been transitioned and we’ve validated that that functionality is ready to be the authoritative system.”

The General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedules (MAS) Program houses a unique variety of contract vehicles spanning across several industries. With over thirty (30) different Schedule contracts all geared towards different supply and service types, it is almost certain that your company’s offering could fit the scope of one of these contract vehicles. Understanding the scope of each GSA Schedule is an important factor when determining if pursuing a GSA Schedule is right for your business.