GSA’s Mentor- Protégé Program was introduced in 2009 and is designed to help small businesses get their foot in the door of the federal marketplace. The program encourages large business prime contractors to assist small businesses including disadvantaged, women-owned, historically underutilized business zoned, veteran-owned, and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. In so doing, GSA promotes the business development of small businesses and enhances their capability to compete more successfully for federal government contracts and gain access to economic opportunities. The program is intended to foster the establishment of long-term relationships between small businesses and GSA prime contractors and increase the overall number of small businesses that receive GSA prime contract and subcontract awards. How the Mentor-Protégé Program Works

The General Services Administration (GSA) has been investing in sustainable, innovative technologies, as a part of America’s economic recovery. For the last year under Martha N. Johnson’s new leadership GSA has supported sustainable industries including green buildings. Federal buildings are being made green by modernizing them both externally and internally and equipping them with the latest sustainable technologies. Some of these cutting edge technologies include green and reflective roofs, solar panels, temperature-adjusting envelopes, high-insulation/performance windows, energy-saving heating and cooling systems and low-flow plumbing. GSA reports that these innovations will immediately improve the performance of federal buildings and save millions of taxpayer dollars in the long term.

As a part of America’s economic recovery the General Services Administration (GSA) has been investing in sustainable, innovative technologies. For the last year under Martha N. Johnson’s new leadership GSA has supported sustainable industries including green buildings. Federal buildings are being made green by modernizing them both externally and internally and equipping them with the latest sustainable technologies. Some of these cutting edge technologies include green and reflective roofs, solar panels, temperature-adjusting envelopes, high-insulation/performance windows, energy-saving heating and cooling systems and low-flow plumbing. GSA reports that these innovations will immediately improve the performance of federal buildings and save millions of taxpayer dollars in the long term.

As of February 4, 2011, Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSB) can begin taking steps toward participating in a new federal contracting program that is aimed at expanding their federal contracting opportunities. Back in 2000, a study found that WOSBs were receiving merely 2.3% of the $200 billion federal contracts awarded annually—a far cry from the 5% goal projected by the federal government. While the process for increasing opportunities to WOSBs has been slow, this month the initiative has taken major steps. With this new initiative referred to as the Small Business Administration's (SBA) 8(m) program, contracting officers now have the capability to set-aside certain federal contracts for eligible WOSBs or Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Businesses (EDWOSBs). The WOSB Program identifies 83 four-digit North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) codes where WOSBs are underrepresented or substantially underrepresented. Starting July 2011, Contracting Officers may set aside contracts in these industries if the contract can be awarded at a "fair and reasonable price", the contracting officer has a reasonable expectation that two or more WOSBs or EDWOSBs will submit offers for the contract and the anticipated contract price is not greater than $5 million for manufacturing contracts and $3 million for other contracts.

Does your company have any skeletons in its’ closet? Any records of suspension, debarment, or non-responsibility determinations? Has a procurement official ever denied or reduced your award fee as a result of reckless or negligent behavior? Or perhaps your contract was recently terminated all together for fault and defective price determinations? Are you sure?? If your answer is “Yes” to any of the above, you may be disheartened to learn that a new government database tracking contractor misconduct and performance is expected to be made public by April 15, 2011. In a dramatic attempt to shed light on the conduct of firms that do business with the government, the GSA will be opening up its Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) for public viewing. The publicizing of this system, which was previously available only to federal officials, will fulfill a provision in the wartime supplemental appropriations bill signed by President Obama in July, 2010, which requires that GSA disclose on a public website all information in FAPIIS.

Lately I have been using the GSA Schedule Sales Query often to help clients conduct research regarding sales made using GSA Schedule contracts. This tool is incredibly useful in providing historical sales data across different categories from the past five years. I wanted to provide an overview of how the system works and some possible uses for this wide variety of data.