Unlocking the Secrets to the GSA Multiple Award Schedule Virtual - November 2024

3 hours

This is session 1 of 4 in the Unlocking the secrets to the GSA Multiple Award Schedule virtual course.

One of the easiest entries into federal contracting (especially for small businesses) is through the use of the Multiple Award Schedules programs (MAS). GSA runs many of them but so does NASA (called SEWP) and DOD, among other agencies. Think of these in terms of being “Amazon” for consumers, but it is not just products as there are a lot of services offered on a schedule program. Services such as: Building Maintenance, Painting, Facility security, help desk, networking, training, etc.

Getting on a MAS (for federal supply schedule -FSS) is only part of the deal. Once you become an approved vendor, you will be able to bid on task awards. For instance, Agency XYZ has a building that needs a new coat of paint. The GSA (or other agency that runs the MAS) has vetted 30 different painting organizations. Agency XYZ access the schedule and puts out a solicitation to the 30 pre-vetted painters and can select one who they choose through a competitive bid process from those 30 who decided to put in a bid.

This course talks through this process and it’s challenges and rewards.

Who should attend? Small businesses. Commercial Entities seeking to enter the federal marketplace. Current contractors expanding their opportunities.

Where does this fit into the lifecycle? This is a pre-award course. If customers already on schedule it would be a great refresher for them.

What this course is NOT: It is not a course where we will fill out an offer over two days. The Instructors want companies to have a positive Schedule experience and understand the risks and benefits of having a Schedule contract. There is more to having a Schedule than filling out the paperwork.

What this course IS: This course will provide attendees with the foundational information on how to obtain a Schedule, analyze some of the major risks, provide tips on how to mitigate those risks, new developments in the program, how to sell through a Schedule contract, and other information that contractors need to know to make a qualified business decision on the Schedule contract approach that’s right for them.

NOTE: On-Demand Virtual Course sessions are not eligible for CLE/CPE credits.

About Our Experts

Larry Allen

President, Allen Federal Business Partners

Larry Allen has over 20 years' experience in government acquisition. Larry has written or contributed to three books on government contracting, including Multiple Award Schedule Contracting (contributing author), The Secret of Schedules Sales Success> (primary author), and Business to Government (contributing author). He has written numerous articles on the state of federal acquisition in periodicals such as "Federal Computer Week" and "The Federal Times". He regularly teaches classes on government acquisition and has been a guest of the governments of South Korea, Canada, and Great Britain speaking on the topic of how foreign companies can do business in the US government marketplace.

Larry is an expert in GSA and VA Multiple Award/Federal Supply Schedule contracting, as well as GWAC and IDIQ contracts. He served as a member of the Multiple Award Schedule Advisory Panel and the "Federal Contracts Report" Board of Advisors. He has testified often before committees of the US Senate, House of Representatives, and several state legislatures. He hosts his own radio show on government procurement, "Off the Shelf" on Federal News Radio in Washington, DC.

Emory University
Alexander Major

Partner, McCarter & English, LLP

Mr. Major is a partner and co-leader of the firm’s Government Contracts & Export Controls Practice Group. Mr. Major focuses his practice on federal procurement, cybersecurity liability and risk management, and litigation. A prolific author and thought leader in the area of cybersecurity, his professional experience involves a wide variety of litigation and counseling matters dealing with procurement laws and federal regulations and standards . His diverse experience includes complex litigation in federal court under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act and bid protest actions. He counsels all sizes of companies on issues relating to compliance with government regulations including, among other things, cybersecurity (NIST, FIPS, FedRAMP, and DFARS) requirements, multiple award schedule compliance, Section 508 issues, country of origin requirements under the Buy American and Trade Agreements Acts, cost accounting, and small business requirements. He also regularly conducts internal investigations to assist companies ensure that they are in full compliance with the law.

Mr. Major is a retired U.S. Air Force intelligence officer and remains a U.S. Air Force Academy Admissions Liaison Officer for the state of Maryland.

J.D., Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, cum laude
B.S., Montana State University

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