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Contract management

New Leadership for GSA

The White House has appointed new leadership to the General Services Administration (GSA), drawing heavily from the tech and finance sectors. On day one of the Trump administration, GSA welcomed its new team, including Stephen Ehikian as deputy administrator and acting administrator. (Federal News Network January 20, 2025)

Larry Allen, a longtime GSA expert, will become the associate administrator of the Office of Governmentwide Policy. Ehikian also introduced key political appointments: Josh Gruenbaum as commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service, Mike Peters as commissioner of the Public Building Service, and Thomas Shedd as director of the Technology Transformation Service and deputy FAS commissioner. (ibid)

In an email message, Ehikian emphasized the GSA’s recommitment to its founding purpose of ensuring governmentwide efficiency and maximizing taxpayer value. “I recognize the critical importance of our agency’s mission and look forward to working together in the coming weeks to achieve it,” he stated. (ibid)

Ehikian outlined six guiding principles for the GSA:

  • Foster a culture of performance and accountability across federal government operations.
  • Eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal budget and processes.
  • Leverage best-in-class technologies to accelerate digital transformation and modernize IT infrastructure.
  • Uphold competitive principles that strengthen America’s economy, including fair and merit-based contract awards.
  • Promote “Made in America” policies to support domestic jobs and businesses.
  • Improve transparency, accountability, and collaboration within the GSA and with external partners. (ibid)

In a separate message, Ehikian detailed the agency’s future direction. He highlighted the GSA’s traditional role as a model of efficiency and pledged to refocus on streamlining government operations. “We will prioritize smarter, faster government services over larger, slower systems,” he explained. Ehikian also committed to aligning GSA priorities with the Trump administration’s objectives, such as:

  • Relocating federal operations from Washington, D.C., to regional facilities to boost economic opportunities nationwide.
  • Transitioning federal employees back to office environments to improve collaboration and accountability.
  • Supporting American innovation and removing ideological mandates, such as Green New Deal and ESG requirements, from construction and procurement policies.
  • Right-sizing the federal office portfolio by disposing of underutilized buildings and improving operational efficiency.
  • Enhancing transparency, accountability, and partnerships across government and industry. (ibid)

Ehikian acknowledged the dedication of GSA employees, attributing the agency’s transformation to their expertise and hard work. He announced plans for a new performance-based reward structure to align employee incentives with the agency’s mission. (ibid)

Ehikian brings extensive private-sector experience to his role, including positions at Salesforce and co-founding Airkit.ai, which Salesforce acquired in 2023. He also led RelateIQ, sold to Salesforce in 2014 for $390 million. Ehikian earned an MBA from Stanford and degrees in mechanical engineering and economics from Yale. (ibid)

Josh Gruenbaum, the new commissioner of FAS, joins GSA after serving as a director at the global investment firm KKR. This marks his first public-sector role following private-sector experience since graduating from NYU with dual MBA and JD degrees. (ibid)

Additionally, Ehikian named Frank Schuler and Michael Lynch as senior advisors in the administrator’s office and appointed Rusty McGranahan as general counsel. (ibid)

Questions concerning the changes at GSA and how your contract might be affected? Give us a call.

Don’t lose your Federal Government business – add a backup

The days are getting shorter, and surprises lurk in the night. Don’t let missing your entity registration renewal stop you from doing business with the federal government—that’s scarier than anything else!(Buy.GSA.GOV October 10, 2024)

Here’s some good news: your current Entity Administrator can add one or more backup Entity Administrators today. They simply log in, choose trustworthy team members, and invite them to join as Entity Administrators. No tricks, no complicated approval process. The new admins will have the same permissions, so make sure they’re a good fit! If they need guidance, we’ve got easy-to-follow instructions ready.(ibid)

Don’t wait until the last minute—ask your current Entity Administrator to invite backups now. With extra admins in place, you’ll always have someone ready to renew your registration on time and keep business with the federal government running smoothly. (ibid)

Need some help adding additional Entity Administrators? Give us a call.

2025 minimum wage is set, mostly

The Labor Department recently set new minimum wages for federal contractors, ranging from $9.30 per hour for tipped workers to $17.75 per hour, depending on job type. A pair of notices from the Federal Register lays out the specifics. Starting next January, federal contractors with agreements signed, renewed, or extended after January 2022 must receive a minimum wage of $17.75 per hour, regardless of whether they receive tips. This move stems from a 2021 executive order by President Biden, which expanded his $15 minimum wage mandate to federal contractors and required annual updates based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index (CPI-W). (Government Executive October 3, 2024)

For contracts signed before January 2022, the minimum wage for non-tipped workers will rise from $12.90 to $13.30 per hour, and tipped workers will see an increase in their “cash wage” from $9.05 to $9.30 per hour. Although this dual system is complex, Labor officials expect all contracts to soon fall under the new executive order, streamlining wage regulations. (ibid)

Despite the complexity of this dual wage system, Labor Department officials expect that soon all federal contracts will fall under the new executive order, eliminating the need for the older wage structure. (ibid)

Have questions about which minimum wage structure your contracts are covered under? Give us a call.

Does your MAS software contract comply?

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requires federal agencies to use only software that meets government-specified secure development practices. To comply, agencies require software producers to complete a form attesting that their software follows National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) guidelines. These self-attestation forms may be publicly posted by software producers, or, if not, uploaded to a Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) repository accessible by agencies. (buy.gsa.gov August 27, 2024)

Ordering activities should review publicly posted attestation forms, those already in the CISA repository, or add new forms to the repository. If a software producer cannot attest to all required practices, the ordering activity must require them to submit a Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M) and review it before using the software. (ibid)

What Does This Mean For You?

  • MAS contractors without software on their MAS contract need not take any action.
  • MAS contractors with awarded software:
    • If the software producer has already posted or provided a form to the CISA repository, they don’t need to submit it again for the same software version.
    • If not, the software producer or MAS contractor must upload a completed form to the CISA repository. If the producer cannot attest to all practices, the ordering activity will require a POA&M for any deficiencies. (ibid)

Have questions or need forms? Give us a call.

A New Rule for Cleaner Contracts


The Department of Defense, General Services Administration, and NASA have jointly issued a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation to enforce the procurement and utilization of sustainable products and services as identified or recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This initiative aims to align federal agencies with environmentally responsible practices, promoting the purchase of products and services that meet specific sustainability criteria. Notably, the rule mandates the acquisition of WaterSense-label water-efficient products and services, as well as Safer Choice-certified products containing safer chemical ingredients, as outlined by the White House. (Executive Gov April 22, 2024)

In addition to the specified product requirements, the final rule compels federal agencies to adhere to the EPA’s recommended environmental standards and ecolabels, which were updated in October 2023. These standards serve as guidance for purchasers to accurately identify and procure environmentally preferable products and services, contributing to the overall sustainability efforts of the government. EPA Administrator Michael Regan emphasized the significance of these enhanced purchasing standards in advancing the administration’s environmental objectives while concurrently bolstering domestic manufacturing and fostering economic growth nationwide. (ibid)

Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Brenda Mallory, underscored the role of the new standards in supporting President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. By prioritizing the purchase of sustainable products and services certified to EPA-recommended standards and ecolabels, federal agencies can contribute to job creation within the United States while advancing climate action and environmental sustainability goals. Ultimately, this final rule is aligned with the Biden administration’s Federal Sustainability Plan, which aims to achieve net-zero emissions and other procurement objectives by 2050, signaling a significant step towards a more sustainable future.

Looking to align your contracts more closely to the GSA/NASA final FAR regulation? Give us a call.