The GSA SmartPay Program is the largest government charge card and commercial payment solutions program in the world.

The GSA SmartPay Program was established in 1998 and is the premiere charge card program of the U.S. federal government, serving more than 560 federal agencies. The program usage has increased 54% in new accounts added from FY 2018 to FY 2020.

The program processed over 73.4 million transactions in FY 2020 on behalf of approximately 5.4 million accounts for annual spending of $28.7 Billion. Total spending since inception of the program has exceeded $580 Billion.

Through the program, agencies are able to obtain Purchase, Travel, Fleet, and Integrated accounts (known as business lines) through a master contract with two banks: Citibank and U.S. Bank. This program provides agencies with an efficient payment solution in support of the agencies’ mission delivery.

Purchases must comply with the Federal Acquisition Regulations (“FAR”) and agencies’ policies for procurement requirements. Typically, account holders can charge up to the micro-purchase limit of $10,000 for single purchases.

The micro-purchase threshold was increased effective August 31, 2020 and allows for purchases under $10,000 to be awarded without solicitation for competitive quotations as long as the contracting officer believes the price to be reasonable.

In addition, for purchases above the micro-purchase threshold, the purchase card may be used as an ordering and payment mechanism for competed orders as long as the contractor agrees to this form of payment.

At this same time, the simplified acquisition threshold was increased from $150,000 to $250,000. Purchases “above the micro-purchase threshold and below the simplified acquisition threshold, shall be set aside for small businesses” if there are two or more small business offerors expected to compete.

The changes to the thresholds levels now requires fewer administrative details, fewer approvals, and less documentation. The effect has been to expand the market for small businesses to get into government contracting.

Therefore, it is important for businesses to get their name and capabilities in front of contracting officials to promote themselves as they do in their commercial business.

Under federal guidelines, contracting officials are required to use “commercially available market research methods in order to effectively identify the capabilities of small businesses and new entrants into federal contracting.”

FedBiz Connect was developed to address this market for small businesses by providing a database directory of small business registered for federal contracting. FedBiz Connect helps connect businesses to federal buyers, under the tag line: “Get Listed – Get Connected – Get Results.”

Contracting officials and prime contractors can search FedBiz Connect by keyword, industry code, geography, socio-economic status, and many other criteria to find businesses that can meet their needs.

The directory also has the feature of FedBiz Find to allow users to find buyers and create relationships in advance of awards and expiring contracts.

Federal Buyers and Prime Contractors buy from small businesses every day. They like to buy from businesses they know… Do they know you?

FedBiz Access works with contractors to ensure their federal registrations are current and compliant. FedBiz Access has a large database and directory for federal contracting that is affordable and useful for identifying and competing for federal awards. The business development services include Targeted Market Research, Set-Aside Certifications, and GSA Schedule registrations.

FedBiz Access helps companies build a clear path from registration to award.