Working with the General Services Administration (GSA) can be difficult. Many times, the information contractors need is already out there in the universe, released by GSA, but the trick is knowing where to find it. One of our specialties as GSA Schedule consultants is pinpointing the right resources for our clients and helping them learn how to use those tools. One of the most underutilized GSA tools is the Contract-Awarded Labor Category, or CALC, tool. The CALC tool is valuable to contractors by helping with market research, particularly for labor categories offered to GSA. Let’s dive in to understand more about the GSA CALC tool.

The Information Technology (IT) field is one of the largest and most competitive fields in federal contracting. Because of this, there are many contractors to compete with and consequently, a need to differentiate your business from others to be more successful in the federal marketplace. To do this, a savvy contractor needs to know the unique practices of GSA Schedule marketing.

We all know that impatient feeling we get when we order a package online—we immediately go to the tracking page to see exactly what time and day our item will be delivered, even if we just pressed “order.” Some companies go as far as to provide a map of the drivers so you can see just how far they are from your doorstep on delivery day. While government agencies may not be tracking their items quite so closely, they want to know where their products are when they order them from your GSA Schedule on GSA Advantage!. This is made possible by reporting your GSA Advantage! order status. However, some GSA contractors are not reporting their order status, resulting in concerned calls and impatience from government agencies wondering when their items will arrive.

The government contracting world can be challenging—there are lots of rules and regulations to keep track of, billions of dollars being spent through various procurement methods, and tough competition among established contractors. We often hear the question “how do we make a name of ourselves amongst all of this?” from many new businesses who are wanting to break into the federal market.

Although contracts can have a reputation of being binding, your GSA Schedule contract is meant to grow and change with your company. Anytime you need to change your address or primary Point of Contact, add or delete a product, alter a product description, or upload new photos, you are able to make these changes through a modification (mod). Each modification type requires a series of documents and/or requirements, and it can be difficult to figure out what needs to be done in order to successfully complete a mod. Thankfully, the General Services Administration (GSA) has created a guide to keep contractors up to date on all the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) modification standards.

If you’ve done any research into GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contracts, you’ll see one key phrase used a lot: “Contract compliance.” But what does it mean? Contracts in any sphere can be complicated, and government contracts are especially difficult, as government buyers and sellers have to abide by procurement regulations established in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). Any business that holds a GSA contract or is looking to acquire one needs to be aware of the terms and conditions that are applicable to their company. Failing to be compliant with those terms and conditions can have serious consequences for your GSA contract.