When was the last time you modified your GSA contract?  If you cannot remember, then GSA may contact you soon.

It usually starts off with an email from someone at GSA, that begins, “As part of your GSA schedule contract requirement, I would like to set up a Contractor Assistance Visit (CAV) review with you on ___.”

If you’re fortunate enough to have been awarded a General Services Administration (GSA) contract, you should be pleased. After all, only about two percent of firms that work with the government hold a GSA contract. While this is an achievement, most executives now ask, “What’s next? How do I get a piece of this $39 billion pie?”

GSA will begin using its new report card in the coming months during their audits, which they call contractor assistance visits (CAV).  Here are the questions that will be asked by your auditor, which GSA refers to as Industry Operations Analyst (IOA).

Do you have a GSA contract that is due to expire in the next year?  If so, you will want to take steps now so that GSA will exercise its option to extend the contract.   GSA will begin this process about  7 months prior to the expiration, so you should be prepared.  Here are seven things you can do now to pave the way to a smooth renewal.

Reps and Certs

As you may know, the Representations and Certifications phase of the Federal contracting process, often expressed as simply ‘Reps and Certs,’ has been making a few headlines recently.  In the past few months the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and other publications have documented several cases of companies repaying the government for entering into contracts for which they did not qualify.  These reports of companies abusing federal programs designed to channel government business toward specific classes of small and/or disadvantaged firms have highlighted the importance of the Reps and Certs process.  This spotlight on the issue has also served to amplify the scrutiny under which firms’ claims are verified.

A Quality GSA Schedule Proposal is Essential

A computer hardware distributor recently settled a charge with the Government that it had overcharged on its GSA Schedule contract.  The firm was facing a federal false claims lawsuit by the Department of Justice for failing to provide the government with the best possible price on a hardware contract it signed with GSA in 2000.

SUMMARY

In bygone days, GSA contractors received little oversight by GSA auditors.  Today, the average GSA Contractor will receive two audits during their initial five year term.  GSA vendors won't be visited by an Auditor, because GSA euphemistically calls their audits "Contractor Assistance Visits" and their audits are known as "Industrial Operations Analysts"