Responding to a government Request for Proposal (RFP) can be a daunting task. I have often heard the comment “I don’t even know where to start.” It is normal for companies, both large and small, to use outside proposal support to help them through this process. But before you run out and hire a proposal company to help you on your next big proposal, read through our Do’s and Don’ts to ensure that your dollars are being spent wisely.

Many companies make the mistake of depending on FedBizOpps and General Services Administration eBuy to find all of their government opportunities. This strategy is problematic, in ways other than the obvious limitation of utilizing only two government procurement databases for your search. It is not incorrect to use GSA eBuy, however it only displays opportunities associated with the categories you have be awarded.

The GSA can reject a proposal or modification for many reasons. One of them is the proposal of an incorrect Special Item Number (SIN). Each GSA Schedule has its own select SIN’s that are subsets of the Schedule offering. For example, Schedule 70 (General Purpose Commercial Information Technology Equipment, Software and Services) has 24 SIN’S. These SIN’s represent IT related subsets, such as Term Software License (SIN 132-32), the Purchase of New Equipment (SIN 132-8), and Information Technology Professional Services (SIN 132-51). When deciding what SIN to propose on your GSA Schedule contract, there are a few factors to consider:

Unprecedented changes to the GSA’s CAV and OIG Audits are just around the corner. And while the GSA does make changes to their policies and procedures on occasion, this has more potential to be a disruptive force for so many contract holders.

As you may know, GSA Mass Modifications are government-initiated modifications that occur when a uniform change occurs schedule-wide. They come out about two to three times per year, usually coincide with a Solicitation refresh, and every GSA Schedule contractor must review, accept and incorporate these new legal changes into their contract/business. Most of the time GSA Schedule contractors go through this routine and accept changes without reading and understanding the binding language (SF30). But the NEW mass modification, in particular, is a significant one, updating and adding about 30 new clauses. The most relevant clauses focus on HR/labor issues, incorporating recent Executive Orders issued by President Obama. I strongly recommend that you review each one but I have summarized some of the most important changes below:

Last year marked four important changes in Contractor Assistance Visits (CAV’s) that GSA contractors should be aware of moving forward. Given that such visits occur infrequently (only twice over a five year period), many contractors may have glossed over the changes when they were announced. That kind of attitude may leave you in a frenzy should GSA reach out to you for one of these visits. It simply cannot be stated enough: Preparation is the key to successful visit from GSA! Here is a quick rundown of the changes to help keep you ahead of the curve and ready for your next visit: