In the first quarter of the fiscal year, the Pentagon awarded its prestigious $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract to Microsoft. 

For now. 

That's because if you've been reading up on this contract, you would know it was riddled with disputes. One of which was a bid protest made by Oracle Corporation. Then, right after Microsoft was awarded, it was expected Amazon Web Services would file one as well. 

In this blog post, we're going to give you the rundown on bid protests.

We are going to answer:  

• What is a bid protest? 
• Why are bid protests filed?
• Where do I file a bid protest? 
• How should I approach bid protests? 

Let's begin. 

This November, FedBizOpps (FBO) is set to merge with beta.SAM. 

With that in mind, it's time to talk about past big changes in the federal marketplace. That's because with every major change comes major problems. How you handle these problems will determine your success or failure in government contracting. 

In this blog post, we're going to cover common issues that contractors face whenever the federal government implements a new policy or system. When you know about what issues to expect, you'll be better equipped to handle them. 

In this episode of “The Government Buys...a Podcast” (TGAP),  we sit down with USFCR President Eric Knellinger to discuss the upcoming merger of beta.SAM and FBO.gov. Join us as we deconstruct these impending changes and discuss how The Advanced Procurement Portal can keep you ahead of the curve. 

*Update for 11/8/19 at the bottom of the article*

If you've been keeping up with news in the federal marketplace, then you should know that FedBizOpps (aka FBO) is expected to be decommissioned in the first quarter of FY 2020 (the fourth quarter of 2019). Instead of a separate opportunity search website, it will be merged with beta.SAM.

Selling medical supplies is one of the biggest markets in federal contracting. For that reason, many businesses get started with that sole purpose in mind. Plus, The Department of Veterans Affairs is one of the biggest buyers of medical supplies and has preference to buy from Veteran Owned Businesses. On this podcast episode we talk with the CEO of one such business to find out about his story and about a new opportunity called the MSPV program.

The federal government's cloud contracts called JEDI and DEOS are a drama filled with twists and turns. This story is a display of government contracting at its highest levels, but it relates to the small business too. On this podcast episode, we'll explain what these mega contracts could mean for your business.

There are a number of reasons why the government spends more in the last quarter of the fiscal year. It is crucial to know when the federal government’s fiscal year actually ends and how your business can get a piece of the action. In this podcast episode we look at Fiscal Year 2019, but this information can easily be translated to Fiscal Year 2020 and beyond.

On March 15, 2019, the GSA awarded Ernst and Young LLP with a $41.75 million contract for Entity Validation Services. Long story short, the DUNS number is set to be replaced with something called the "SAMMI number."

This is a fairly recent development in federal contracting. Not much is known about what this new system is going to entail. However, the purpose of this blog post is to fill you in on the details known.

Let's get to it.

Last week, a big change in federal contracting was announced.

How big?

It could...possibly...maybe...unhinge the federal marketplace as we know it (we're not sure yet).

So what's happening?

It's over. It's finally over. The 2018-2019 government shutdown was the longest one on record lasting for 35 days. To put it lightly, things were put to a halt at a bit. However, as a contractor, you're going to want to hit the ground running. Here are four main factors that you need to consider as you get back into the federal marketplace. Everyone's situation is going to be a bit different, so let this guide serve as just a general outline.