Category: US GSA

Source: United States General Services Administration

May 25, 2023

8(a) MAS Pool Initiative Will Help More 8(a)-certified Firms Gain Access to Federal Contracting Opportunities

WASHINGTON – Today, Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and Administrator Robin Carnahan, head of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), announced a joint effort, known as the 8(a) MAS Pool Initiative, to help small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs) participating in the 8(a) Business Development Program gain access to more federal contracts in GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program and advance President Biden’s goal to increase contracts to SDBs. This agreement will establish a pool of 8(a) firms to make it easier for procurement officials to locate and contract with small, disadvantaged businesses across industries.

Once participants are accepted into the newly established 8(a) MAS Pool, they will receive a designation that indicates to agency buyers that a business is eligible for 8(a) sole source awards and competitive set-asides. Federal agencies will be able to leverage the size and scale of the MAS marketplace to achieve their SDB contracting goals while they make smart purchasing decisions.

“This joint initiative between the SBA and GSA will increase federal contracting opportunities for thousands of minority-owned and other small, disadvantaged businesses, highlighting the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to equity in procurement and delivering against President Biden’s ambitious goal,” said SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman. “Our 8(a) small businesses are agile, innovative, and positioned for growth, and can further help federal agencies procure the products and services needed to achieve their missions. We look forward to continuing to work with GSA and our federal agency partners to implement the 8(a) MAS Pool Initiative and help ensure this valuable small business talent doesn’t sit on the sidelines.”

“We know that America’s diverse small business communities provide tremendous value to our government and to taxpayers,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “We’re excited about this new pool that will make it easier for federal acquisition professionals to find them, buy from them, help them create jobs, and advance agency missions across government.”

This agreement is a collaboration between the SBA and GSA to implement improvements in federal contracting guided by Executive Order (EO) 13985 – Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. Following through on President Biden’s Day One commitment to advancing equity, the new 8(a) MAS Pool in the GSA Multiple Award Schedule will continue to build on this Administration’s historic efforts to provide greater access to federal contracting for socially and economically disadvantaged businesses, creating new avenues for more minority-owned small businesses to compete in the federal marketplace.

Customer agencies will be able to place 8(a) directed awards once the MAS Solicitation is refreshed and the MAS 8(a) companies are in the pool, beginning later this year. This initiative will result in increased ordering flexibility under the GSA Schedule program and streamline the acquisition process, further incentivizing agencies to contract with 8(a) firms. It will also provide government buyers with greater access to a large number of 8(a) contractors that will help agencies meet their small and socioeconomic business contracting goals.

“I am very excited about what this joint initiative with the GSA will mean for small businesses and the contracting opportunities it will provide to the smallest of the small,” said Larry Stubblefield, Acting Associate Administrator for SBA’s Office of Government Contracting and Business Development (GCBD). “Under the leadership of President Biden and Administrator Guzman, our goal is to try to reach the largest number of small businesses especially those in underserved communities, so they too can reap the rewards of federal contracting opportunities.”

“The new 8(a) pool represents SBA’s long-term commitment to support the development of 8(a) firms and provide federal agencies a way to deliver mission-critical services working with our Nation’s small, disadvantaged businesses. SBA is pleased about this new opportunity to maximize utilization of our 8(a) Program Participants,” said Dr. Donna Peebles, SBA’s Associate Administrator of 8(a) Business Development.

“We’re pleased to be taking this smart step in partnership with SBA to help ensure that the world’s largest buyer – the U.S. government – has better access to the valuable products offered by small, disadvantaged businesses,” said Exodie Roe III, Associate Administrator of GSA’s Office of Small Disadvantaged Business Utilization. “By streamlining the acquisition process, we hope to make it easier than ever for agencies to do more business with 8(a) firms.”

The SBA certifies small businesses considered to be socially and economically disadvantaged under its nine-year 8(a) Business Development (BD) Program. The 8(a) BD Program provides significant opportunities for participants to develop and grow their businesses, generate wealth, and create jobs in historically underserved communities through powerful contracting tools, such as sole source contract award opportunities. The program also involves regular business development training with SBA’s district teams, providing one-on-one counseling, business workshops, and management and technical guidance programs.

GSA’s MAS program consists of long-term, government-wide contracts that provide government buyers access to products, services, and solutions at pre-negotiated prices. MAS is organized into 12 major categories and further subdivided into Special Item Numbers (SINs) that represent the products and services sold and bought on the schedule.

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About SBA: The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.

Source: United States General Services Administration

May 26, 2023

GSA Does That!? is an agency-wide podcast produced by the U.S. General Services Administration. Created to give listeners the inside scoop on how GSA delivers effective and efficient government services, the podcast will feature content that appeals to federal partners, industry, potential employees and everyone in between.

GSA Does That!? features interviews with senior federal officials, subject matter experts, and others who will provide fresh perspectives on GSA’s work. Whether you’re a policy wonk or just looking to learn more about how government works, the podcast promises to have content you’ll enjoy.

New episodes will be released every two weeks and are available across all major podcasting platforms.

Source: United States General Services Administration

May 26, 2023

BOSTON – Each May, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), offers lighthouses to the public and other entities as part of its mission to deliver value and savings in federal real estate for taxpayers. This year, GSA is offering a record number of lighthouses, including at least six to nonprofits and government entities and at least four to the public through auctions.

Lighthouses have long served as beacons for those at sea or on inland waters, marking dangerous coastlines and underwater hazards such as rocks and reefs as well as marking safe entries to harbors. As technology advanced, and lighthouses became less essential to navigation, lighthouses often fell into neglect or were demolished.

While the U. S. Coast Guard (USCG) may continue to maintain active aids to navigation at or near specific lighthouses, the structures themselves are often no longer critical to the USCG’s mission needs. To protect the history and heritage of lighthouses, Congress passed the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act in 2000.

The NHLPA recognizes the significance of historic lighthouses for maritime traffic, coastal communities, nonprofits and lighthouse enthusiasts. The NHLPA program – a partnership among the USCG, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Interior, National Park Service (NPS), and GSA – transfers these historic landmarks from the USCG to new owners.

Initially, under the NHLPA, lighthouses may be transferred at no cost to federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofits, educational agencies, and community development organizations. These entities must be financially able to maintain the historic light station, and make the station available for education, park, recreation, cultural, or historic preservation purposes for the public at reasonable times and under reasonable conditions. This process starts with GSA issuing a Notice of Availability (NOA) and is followed by an application review by the NPS.

If a new owner is not found through the NOA process, the lighthouse is offered for competitive sale to the public by GSA through an online auction.

This year, GSA has issued NOAs for six historic lighthouses in five states.

• Lynde Point Lighthouse, Old Saybrook, Connecticut.
• Nobska Lighthouse, Falmouth (Woods Hole), Massachusetts.
• Plymouth/Gurnet Lighthouse, Plymouth, Massachusetts.
• Warwick Neck Light, Warwick, Rhode Island.
• Little Mark Island and Monument, Harpswell, Maine.
• Erie Harbor North Pier Lighthouse, Erie, Pennsylvania. (NOA period recently closed.)

Additionally, GSA is offering four historic lighthouses for sale by auction.

• Penfield Reef Lighthouse, Fairfield, Connecticut.
• Stratford Shoal Light, East Setauket, New York.
• Cleveland Harbor West Pierhead Light, Cleveland, Ohio.
• Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Light, Chassell, Michigan.

Since the NHLPA program’s inception in 2000, over 150 lighthouses have been conveyed to new owners, including 81 lights to local governments and nonprofit entities through no-cost transfers and about 70 sold via public auction, which raised over $10 million dollars for the USCG to reinvest in its Aids to Navigation mission. (Auction sales have ranged from $10,000 to $933,888.)

Costs for upkeep of lighthouses are relative to what the new owner plans to do. A total restoration could be thousands of dollars while a simple cleaning is much less. New owners should expect to have to paint, clean, and possibly restore broken or missing items. Most lighthouses do not have any utilities, so there would be a cost associated with making the lighthouse livable.

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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the Federal Government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of Federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.

Source: United States General Services Administration

Episode 1 of “GSA Does That!?” features an interview between GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan and Presidential Innovation Fellow (PIF) Executive Director Rebeca Lamadrid. The episode showcases the behind-the-scenes, forward-thinking nature of technology and innovation in government work, especially within GSA and among our agency partners.

Administrator Carnahan conveys her strong interest in helping tech and innovation experts choose public service to help enrich the lives of Americans and enhance government operations. Director Lamadrid explains why the PIF program is a great example of how to do just that and how PIF participants are making an impact by working on big challenges across many federal agencies.

With GSA now focusing on areas like improved customer experience across government, now is the perfect time for you or those you know to engage with the PIF program whether as a participant or as a partner agency.

This year’s window for interested individuals to apply for the PIF program is open until June 23, 2023. More information, including how to apply, can be found at www.pif.gov.

Stay tuned for episode 2, where we’ll hear from current PIFs about their innovative projects and diverse experiences within the program.

Want to know more?

For a deeper dive into technology at GSA and across the government, look at these resources to learn more.

Source: United States General Services Administration

May 30, 2023

WASHINGTON – Today, GSA launched the first episode of its first agency-wide podcast. GSA Does That!? provides a platform to share the latest news and insights, and discuss the impactful – and sometimes surprising – efforts that help GSA and government deliver for the American people.

The podcast will feature guests including GSA leaders and experts in federal real estate, acquisitions, and technology, as well as an array of GSA partners, customers, and others who work with the agency to help government work better.

“Through this podcast we’re amplifying the most interesting, timely and important discussions about how we and our federal customers are providing real value to taxpayers and delivering for the American public,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “Whether you’re a policy wonk or just someone who likes to know more about how government delivers, you’ll fit right in as part of this listener community.”

In the first episode, the podcast’s host (Rob Trubia) talks with Administrator Carnahan and the executive director of the Presidential Innovation Fellows program, Rebeca Lamadrid. The three highlight how the “PIF” program is bringing dozens of experienced tech leaders into government each year to help agencies harness technology and meet their ambitious goals.

“Our fellows are helping agencies leapfrog into the future, and most of them are sticking around after their fellowships to eventually serve in key roles like U.S. Chief Data Scientist and Chief Technology Officer at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs,” Lamadrid says. “With the application season open now for applicants for a new cohort, there couldn’t be a better time to have this conversation.”

Future episodes (about every two weeks) will feature topics like the importance of making it easier for small businesses to work with government, the transition of the federal fleet to zero-emissions vehicles, the importance of community engagement for agencies like GSA that have a big nationwide footprint, and more.

Episodes are available across podcasting platforms as well as GSA.gov/podcast, where bonus content will be posted.

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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the Federal Government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of Federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.