As the fiscal year quickly comes to a close, agencies within the Federal Government find themselves in a familiar position. Unable to spend the entirety of its “use it or lose it” budget and running the risk of facing harsh budget cuts next year. As of 2019, the Federal Government is required to allocate 23% of its $500 billion annual contracting budget on small businesses (approximately $115 billion). With FY20 ending September 30th, many government agencies including the Department of Defense, Federal Law Enforcement Agency, and The Department of Homeland Security are actively looking for small business prime and sub-contractors to fill their needs. But what federal initiatives can small businesses play a role in?
The Fed refocuses on IT Initiatives
As COVID-19 quickly progresses from an isolated issue to full-scale pandemic, both public and private sectors have had to alter spending to fit their new needs. Early federal spending was primarily focused on initial emergency response efforts such as purchasing ventilators, treatments, and constructing emergency medical facilities. But, as the healthcare system begins to stabilize, the Federal Government has readjusted its spending and is now looking to the technology industry to supply them with products that can fulfill their new needs.
As the largest procurer of IT hardware, the Federal Government needs small business’s assistance in the transition to:
- Enhance telework security
- Improve overall IT network and storage infrastructure
To combat the economic downturn caused by COVID-19, government entities have been increasing their commitment to infrastructure development. This includes IT development in the form of a far-reaching 5G network, standardization of advanced ConTech (Construction Technology) practices, and modernizing existing federal IT systems. The Federal Government plans to spend more than $90 billion on information technology this upcoming fiscal year. The Government Accountability Office claims that this monetary response acts as a way to improve federal interaction with citizens online, mitigate risk associated with outdated IT, and improve the response to COVID-19. As the pandemic continues to create turbulent economic conditions, many small business owners are looking to GSA Schedule Contracts to return their business to normalcy.
What are GSA schedules?
General Services Administration (GSA) Contracts are long-term federal contracts with commercial firms to supply government agencies with a wide variety of products at discount pricing. There are GSA Schedule contracts for a wide variety of products including information systems software, IT hardware, office supplies and even consultants. A full list of all products on the GSA Schedule can be found here.
The Small Business Administration requires a variety of steps that need to be completed prior to accepting GSA Schedule bids. These steps include providing proof of your company’s prior experience, financial records, and company practices. Also, an additional prerequisite to contracting with the Federal Government is ensuring your products are TAA compliant. More on TAA compliance can be found here.
ProLabs dedication to providing scalable solutions
ProLabs is the world’s largest independent manufacturer of optical transceivers and high-speed cabling, offering the latest in TAA compliant products designed to scale your existing network. ProLabs can provide your enterprise with a broad range of upgrades including memory, network connectivity, fiber optic cabling, optical network transceivers, and more.
Why Choose ProLabs?
- ProLabs remains at the forefront of the latest fiber optic technologies, providing our customers with cutting edge technology to support any initiative.
- ProLabs offers TAA compliant products that are ready to be supplied to any federal agency.
- Over 20 years of experience supplying connectivity products for schools, hospitals, and federal infrastructure projects.
- We offer competitive prices on all our products, resulting in up to 70% savings compared to the leading OEM.
In uncertain times, it pays to have a partner who won’t compromise on product quality. Our world-class customer service and technical support teams are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure that our customers are never left guessing.