This year has been marked by a number of important changes and updated contracting procedures aimed at improving the U.S. Federal Government’s cybersecurity systems. Against the backdrop of President Obama’s Cybersecurity National Action Program, launched earlier this year, a new Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rule has recently arrived which addresses basic safeguarding of contractor information systems. This may seem innocuous at first, but the change should not be taken for granted by the contractor community.

It’s that time of year again: quarterly sales reporting! Whether you are a federal or state and local contractor, you are required to submit a sales report to not only fulfill your contractual duty as a vendor, but also to pay an administrative fee.

The federal marketplace is a very competitive space to break into. The potential for government contractors is evident in the success of current sellers ranging in size and offerings. There is no magic formula for building a profitable government sales practice, but there are many ways to stand out. At Winvale, we’ve found one method of differentiation that truly works: building a curated blog that educates readers and converts to leads.

Faced with allegations of “failed compliance,” GSA is taking steps to ensure that all products on Schedule are certified products of the United States or other Trade Agreement Act (TAA) compliant countries. GSA alerted contract holders in a letter sent on May 5, 2016, that they had until May 12, 2016, (one week) to provide their compliance with the TAA.

Congress announced its intention to ramp up efforts to enforce the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Small Business Subcontracting Program. These potential changes are extremely important for a few reasons: according to the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), if the bill is passed, contractors that are found to be non-compliant with their small business subcontracting plans could be charged with breach of contract by the federal customers. Such charges can bring with them severe corrective action or fines.

With the health IT industry booming, GSA is expected to release a new IT Schedule 70 Health IT SIN. This SIN will provide a variety of solutions to government buyers and contractors need to be ready to take advantage of this lucrative market.