A public opinion poll that came out last week revealed that most Americans hold members of the armed service in higher regard than any other profession or line of work. I myself am not a member of the military but my stepbrother is a service disabled veteran. He served three tours in Iraq, quickly making his was from Private to Staff Sergeant. On his third tour his armored vehicle was hit by an IED, which eventually ended his military career – but certainly not his business career. He has since rehabilitated and has considered creating a business venture with other vets from Iraq. Given the current climate of public opinion, there is a strong appeal to sell to veteran owned small businesses that have helped defend our country, particularly those operating in the federal market. Did Executive Order 13360 work? (Part 1)

Once you have an awarded GSA Schedule Contract, it is important to keep records and ensure compliance with the terms of your contract. Twice during your five year GSA contract term, you'll have a Contractor Assistant Visit (CAV). Some people think of the CAV as an audit, but the purpose is really to make introductions, assess your performance, check records, and identify any problem areas. If there are any serious concerns that exist after the CAV, your Contracting Officer will give you the opportunity to correct these issues.

Any large business receiving a GSA contract, where they expect GSA sales to exceed $650,000, must agree that small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business concerns will have the maximum practicable opportunity to participate in contract performance consistent with its efficient performance. Recently GSA has required Small Business Subcontracting plans from all large businesses, regardless of anticipated GSA sales and many contractors struggle to understand this policy and fulfill the requirements. Make no mistake, small business subcontracting is considered a "deliverable" under the contract and should be taken seriously.

Oftentimes, after we have gotten a client to Contract Award they are left with some obvious questions: What next? What now? Many small businesses can find themselves wondering: How can I get my foot into the door when there's so much competition? One way is through a GSA Schedule Contractor Team Arrangement (CTA), which is a formal and written agreement between two or more GSA Schedule contractors, detailing how they will work together to provide a complete and total solution to fulfill the needs of the government customer. It's like you're back in school and picking your team for a kickball game. You need to find the best players who can fill certain roles on your team to increase your chances to win. Back then it used to be for the glory on the playground but these days its business and it means more money in your pocket!

Your GSA MAS contract is a five year contract, with the option to extend for three more terms. This means your contract can potentially be active for twenty years! For GSA to offer you the option to extend your contract, you will need to have achieved the following 5 criteria: 1) have been in compliance with all contract clauses and regulations, 2) you've reported and paid your IFF on time, 3) your GSA pricelist has been received, approved, posted, and kept current on GSA Advantage!, 4) sales on your GSA contract during the first five years have met or exceeded $100,000, and 5) your Small Business Subcontracting reports have been reviewed and approved (if applicable). If GSA determines you have fulfilled these requirements and that exercising your option is advantageous to the Government, you should receive a Letter of Intent notice six to nine months prior to the end of your contract.

The web continues to have a profound effect on our personal and professional lives. From contacting a loved one miles away, to skipping a walk to the store for a gift purchase, to organizing your business's day to day activities, our lives are continually touched and made easier by the World Wide Web – and, in particular, those solutions delivered to us and run almost entirely over the internet. Businesses especially are taking greater advantage of these web based tools and applications in an effort to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and facilitate organization-wide transparency. Such so called "cloud computing" applications and services are an area of significant growth within the IT industry - in fact, growing at a faster clip than any other type of IT spending. And don't think Uncle Sam hasn't taken notice. Last year, the Obama Administration made note of the rising trend in applications run in the "cloud" by rolling out its own government App store for Federal Agencies, www.apps.gov, with the goal of furthering propelling the Federal Government into the digital frontier. GSA, for its part, is managing the store and marketing Apps.gov as part of its "GSA eTools" library that includes both GSA Advantage! and GSA eBuy. For GSA Schedule 70 Contract holders this is significant news. The President's initiative represents a dedicated effort to modernize the Federal Government's IT systems with an approach dedicated, in part, to cloud centric solutions. The App store is the forum for these opportunities and it's only open to Schedule 70 contractors to boot!