Even though the 2023 government Fiscal Year is in full swing, it’s not too late to start paying attention to 2023 contracting trends. The government has been active recently with small business initiatives, improving cybersecurity, buying American, and mitigating supply chain issues—what will these mean for contractors? The two biggest and most relevant outcomes to these initiatives are increased funding in these areas and more opportunities. Here are 5 trends we expect to see throughout 2023:
Small business prioritization
Strengthening the supply chain
Increased GWACs/IDIQ contracts
Updates and changes to cybersecurity policies
IT modernization (continuation of going digital).
If you want to learn more about these trends, check out our blog.
Couldn't make it to last month's webinar? Watch it here on demand. In this webinar, we will review the GSA Schedule acquisition process through the lens of prospective vendors that may be new to the program or are looking to submit a new offer for a streamlined schedule acquisition.
The goal of this event is to support Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs) by engaging in purposeful discussions and meaningful connections around subcontracting opportunities. Space is limited, so register today! Register here.
You have made it through the life of your 20-year GSA Schedule contract, what comes next? If you are close to the end of your GSA Schedule's contract term, you may have heard of the phrase "streamlined acquisition." This webinar will aim to answer all your questions about streamlined acquisitions, including:
What is a streamlined offer?
To whom and when does it apply?
When should one begin creating their streamlined offer?
As of February 15, 2023, GSA has begun enforcing minimum on-time and cancellation scores. If you are a contractor that needs to cancel orders often, GSA would like your feedback to further assist contractors with this issue. Feedback is also welcomed from contractors with late orders. GSA wants contractors to explain the cause of incompliance with minimum on-time and cancellation scores and the steps they are taking to improve them. Contractors with cancellation rates of 40% or higher may be subject to suspension from GSA Advantage!/eBuy. The same penalty may apply to contractors with an on-time rate below 20%. GSA is actively tracking corrective action feedback to help solve the issues. This only applies to contractors eligible to receive orders via GSA Advantage!. You can submit your feedback here.
QUICK TIP
Entity Administrative Changes in SAM.gov
Starting on March 3, 2023, only employees, officers, and board members can be Entity Administrators in SAM.gov. This change ensures the entity is in control of and accountable for those who can update their registration.
Entities must establish an employee, officer, or board member as an Entity Administrator if they don’t have one. There are two ways to do this:
Send an Entity Administrator Appointment Letter to the Federal Service Desk (FSD) appointing an administrator
Ask your outside Entity Administrator to assign the role to someone in your entity before March 3, 2023.
For those who manage registrations for others, you may have to discuss this change with your clients. View the steps to assign a role in SAM.gov here. If you are unable to make this change before the update, the entity will need to send an Entity Administrator Appointment Letter to FSD.gov to assign a new Entity Administrator that way instead.
Those who manage the registrations from outside the organization will be assigned the "data entry" role. The only difference with the "data entry" role is that you won't be able to assign roles to others or deactivate the entity’s registration. In order to check your entity's assigned roles, head to SAM.gov, your profile, and select "My Roles." It is strongly suggested to have at least one backup Entity Administrator in case of staff changes or absences.
EMERGING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
Pre-solicitation - Forestry Service Support Activities
The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service is seeking operational
support services for an upcoming contract award for small business set-asides for a 5-year term. The contractor will be responsible for all equipment, materials, supplies, transportation, lodging, trained/certified personnel, and supervision and management of personnel, necessary to meet or exceed the agreement specifications. Responses are due no later than April 7, 2023. More information can be found under Notice ID: 12024B23Q7000.
Pre-solicitation – Office Administrative Services
The Department of the Treasury has announced a pre-solicitation under SIN 561110 seeking to award a contract for office administrative support services hired under personal services contracts. Staff provided must be detail-oriented administrative personnel and able to serve as Program Officers for its Washington, DC-based technical assistance program. Responses are due no later than July 31, 2023. More information can be found under Notice ID 2032K823R00013.
Sources Sought – Army Cloud Adoption Technology Support
The Department of the Army, National Ground Intelligence Center has a FY 23 Cloud Adoption Technology Support service (ACATS) requirement and is seeking sources related to SIN 541512 (Computer System Design Services). The agency is seeking subject matter experts to support overall strategy and migration support services. Responses are due no later than November 30, 2023. More information can be found under Notice ID: W50NH923R1245.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: What is a FOIA Request?
A: The 1967 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) permits any person to
request access to federal agency records or information. Under FOIA, federal agencies are required to disclose any information requested unless it falls under one of the exemptions that protect interests. This includes information that is classified to protect national security, information related solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of an agency, information that is prohibited from disclosure by another federal law, trade secrets or commercial or financial information that is confidential or privileged, and privileged communications within or between agencies. You can find a full list of exemptions here.
you with the greatest possible return for what is being requested. You begin by identifying the agency to which you would like to inquire, the type of request, your contact information, and other questions regarding your request. After completing a FOIA request, the agency’s FOIA office will respond to you in the order it was received.
Q: Is There a Fee for FOIA Requests?
A: There is no initial fee to make a FOIA request, however, an agency is
required to assess the fees to recover the direct costs of locating or reproducing records. If your FOIA request is over $25, an agent will contact you to give you an estimated price to collect and provide the required documents. The current GSA fee schedule is $13 per hour for manual searches by clerical staff, $29 per hour if completed by professional staff, and ‘Direct cost to GSA’ for computer searches, however, depending on the nature of the information and effort involved, the agency may also elect to not charge a fee if they are able to process the request with minimal effort.
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