Preparing Your GSA Schedule for Spring Sales, What Impact the Hiring Freeze Could Have on Federal Contractors, GSA Releases MAS Refresh #24, Marketing 101
Punxsutawney Phil has made his choice, and it looks like we’re in for 6 more weeks of winter. Take advantage of the extra time you’ll have bundled up inside and prepare your GSA Schedule for a successful spring of sales. Here’s what you can do:
Renew your SAM registration: once a year, you need to renew your SAM.gov registration. Is yours coming up soon? Log-in to SAM to ensure your registration is up to date.
Submit modifications on time: have you made a change recently to your contract? If you make any admin changes, product/service changes, pricing changes, etc., then you need to submit a modification. Don’t be rushing to submit one days before a contract proposal is due!
Mass Modification acceptance: GSA has pushed out 2 MAS Solicitation Refreshes in the last month or so. Make sure you are going into the Mass Mod system and formally accepting these changes.
Prep for Contractor Assessment Visits (CAVs): Is your CAV coming up this year? It’s important to begin the prep process early, so you’re well prepared for a smooth assessment.
Couldn't make it to our last webinar? Watch it here on demand. This webinar with McCarter & English evaluates the business side of pricing federal contracts, highlights some best practices, and reviews some important legal and regulatory issues.
As we enter a new Administration, the federal market will inevitably shift in priorities--but are you identifying the buyers and responding to the new RFIs and RFPs? There continues to be significant business opportunities in the federal pipeline and the government is always buying. Starting Monday, February 10, we are launching a weekly Bids and Awards email straight to your inbox so you can stay informed.
GSA’s Office of Small Business Utilization is hosting this 30-minute webinar for all small businesses looking for additional information and guidance on GSA and our opportunities. Register here.
Is your company thinking of getting a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) this year? If you've started your research, you know it's not a seamless or easy process by any means--but that doesn't mean it's impossible. With the right knowledge and guidance, you can start off on the right foot with your GSA Schedule offer.
In this webinar, we'll uncover 10 tips to keep in mind when preparing a strong and successful GSA Schedule offer. We'll discuss:
Background Research: what you should know before pursuing GSA MAS
Important Questions: What to ask yourself (and GSA) about the process
Putting it all Together: Creating a winning proposal
Avoiding Common Mistakes: How to avoid common pitfalls
What Impact the Hiring Freeze Could Have on Federal Contractors
The Trump Administration has been busy releasing a flurry of Executive Orders (EOs) since the inauguration. One of these EOs, places a hiring freeze on the federal civilian workforce. This excludes military personnel, armed forces or positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety. Many contractors are wondering what this means for the future of the federal workforce. Here are some impacts we could see based on past hiring freezes:
Agencies could rely on current contracts and increase scopes of work to fill their needs. Currently, soliciting contracts outside of the federal government is prohibited by the EO, but that doesn't necessarily affect current contracts.
There could be an uptick in Professional Services spending once freeze is lifted. If the attrition rate rises due to the freeze, there are positions that eventually need to be backfilled.
Contract award delays, cancellations, and new regulations are expected. With the hiring freeze EO and other executive actions, there will inevitably be holdups/cancellations, and we can expect to see regulations change.
Learn more about the effects of the hiring freeze in our blog.
GSA Releases MAS Refresh #24
GSA has released Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Solicitation Refresh #24 this January, soon after the release of Refresh #23. In addition to the incorporation of the changes released in Refresh #23, GSA has implemented changes to the overall solicitation, and updates to several Large Categories, subcategories, and specific Special Item Numbers (SINs). Below is a summary of the key changes made in Refresh #24, with more details available on our blog.
Refresh #24 implements revisions to SCP-FSS-001 to clarify language concerning the 12-month waiting period for new offers after cancellation due to low/no sales or compliance issues, as well as clarifying Streamlined Offer instructions regarding Joint Ventures (JVs).
As part of Refresh #24, GSA has begun the transition for Small Business Set-Aside (SBSA) SINs. All SBSA SINs will be moved to a non-SBSA equivalent SIN, and GSA contract holders will no longer have to hold separate MAS contracts for SBSA SINs.
Other key SIN-specific changes in this Refresh include the addition of new subgroups for SINs 561210FAC – Facilities Maintenance and Management and SIN 541990 – All Other Professional Scientific, and Technical Services.
Knowing how to market your GSA Schedule contract is key to becoming a successful contractor. The first step in a good marketing strategy is to familiarize yourself with potential customers. While holding a GSA contract opens up an enormous range of opportunities, you’ll want to select specific agencies to target. After identifying agencies that align with your offerings, research their budget, current and past contract awards, and procurement forecasts using tools like SAM.gov and USAspending.gov to get an idea of their acquisition needs.
You’ll also want to learn about GSA’s procurement platforms: GSA Advantage! and GSA eBuy. GSA Advantage! is a site for purchasing products—essentially the government’s version of Amazon. Making sure your product listings are complete, up-to-date, and high quality is crucial to making sure your products are sold. GSA eBuy is where government agencies will post Requests for Proposals, Quotes, and Information (RFPs, RFQs, and RFIs), and contractors can submit responses. To learn more about marketing tips, check out our blog.
EMERGING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
First Responder Technologies under SAVER project
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) has released a Sources Sought Notice requesting information on commercially available indoor localization and tracking technologies for emergency responders, such as 3D mapping and fixed position radiation detectors, that can support the System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) Program. This Sources Sought Notice is for market research purposes only and all interested businesses should submit their responses to the requested information via the survey link provided in this notice by 4:00 PM EST on March 9, 2025. More information can be found under Notice ID: 70RSAT25RFI000008.
Environmental Remediation for Southern California
The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has released a Sources Sought Notice under NAICS Code 562910 – Remediation Services to gather responses from businesses interested in assisting with recovery efforts for the recent Los Angeles (LA) fires. The services required include performing environmental remediation/environmental assessment services. This Sources Sought Notice is for informational purposes only and all interested businesses should submit their answers to the questions listed in this notice to Roger Minami at kinya.r.minami@usace.army.mil by 12:00 AM PDT on April 18, 2025. Small businesses are encouraged to respond. More information can be found under Notice ID: W912PL25S0011.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: How are CTAs different from subcontracting?
A: CTAs can only be formed between two or more entities that each have their own Schedule contract on GSA’s MAS program. All products and services provided by CTA members to a federal buyer are considered a direct sale, and so each CTA member incurs both the rights and liabilities that go into a direct sale engagement.
Q: Can I bid on small business set-asides as part of a CTA?
A: Understanding the company structure of your prospective consultant can help you know whether they are really invested in your success or not. Companies that are headed by a CEO but have exclusively outsourced consultants should be viewed with scrutiny, as you are likelier to experience issues in quality and consistency. If your prospective consultant company does outsource consultants, make sure to inquire about their contractor requirements to better understand how they maintain quality control in the services they intend to provide to you.
Q: How is pricing determined for a sale placed through a CTA?
A: The prices proposed within the CTA agreement must match the prices that are included in an individual member’s Schedule contract. If more than one member has pricing listed for the contracted products or services, the pricing will be derived from the CTA member that is fulfilling that portion of the order.
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