- JANUARY 2024 -

Creating a Government Pipeline for FY 2024

Now that the New Year is here, it’s important to set goals and seek new opportunities. Establishing a well-structured government pipeline should be one of your top priorities as a GSA Schedule contractor. Below, we’ll discuss 5 helpful strategies to find opportunities and capture government business for Fiscal Year 2024.

1. Define Your Company’s Objectives

Define your teams’ objectives and goals to better understand how they support your contract vehicle. Maybe your offerings align more with a different contract vehicle.

2. Identify Your Target Government Market

Identify agencies, departments, or entities that align with your business’s products/services. Understanding your ideal customer can narrow your search and make it more effective.

3. Monitor Government Websites

After you’ve identified your target market, you’ll need to conduct some research by routinely monitoring government and industry websites. We recommend SAM.gov, General Services Administration (GSA) websites (GSA eBuy and GSA Advantage!), state and local websites, and subscription services.

4. Prioritize and Qualify Opportunities

Carefully consider and prioritize which opportunities best fit your business goals and capabilities.

5. Develop a Winning Strategy

Tailor your proposals to highlight how your company’s strengths will meet and exceed the requirements of each contract.

To learn more about creating a government pipeline, check out our blog. We also have a blog explaining How to Qualify a Government Opportunity.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Here's a Recap of Last Month's Blogs

• The FY 2024 NDAA Defense Policy Bill: What it Means for Veteran-Owned Businesses

• Where to Find IT Solutions Through GWACs

• What is the “Close Contract for New Awards” Mod and What Does it Mean?

• Preparing for the Final CMMC Rule

Couldn't make it to last month's webinar? Watch it here on demand. In this webinar, we’ll show you the benefits of a Contractor Teaming Arrangement (CTA) and information you will need to know moving into a CTA.

GSA UPDATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

GSA Events:

Thursday, Jan 11, 2024 
11:30 AM ET - 12:30 PM ET 

How Do I Keep My GSA MAS Contract Compliant 1/11/24
This session will cover topics including maintaining compliance with the MAS contract and understanding the Industrial Operations Analyst (IOA) compliance assessment process.

Tuesday, Jan 30, 2024
11:00 AM ET - 12:00 PM ET

MAS SRP Training: Contractor Assessments 30JAN24
This webinar provides guidance and instruction to Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract holders about the contractor assessment process. 

Tuesday, Jan 30, 2024
12:00 PM ET - 1:00 PM ET

Industry: Making Market Research Easy-Enhancing Industry Partnerships 1.30.24
Are you interested in learning more about Requests for Information (RFIs) and how they can benefit your business? Join the team for an informative webinar titled "Making Market Research Easy - Enhancing Industry Partnerships."

Winvale Webinar

Tuesday, January 30, 2024 

2:00 PM ET - 3:00 PM ET

If your company is looking to expand its business this year and tap into new markets, the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program could be a great place to start. With over $40 billion in sales, the MAS program is a widely used government contract vehicle offering a range of products and services. 

In this webinar, we'll discuss the ins and outs of the program, including:

• What is a GSA Multiple Award Schedule
• By the numbers: Why companies pursue GSA Schedules 
• Benefits of the GSA Multiple Award Schedule Program
• How to determine if GSA Schedules are a good fit for your company 
• Getting a GSA Schedule: where do you start? 

CRITICAL INFORMATION

GSA Releases MAS Solicitation Refreshes #18 and #19

The Mass Mod for Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Solicitation Refresh #19 has been released not once, but twice. Some may be confused about this considering Refresh #18 was released shortly before, so let’s break this down. GSA recognized an issue with #18 that required a full re-release and Refresh #19 came out shortly after. Once the first Mass Mod was released for #19, a second one was released to correct further issues. For contractors who did not process Refresh #18 before #19 was issued, Refresh #19 should supersede all the previous Mass Mods. 

Like all Mass Mods, acceptance is mandatory within 90 days of the mod issuance. Some of the major changes made include a change to the minimum sales requirement from $25,000 in your first 2 years and $25,000 per year for the remaining years of your contract, to a requirement of $100,000 every 5 year option period. There has also been updates to the Joint Venture (JV) template, and additional language added surrounding  Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act (FASCA) Orders. More information about these Refreshes can be found here.  

QUICK TIPS

GSA has Updated the Market Threshold Calculation for COTS Products

If you offer Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) products that receive market research reports, this update is for you—GSA has recently changed the way the market threshold is calculated. Since GSA Schedule pricing is such an important part of the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program, this new model was created to become a better representation of the commercial marketplace. While this update applies to all contractors who offer COTS products that receive market research reports, it mainly applies to contractors who opt into Transactional Data Reporting (TDR). This is because TDR “fair and reasonable” pricing is based solely on market research. Here is a summary of the key changes:

• Moved away from using just the lowest price. The new benchmark will more heavily weigh on centricity, or the median price.
• Introduced a new inflation adjustment component to respond to market conditions.
• Added TDR data to the calculation when high quality, comparable data is available. 
• Added Commercial Pricing data from major websites to the calculation.
• Introduced new demand weighted ceilings where pricing targets are more aggressive for high demand products.

More information can be found in our blog. 

EMERGING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q:  In what format can I submit sales reporting data?  

•  A: Contractors have multiple options to submit their sales into the Federal Award Schedule Sales Reporting Portal (FAS SRP):

1. 1. Form entry - where you fill out a form in your web browser
   2. File upload - where you upload an excel or .csv template populated with your sales data
   3. Electronic Data Interchange / EDI
   4. Web Services / API

Q: When is the Industrial Funding Fee (IFF) due?  

• A: The Industrial Funding Fee (IFF) for GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contracts is due on a quarterly basis. Contractors are required to report sales and remit the appropriate IFF to GSA. You can also remit it monthly if you opt into Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) over Commercial Sales Practices (CSP), but it's not required. 
  1. Quarter 1 (October 1 - December 31): Due by January 30.
  2. Quarter 2 (January 1 - March 31): Due by April 30. 
  3. Quarter 3 (April 1 - June 30): Due by July 30.
  4. Quarter 4 (July 1 - September 30): Due by October 30.

Q:  What if I make a mistake submitting sales data?  

• A: The FAS SRP acts as the single system for contractor interface when it comes to sales reporting / sales adjustments. You can adjust data submitted through the FAS SRP at any time.

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