As of January 9, 2023, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has begun accepting applications for Veteran Small Business Certification. This certification process used to be done through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), but as part of the federal government’s commitment to strengthen interagency collaboration, it has been moved over to the SBA since they handle all the other socioeconomic contracting programs for small businesses. Whether you are looking to get certified, or are certified already through the VA, here’s what you need to know.

So, you have been recently awarded with a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) and are probably wondering what tools are available to you as a GSA Schedule contractor. While there are several websites and resources at your fingertips, we’re going to focus on GSA eBuy, an online procurement tool that allows eligible government agencies to procure products, solutions, and services from GSA contract holders registered on the eBuy platform. Let’s cover what GSA eBuy is and how you can use it your advantage.

With over 135 federal agencies in existence, the government has tremendous purchasing power in the federal marketplace. Some agencies may be purchasing your products and services in bulk, and some maybe not so much. It’s up to you to ensure that you’re doing your part in conducting market research to identify potential buyers in agencies. Thankfully, GSA has some tools to help you conduct market research. SAM.gov’s Data Bank tool helps you focus your marketing efforts and understand federal purchasing trends.

With government spending on a steady incline year over year, increasing your company’s footprint in the public sector with a GSA Schedule and other government contracts can help to grow your business’ revenue—but how do you actually invoice and receive payment from these agencies? In the private sector, it can be relatively straightforward in most cases, where the seller will specify the invoicing and payment schedule, and the buyer will (normally) oblige the established schedule for payment. However, in the government market, payment functions differently. Government buyers will reserve payment for something until it’s received.

One of the requirements GSA Schedule contractors tend to worry about the most is the minimum sales requirement. Under this requirement, contractors must generate $25,000 in sales within the first 2 years, and $25,000 every year thereafter. This can seem like an intimidating number, especially for some smaller businesses that aren’t used to reporting $1 million in commercial sales each quarter. So, what can you do to stay on top of this and successfully meet the minimum sales requirement? One thing to do is study spending trends and identify the top government customers. Which government agency is spending the most through government contracts, and what are they spending it on? Here’s what you need to know.

If you’re a new GSA contractor or new to reporting your GSA sales, you may be wondering what TDR is, and how it can fit into your contract. Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) is a GSA Schedule pilot program for reporting sales that was first rolled out in 2016. TDR is a way for GSA and its partner agencies to collect transaction-level data on solutions purchased through the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program. Ultimately, the purpose is to equip the government’s acquisition workforce with the information needed to make data-driven decisions that save taxpayer dollars. TDR also allows contractors to opt out of Commercial Sales Practices (CSP) and reporting, which could be a benefit for your company.