This spring we’ll be anxiously awaiting the release of Alliant 2 and Alliant 2 Small Business (SB). These GWACs are specific to comprehensive information technology solutions with a total estimated value of $65 trillion between FY2018 and FY2028.

Ask any government contractor what they think of partnering or teaming and they will probably murmur something close to, “It’s probably a good idea.” There are a lot of benefits to partnering and almost every government contractor understands the basic concept. However, many also have false perceptions of what it takes to form a partnership, believing it’s daunting, difficult and not a priority for their government sales strategy.

Now that you’re a GSA contract holder you may have noticed that there’s quite a bit of red tape to work around. Certain performance orders issued under your GSA contract may require you to travel out of area. If this is the case for your organization, there are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to travel expenses and per diem charges.

Government contractors are painfully aware of the amount of time it takes to search for opportunities that are a good fit for their business. However, while research is an acknowledged key to success, rarely do contractors dedicate enough time for it. Why is this? Probably because knowing how much time to spend with each resource is a mystery to most.

The ImmixGroup recently published an article that gave an overview of cooperative purchasing and some contract vehicles associated with it. In this overview they were able to touch on some points about the National Association of State Procurement Officers (NASPO) ValuePoint program. Immix, who has a very established presence in the federal market, highlighted advantages of utilizing cooperative purchasing contracts and the amount of dollars procured through NASPO ValuePoint. I will highlight NASPO ValuePoint from an inside perspective, as I have first-hand experience working in the program, working with State Procurement Officials and currently managing several companies within the program.

On Tuesday April 28th 2015, I was able to attend the NASPO ValuePoint Vendor Kickoff Meeting, hosted by NASPO ValuePoint in Bloomington, MN. This meeting was intended to educate both current and newly awarded contract holders for the Computer Equipment, Peripherals & Related Services Contract under NASPO ValuePoint.