2021 is expected to be a strong year for mergers and acquisitions. Since mergers and acquisition (M&A) trends took a hit during the pandemic, M&A activity is starting to ramp up, and 2021 is already proving to be a busy year. In the high-financed, fast-paced world of mergers and acquisitions, one aspect of the deal that is often over-looked or misunderstood, is contract novation. Many people unfamiliar with the federal market don’t realize that if you buy a government contractor, their federal contracts may not transfer to the acquirer or new entity. And this can represent a BIG problem if the valuation formula was based on the revenue from those federal contracts.

More updates are coming for GSA contractors—on May 17, 2021, GSA released the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Solicitation 47QSMD20R0001 - Refresh # 6. This Solicitation will be accompanied by a Mass Modification (Mass Mod) for all GSA Schedule contractors. Action is required on this Mass Mod, so it’s important you understand what these upcoming changes mean to you as a contractor. Here's what you need to know:

Defense contracting is a large portion of the government contracting sphere. If you are a GSA Schedule contractor working with the Department of Defense (DoD) or looking to do business with the DoD, it is probable that you will come into contact with two specific agencies—the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) and the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA).

Within the government’s cybersecurity workforce, you’ll find dedicated professionals who serve as contractors, civilians, or in the military. These professionals protect our national security, making them the target of malicious cyber actors who are trying to gain unauthorized access to information that is often restricted and housed in private military networks. With no other way to break into these networks, cyber actors use the government cybersecurity workforce as an avenue of approach, putting them at risk for unintentionally exposing classified government data.

When President-elect Joe Biden took the stage in January and recited the oath of office, he became the 46th president of the United States. With the inauguration comes not only a new president and vice president, but a new administration. This means that policy priorities and spending habits may change, and as a result, so will the government marketplace.

Putting together a GSA Schedule proposal is a lot of work—we don’t sugar coat that. A lot of our clients have come to us having attempted a Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) proposal by themselves, and after going through all the work of putting together documents and submitting them to the eOffer system, they receive a rejection notice. This means that they have to start back at the beginning of the process, which can be extremely frustrating after putting in time and effort into the proposal. Let’s dive into some tips into your next steps if your GSA Schedule proposal is rejected.