What GSA Auditors Actually Look For in 2026 (and What They Don’t)
Most contractors misunderstand GSA audits because they prepare for everything. Auditors are not reviewing your business. They are validating whether GSA relied on inaccurate information. In 2026, audits are shorter, more targeted, and more decisive. The scope is usually determined before the first document request is issued. By the time you are notified, the auditor […]
How Contractors Analyze Competitor GSA Contracts to Win More Federal Awards
What FPDS Data, Pricing Signals, and Relationship Patterns Actually Reveal Federal contractors that win repeatedly on GSA are not guessing. Their strategies are visible—quietly encoded in FPDS records, GSA catalogs, pricing bands, and agency buying behavior. Most vendors look at these elements in isolation. The firms that outperform read them together. At Capitol 50, this […]
GSA Released the OASIS+ Scorecards
The release of OASIS+ scorecards is not a courtesy update. It is a signal that evaluation outcomes are being formalized and that positioning errors are no longer hypothetical. For many offerors, the scorecard confirms what was already suspected internally. Alignment issues. Documentation gaps. Competitive thresholds missed by a narrow margin that still counts as a […]
Red Flags That Trigger GSA Contract Reviews or Investigations
GSA reviews rarely come out of nowhere. They’re usually triggered—quietly—by patterns that don’t line up with what your contract says should be happening. Contractors often assume investigations start with whistleblowers or dramatic complaints. In reality, most GSA reviews begin with data mismatches, routine oversight, or something that simply doesn’t reconcile. One inconsistency turns into a […]
A Simple Guide to Surviving a GSA Contractor Assessment Visit (CAV)
A GSA Contractor Assessment Visit—better known as a CAV—tends to arrive with little drama and a lot of anxiety. It’s not a raid. It’s not an audit in the IRS sense. But it is a structured review of whether your GSA contract is being handled the way the government expects. For contractors new to the process, or […]
Bipartisan Senate Passage of the VA Acquisition Reform and Cost Assessment Act
When Congress reforms acquisition policy, the language usually sounds polite. This bill didn’t bother. In early December 2025, the U.S. Senate passed bipartisan legislation led by Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)—with support from Sens. Jim Banks, Angus King, Mark Warner, and Mike Rounds—aimed directly at one agency: the Department of Veterans Affairs. The target wasn’t […]
GSA Readiness Checklist: Are You Really Eligible to Apply?
The Hidden Requirements That Stall 70% of Offers Every month, Capitol 50 reviews companies eager to pursue the GSA Schedule—often convinced they’re ready, polished, and only a few clicks away from submission. And yet… nearly 70% of would-be contractors hit a wall before their offer even reaches a contracting officer’s desk. The obstacle isn’t the […]
OASIS+ Phase II Is Here: What 13 Open Domains Mean for Your Federal Growth Strategy
OASIS+ just changed shape again. With Phase II, GSA has locked in a major expansion of its next-generation professional services contract and aligned it directly with Executive Order 14240, “Eliminating Waste and Saving Taxpayer Dollars by Consolidating Procurement.” For federal contractors, this isn’t a minor update. It’s a structural shift in how agencies will buy complex, non-IT […]
Do You Need Past Performance to Get on GSA? What Counts & What Doesn’t
Clarifies a top misconception for new vendors. Securing a GSA contract often looks like a labyrinth, papers stacked, acronyms swirling, and the quiet worry that your business might not have “enough” history to qualify. Capitol 50 sees this fear in nearly every new vendor conversation. The assumption goes like this: If I don’t have federal past […]
Q4 2025 Federal Contracting: How Contractors Can Capture the Year-End Surge
1. The Q1 Sprint in Federal Contracting There’s an old saying among procurement insiders: “The government buys more in the last quarter than in the first three combined.” Every September—when fiscal clocks run out—agencies rush to obligate the funds that must be spent before they expire. Historically, 25–33% of federal budgets are obligated in that […]