The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the General Services Acquisition Manual (GSAM) are the primary bodies of regulation used by GSA in the federal marketplace. Knowing the basics of these regulations is important to understanding the requirements of being a successfully compliant GSA Schedule contractor. During the course of contracting, if you find a reference to a FAR or GSAM clause that starts with an acronym you are unfamiliar with, you should check out Acquisition.gov and you will likely be able to find it. But trying to learn and remember all the clauses for GSA contractors is nearly impossible— no one has the time to muddle through all the fine print.

Every government contractor’s main objective is simple – win. But how? How does a compliant, well-qualified company successfully win a contract in such a competitive marketplace? Unfortunately, the answer isn’t as straightforward as some would like it to be. However, one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle is clear, and that's pricing.

The General Services Administration (GSA) has been making several changes to their Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program whether it’s the GSA MAS Consolidation which consisted of condensing all 24 legacy Schedules into one Schedule, or streamlining online tools to make the procurement process easier. One of the most recent updates is GSA’s work on migrating the Federal Procurement Data System (FDPS)-Next Generation (NG) Report Function to beta.SAM.gov.

First, congratulations on your GSA award—your GSA Schedule contract will prove to be a valuable contracting vehicle for your organization over the next twenty years. We know you went through a lengthy process to receive your GSA Schedule contract, but unfortunately, the work doesn’t stop there. Now that you have received an award, you’re probably asking yourself how to start selling.

Whether you’re a new GSA Schedule contractor or have been selling to the federal government for years, it’s important for you to be aware of the regulations you must follow so you can remain GSA compliant. As laws and regulations often change in the government, we are constantly informing our clients of important policy changes and helping them understand how they affect their business. One of the most recent changes was the amendment to Section 889 Federal Acquisitions Regulation (FAR) Rule.

GSA contractors have been getting a lot of emails over the last couple weeks. Between the updates to GSA eBuy and the Multiple Award Schedule consolidation, contractors have been flooded with new information that impacts their contract compliance and their typical contract actions. One of the more recent GSA updates is the change to the Mass Modification System which will now require Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).