In what has become an unprecedented time for companies and their employees, adjusting to a “new normal” of working away from the office has been challenging for many as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. As companies begin to look ahead and plan for a return to some normalcy, continuing to practice safe social distancing measures in the workplace will be key to providing a safe and efficient workplace environment. This includes continuing to keep a 6-foot space between individuals and the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as face masks. Differentiating between the types of masks and the protection they provide is important for companies to know before bringing employees back into the office.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world to change. The standard email greeting has been converted from “Hope you had a great weekend!” to “Hope you are staying safe and healthy in this uncertain time.” Employers and employees alike have been forced to live in the new normal of working from home as much as humanly possible. At some point, however, this will all have to end, and people will file back into offices and “normal” workplaces. But that doesn’t mean that offices will look the same. With COVID-19 in mind, it’s important to recognize how to best protect your employees when reopening your offices across the country.

As part of Winvale's guest blogger series, Benjamin Brooks, Vice President of Beryllium InfoSec Collaborative, is sharing his top 5 cyber security measures government contractors need to know. Winvale partnered with Beryllium to host a recent webinar, Managing Cyber Security Requirements in Today's Federal Market. When you think "contractor with the US Government," what do you think of? Bureaucracy? Guaranteed steady revenue? Those are the most popular responses, because after-all, we are in business to make money, right? But how many people reading this think of “cyber security” as one of the ideas surrounding contracting with the United States Government?

In April 2019, the Small Business Administration (SBA) released a plan to enact revised size standards for small businesses. According to the SBA, a size standard is usually defined by the number of employees or average annual receipts and represents the largest size that a business, including subsidiaries and affiliates, may be to remain classified as a small business for SBA and federal contract programs. In 2010, the United States Congress passed the Small Business Jobs Act (Jobs Act) which requires the SBA to review all size standards every five years. Under the Jobs Act, the SBA is also required to adjust to reflect market conditions as needed, including inflation.

On October 1st 2019, GSA will be consolidating its Multiple Award Schedules (MAS). The consolidation will combine 24 of the current schedules into 1, excluding only the 9 Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) schedules. On August 20th GSA held a webinar to explain the process of consolidation and answer vendor questions. The consolidation will consist of three phases.

The General Services Administration (GSA) was established in July 1949 by President Harry Truman to streamline the administrative work of the federal government. Today GSA provides centralized procurement for the federal government by managing the Federal Supply Schedules program, known more commonly as GSA Schedules. GSA Schedules is a purchasing vehicle that offers more than 12 million commercial supplies and services and is open for use to any federal agency within the Executive Branch. Currently there are 24 Schedules offering commercial goods and services which are managed directly by GSA. There are also another eight federal supply schedules managed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.