How to access contract opportunities

Becoming a contract holder on our Multiple Award Schedule (MAS, also referred to as the Schedule) program, gives you access to contract opportunities only available to Schedule holders. Unlike our other contract vehicles, a business can make an offer to get on Schedule at any time.

Participating in this program is a good choice for most small and medium-sized businesses. While the MAS Program offers no guaranteed sales for individual contractors, it opens the door to federal contracting opportunities exceeding $39 billion annually.

Some of the advantages of the Schedule program include:

• It’s the most common procurement method used by federal agencies
• Your pricing has already been determined to be competitive
• Ordering procedures for government agencies are streamlined

To be eligible for a Schedule contract, you must have*:

• Been in business for two years
• Two years of financial statements
• Measurable past performance

*These requirements may be waived for eligible businesses through our Startup Springboard program.

Like the Schedule program, becoming a contract holder on a governmentwide acquisition contract or multi-agency contract gives you access to additional contract opportunities. Unlike the Schedule program, there’s a limited timeframe to submit a proposal in response to a GWAC or MAC solicitation. There’s also greater competition to win a GWAC or MAC as the number of awards for each are capped. Most are awarded to large businesses, except for those specifically set-aside for small businesses.

Advantages of a GWAC or MAC include:

• Less competition for task orders.
• Ordering procedures for government agencies are streamlined.

We have several active or in-development GWACs and MACs. On active contracts for which the solicitations have closed, you can still pursue partnering with the contract holders through subcontracting agreements. 

• Polaris — customized IT services and IT services-based solutions through a small business set-aside. Solicitation closed - offers under evaluation.
• 8(a) STARS III — IT solutions through an 8(a) small business. Active - solicitation closed.
• Alliant 2 — IT solutions in artificial intelligence, big data, robotic process automation and other types of emerging technologies. Active - solicitation closed.
  • Alliant 3 — successor to Alliant 2. In development.
• VETS 2 — IT solutions exclusively through a service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses. Active - solicitation closed.
• BMO — building maintenance and operation solutions. Active - solicitation closed.
• EIS — telecommunications and network solutions. Active - solicitation closed.
• HCaTS Unrestricted, HCaTS Small Business and HCATS 8(a) — human capital and training solutions through unrestricted or small business set-asides. Active - solicitation closed.
• OASIS 8(a), OASIS and OASIS Small Business — OASIS Unrestricted and OASIS SB are a family of 7 separate Governmentwide Multiple Award, Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (MA-IDIQ) task order contracts that span 28 NAICS Codes and 6 NAICS Code Exceptions under the economic subsector 541 - Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services.OASIS 8(a) SubPools were developed to provide the 8(a) community expanded access to the OASIS Best-in-Class contract program while creating more options for federal agencies to meet their 8(a) business development program goals through both competitive 8(a) set-asides and 8(a) directed task order awards.
• OASIS+ — This suite of contracts combines the scope of legacy OASIS – Building Maintenance & Operations and Human Capital & Training Solutions – under one program, along with new areas of service that were previously not in scope. It expands the range of service offerings for buyers and gives sellers a greater variety of areas they can compete for.

Through a partnership, you can increase your contract opportunities and improve your ability to compete by accessing the contracts, network, and knowledge of a more experienced partner.

We recommend you research different types of partnerships and what they could mean for your business. Some ways to identify and connect with potential business partners include:

• Participating in our industry-focused events
• Researching businesses already established as prime contractors using:
  • GSA eLibrary
  • GSA subcontracting directory
• Getting on a prime contractor’s preferred vendor list
• Working with your local Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC)