Q4 is almost here—how are you optimizing your GSA Schedule to capitalize on all the opportunities? One thing we recommend is taking a closer look at your GSA Schedule price list. It’s important to understand when you can raise your rates and how to research your competitor’s pricing.
Knowing when to raise your rates is crucial--it all depends on the Economic Price Adjustment (EPA) clause you chose at contract award. If your Schedule is based on I-FSS-969 (b)(1), then your price increases are based on a fixed escalation rate negotiated prior to contract award. Under I-FSS-969 (b)(2), price adjustments are based on an agreed upon market indicator before contract award. And lastly, if you are awarded under EPA clause is 552.216-70, your proposed pricing is based on your company’s publicly available commercial price list. Keeping your GSA Schedule prices current, and ensuring you have a favorable pricing clause is crucial for GSA contractors who want to be as competitive as possible.
Researching your competitors is also a great way to ensure your pricing is competitive. All contractors can use GSA eLibrary to research competitors’ price lists. Additionally, services contractors can use GSA’s Contract Awarded Labor Category (CALC) tool and products contractors can use GSA Advantage! for more market research into pricing. Whenever you make a price change, you must make sure you’re abiding by your EPA clause, submitting a modification with enough time, and keeping up with the Price Reduction Clause if you use Commercial Sales Practices (CSP). For more information on optimizing your GSA Schedule price list, check out our blog.
Couldn't make it to last month's webinar? Watch it here on demand. In this webinar, join Winvale and Paul Netopski, CEO of Critical Prism Defense, to discuss cybersecurity requirements to look out for on federal contracts, how they should be communicated to you, and what they mean for your business.
We are proud to announce that Winvale Public Sector has successfully earned ISO 9001:2015 certification. You can learn more about our certification here.
Please join us for our 2nd Annual ITVMO Summit. The Summit will bring together government and industry representatives to share insights, cutting-edge innovations, and evolving technological standards that will transform the Federal Acquisition Ecosystem. Participants will have opportunities to engage with government and industry leaders during presentations, expert panel discussions, fireside chats, and networking opportunities. Summit attendees will learn about evolving IT acquisition priorities and opportunities, as well as resources designed to support agency buyers and small businesses looking to participate in the government IT market.
Responding to federal solicitations can be equally frustrating as it is exciting. Cracking the code as to what the evaluators of your proposal are looking for often feels filled with randomness, and success seems like it's left to chance. There are best practices, however, that can make your offerings memorable and tailored to your target agencies. Knowing the difference between responding to a solicitation and being responsive to a solicitation is the key to long-term success.
Join Jason Lee, Senior Proposal Manager and head of Winvale’s Bid Lifecycle Advisory Division, for this deep-dive webinar to learn about how to draft a winning proposal. Whether you are fairly new to proposals or a seasoned bidder, this webinar will provide actionable tips on what works and how to get into the psychology of the mysterious proposal evaluator. Specifically, you'll learn how to:
Give agencies the confidence that you understand their problems intimately and can deliver on you solutions
Articulate effectively how you are unique and differentiated from other bidders that agencies will received proposals from
Define the all-mighty “how” beyond your approach to Statements of Work (SOWs)
Be more decisive with what you commit to offer and deliver
Offer specific metrics and outcomes that quantify the value of your products and services
GSA recently released MAS Solicitation Refresh #21, shortly after #20 was released. Let's cover a few of the changes we expect to see in this Refresh:
GSA will implement a minor revision to SCP-FSS-001 Instructions Applicable to All Offerors to clarify that the 12-month waiting period and additional documentation requirements apply to Joint Venture (JV) partners who held a previous Schedule contract that was canceled/allowed to expire due to little or no sales or noncompliance.
GSA is formally adding the 4 new optional Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) fields (order date, ship date, zip code shipped to, federal customer).
Updates to specific Special Item Number (SIN) and Large Category language in Office Management, Information Technology, Professional Services, and Travel.
Procurement opportunity for Tribal businesses to help advance clean energy goals
GSA is seeking to purchase Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs) from a Tribal majority-owned business using the Indian Energy Purchase Preference (IEPP), which allows federal agencies to give preference to Tribes when buying energy products or byproducts. The IEPP was established in 2005, but this procurement marks its first use by the federal government. The solicitation seeks quotes for up to approximately 47,500MWh of unbundled EACs from generation resources that qualify as carbon-pollution free electricity (CFE) with a preference for those submitted by Tribal majority-owned businesses. EACs must have been generated between April 1, 2023, and December 31, 2024, from generation services put in service on or after October 1, 2021. The electricity associated with the EACs must have been delivered to one of the balancing authorities identified in the full solicitation. The EACs will be procured independently from physical power. Responses to the solicitation are due June 24, 2024, at 4 PM EDT, with the award expected to occur in July. For more information, the full solicitation can be found here.
QUICK TIP
Avoiding GSA’s Robo Mods
GSA introduced robo mods about 5 years ago to identify and solve contract compliance issues. What does this mean for contractors? Well, robo mods automatically initiate delete mods to remove any noncompliant, unauthorized, or prohibited products from GSA Schedules. Examples of this include:
Products noncompliant with Trade Agreements Act (TAA)
Prohibited products for national security reasons.
To avoid this, we suggest you have internal quality control plans to ensure any products you sell or plan to offer in the future do not belong in the categories above. This involves regular maintenance and compliance checks of your GSA Schedule. If you do end up receiving a robo mod—don’t panic. Quickly remove the non-compliant products from your GSA contract pricelist, delete from GSA Advantage!, and update your Price Proposal Template (PPT), so it reflects all the correct products. Learn more about robo mods in our blog.
EMERGING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
Call for OT Solutions Foreign Technology Assessment Support (FTAS) Program
Army Futures Command (AFC) International is seeking Prototype Project solutions related to the Foreign Technology Assessment Support (FTAS) Program. The FTAS program serves as a catalyst for the Army Futures Command to assess potentially game-changing technologies discovered in friendly foreign nations which may meet future Army needs. The Government anticipates awarding multiple Prototype Project Other Transactions (OTs) (10 USC 4022) in response to this Call, but reserves the right to make one award, or no awards. The applicable NAICS Code for this pre-solicitation is 541715 - Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology). Responses are due by September 30, 2024 at 4:00 PM EDT. More information can be found at https://sam.gov/opp/3cc43631bd5242b9bac1bcb3fb32d1eb/view.
Sources Sought - RAST Obsolescence Engineering Support
This effort will be in support of the Recovery Assist, Secure, and Traverse (RAST) System by proactively reviewing the RAST system and components to identify risk items and propose new components in advance of obsolescence issues. Engineering Support will analyze all projects to identify/determine predictive indicators or trends on wind-down of components. The applicable NAICS Code for this Sources Sought is 541330 – Engineering Services. Responses are due on October 10, 2024, at 5:00 PM EDT. More information can be found at https://sam.gov/opp/e1be780f2456442198085b3eed11cce6/view
Presolicitation - Trusted and Elastic Military Platforms and Electronic Warfare (EW) System Technologies (TEMPEST)
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)/RYW has a need to investigate and develop methodologies, tools, techniques, and capabilities to identify susceptibilities and mitigate vulnerabilities in avionics systems, protect those systems against cyber-attack, provide simulation capabilities required to develop, mature and transition advanced sensor and avionics technologies, develop platform architecture technologies that enable revolutionary and agile capabilities, and expand emerging open system architecture standards and approaches for existing and next-generation Air Force and DoD weapon systems in multi-domain environments. The applicable NAICS Code for this procurement is 541715 - Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology). Responses are due by October 11, 2024 at 3:00 PM EDT. More Information can be found at https://sam.gov/opp/5c968f0074af466bcc1457b42d10dce0/view.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: How does the government’s Q4 spending spree affect me as a contractor?
A: At the end of the fiscal year, government agencies are rushing to use the remainder of their annual budget. In fact, nearly one-third of federal contract dollars are awarded during Quarter 4 of the government’s fiscal year (from July to September). The good news for you is that as a result, more government dollars will be flowing through the GSA Multiple Award Schedule during Quarter 4. This makes the current Quarter 3 a good time to update your contracting information in preparation.
Q: How can I prepare my contract for GSA’s Q4 Spending?
A: First, make sure that all of your services or products that you anticipate the government buying are on your Schedule. This means you’ll need to submit any addition modifications ASAP to give GSA time for reviewing them, before your Schedule reflects the new products or services. Make sure to submit any necessary pricing modifications or deletions for out-of-date items as well. After a modification is awarded to your GSA contract, you’ll be required to upload your updated GSA pricelist to SIP/FCP within 30 days, so all the changes are visible to government buyers on eLibrary.
Q: How can I research government opportunities to make the most of Q4?
A:There are quite a few user-friendly resources available to GSA contractors for researching government opportunities. SAM.gov and USAspending.gov are good places to see agency procurement forecasts and potential competition information, so you can estimate how much will be spent in Q4 based on historical trends. Tracking upcoming opportunities can be done on GSA eBuy and SAM.gov, in addition to any of your company’s third-party subscription-based procurement portals. GSA eBuy is a key resource for contractors looking to bid on GSA-specific opportunities. SAM.gov allows you to search, track, and find contact information for current opportunities even outside of GSA.
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