Accounting Systems and DCAA Audits for Software Companies: When Cost Rules Apply
When a software company needs a government-adequate accounting system: cost-type and T&M work, DCAA audits, unallowable costs, indirect rates and CAS.
RESOURCES
Federal Market Intelligence
Guides for technology companies entering the federal market.
GSA Schedule Pricing for Software Companies: Commercial Sales Practices, Price Reductions and TDR
How GSA Schedule pricing works for software companies: commercial sales practices, most favored customer pricing, the Price Reductions clause and TDR.
Small Business Size and Affiliation for Software Companies: Investors, Options and Size Protests
How SBA decides if a software company is small: receipts and employees, affiliation with investors and parents, options, recertification and size protests.
Key Personnel for Software Companies: Naming, Committing and Replacing the People You Propose
How key personnel clauses work for software companies: who to name, letters of commitment, substitutions after award and the bait-and-switch risk.
Contract Claims and REAs for Software Companies: The Contract Disputes Act, Explained
How software companies raise contract disputes with federal agencies: requests for equitable adjustment, certified claims, final decisions and appeals.
Data Rights for Software Companies: What the Government Gets When It Buys Your Code
How federal data rights work for software companies: commercial licenses, restricted and government purpose rights, DFARS markings and SBIR data rights.
Export Controls for Software Companies: EAR, ITAR and Federal Contracts
How the EAR and ITAR apply to software sold to federal buyers: classification, encryption, deemed exports, cloud hosting and the DFARS export clause.
Recompetes and Incumbent Transitions for Software Companies: How Follow-On Contracts Work
How federal recompetes work for software companies: finding expiring contracts, incumbent advantage, bridge extensions, 52.237-3 transitions and debriefings.
Facility Security Clearances for Software Companies: How an FCL Works
How facility security clearances work for software companies: sponsorship, the NISPOM, DCSA, key management personnel, FOCI and the DD Form 254.
Contract Modifications for Software Companies: Bilateral, Unilateral and the Changes Clause
How federal contract modifications work for software companies: bilateral and unilateral changes, the Changes clause, equitable adjustments and the SF 30.
SBA Mentor-Protégé Program for Software Companies: Joint Ventures, Set-Asides and the Rules
How the SBA mentor-protégé program works for software companies, what a mentor-protégé joint venture can bid on and the rules both sides must follow.
Modular Contracting and Agile Delivery for Software Companies: How Agencies Buy in Increments
How federal agencies buy software in modular increments, what FAR 39.103 asks for, how agile work is contracted and how to bid on it.
Price Reasonableness for Software Companies: How Contracting Officers Judge Your Price
How contracting officers decide a software price is fair and reasonable, what pricing data they can request, and how to prepare it before you bid.
Small Business Subcontracting Plans for Software Companies: How FAR 19.7 Works
How small business subcontracting plans work for software companies: when FAR 19.702 requires one, what goes in it, commercial plans and eSRS reporting.
Suspension and Debarment for Software Companies: How Federal Exclusion Works
How federal suspension and debarment work for software companies: FAR Subpart 9.4 causes, the SAM.gov exclusions list, mitigating factors and how to respond.
Tradeoff vs. LPTA for Software Companies: How Agencies Weigh Price Against Quality
How federal best-value source selections work, when agencies use tradeoff or LPTA, and how software companies should bid each one.
Oral Presentations and Technical Demos for Software Companies: How Evaluators Score the Live Part
How oral presentations and product demos work in federal source selections, what the FAR allows, what gets recorded and how software companies prepare.
Termination for Convenience and for Cause: How Federal Software Contracts End Early
How federal termination for convenience and for cause work for software companies: FAR 52.212-4(l) and (m), settlement, cure notices and disputes.
Responsibility Determinations for Software Companies: How a Contracting Officer Decides
How a contracting officer decides a software company is responsible: FAR 9.104-1 standards, financial and integrity checks, and SBA's Certificate of Competency.
Contract Options and Option Years for Software Companies: How Federal Renewals Work
How option years work under FAR Subpart 17.2, why the government never has to exercise them, and how software companies should price around them.
Novation and Change-of-Name Agreements for Software Companies: Federal Contracts in an Acquisition
What happens to a software company's federal contracts in an acquisition: the Anti-Assignment Act and FAR 42.12 novation and change-of-name agreements.
Organizational Conflicts of Interest for Software Companies: When Earlier Work Blocks a Bid
How organizational conflicts of interest under FAR Subpart 9.5 can bar a software company from a bid, and how avoidance, mitigation and firewalls work.
Sole-Source Awards for Software Companies: When an Agency Can Buy Without Competing
The seven statutory exceptions to full and open competition, what the justification contains, and how a software company can become the only source.
Limitations on Subcontracting for Software Companies: The 50% Rule on Set-Aside Contracts
How the 50% limitation on subcontracting works on set-aside contracts: similarly situated partners, cloud cost exclusions and how compliance is measured.
Blanket Purchase Agreements for Software Companies: How GSA Schedule BPAs Work
What a blanket purchase agreement under a GSA Schedule is, single vs multiple award, the $150M rule, how long a BPA lasts and how orders are competed under one.
Commercial Solutions Openings for Software Companies: The DoW's Fast Lane for Commercial Tech
What a Commercial Solutions Opening is, what 10 U.S.C. 3458 allows, how it differs from an RFP or an OT, and how a software company should respond to one.
Category Management and GSA OneGov for Software Companies
How federal category management, Best-in-Class vehicles and GSA's OneGov strategy shape where agencies buy software, and what that means for your route in.
Federal Invoicing for Software Companies: Prompt Payment, IPP, WAWF and Annual Billing
How federal agencies pay software invoices: the Prompt Payment Act clock, proper invoices, IPP and WAWF, and why annual SaaS billing needs care.
GSA eBuy for Software Companies: Where Schedule Holders Find the Quotes
What GSA eBuy is, who sees its requests for quotes, how a software company should answer them, and why an empty eBuy inbox often means a Schedule problem.
How to Get a UEI and CAGE Code: A Guide for Software Companies
What a Unique Entity ID and a CAGE Code are, how a software company gets each one, how they differ, and the mistakes that delay federal sales.
Who Actually Buys Your Software in a Federal Agency: Contracting Officers, CORs and Program Offices
The people inside a federal agency who shape, approve and manage a software purchase, and which of them can actually commit the government.
Agency Procurement Forecasts for Software Companies, Explained
How software companies can use agency procurement forecasts to see federal buys months before a solicitation posts, and what a forecast does not promise.
Bid Protests for Software Companies: Agency, GAO and the Court of Federal Claims
How a federal bid protest works, the three forums, the deadlines that decide most cases, and when a software company should and shouldn't file one.
Section 889 for Software Companies: The Telecom Representation Every Offer Makes
What Section 889's ban on covered telecom and video surveillance equipment means for SaaS companies, and how to answer the FAR representations.
Secure Software Development Attestation for Software Companies, Explained
What the CISA secure software development attestation form asks software companies, how it maps to NIST SSDF, and how to answer it honestly.
The Trade Agreements Act for Software Companies: Country of Origin, Explained
How the Trade Agreements Act decides country of origin for software and SaaS, how it differs from Buy American, and how to answer the certification.
Authority to Operate (ATO) for SaaS Companies: What It Is and How Agencies Grant One
What an Authority to Operate is, who signs it, how it relates to FedRAMP, and what a SaaS company has to have in place before an agency can grant one.
FAR Part 12 for Software Companies: Selling Your Product as a Commercial Product
How FAR Part 12 commercial product rules shape a software company's first federal deal: license terms, pricing and the clauses that apply.
Federal Resellers for SaaS Companies: How the Channel Works and How to Choose One
How federal resellers and distributors sell SaaS to agencies, what they need from you, the rules that apply and how to choose a channel partner.
How to Find Federal Contract Opportunities: A Guide for Software Startups
Where federal contract opportunities are posted, which ones never reach SAM.gov, and how software startups can find buyers before the solicitation drops.
IDIQ Contracts and Task Orders for Software Companies: How the Money Actually Moves
How IDIQ contracts and task orders work for software companies: ceilings vs obligated dollars, fair opportunity, on-ramps and how to win orders.
Unsolicited Proposals for Software Companies: When They Work and When They Don't
How federal unsolicited proposals work for software companies: what qualifies, why a product pitch usually doesn't, data rights and better routes in.
Federal Contract Types for Software Companies: Fixed-Price, T&M, Cost-Type and IDIQ
How federal contract types work for software companies: firm-fixed-price, T&M, cost-reimbursement and IDIQ task orders, and what each asks of a seller.
The Federal Fiscal Year for Software Companies: Budgets, CRs and Q4
How the federal fiscal year shapes software sales: the budget cycle, continuing resolutions, year-end spending and how to time your pipeline to match.
Software License Terms in Federal Contracts: What Agencies Can't Sign
Why standard SaaS terms of service clash with federal law: indemnification, auto-renewal, governing law, click-wrap and how to write a federal addendum.
Federal Debriefings for Software Companies: How to Request One and What to Ask
How software companies request a federal debriefing after a contract decision, what the agency must tell you, the deadlines and how to use it.
Micro-Purchases and Purchase Cards: The Fastest First Federal Sale for SaaS
How federal micro-purchases and government purchase cards work for software companies, the thresholds, the license terms that trip deals and how to start.
Capability Statements for Software Companies: What to Include and How Buyers Use Them
What a federal capability statement is, what contracting officers look for on it, and how a software company writes one that matches its registration.
NAICS Codes for Software Companies: How to Choose, and What They Decide
Which NAICS codes fit a software or SaaS company, why each solicitation's code (not your own list) sets size eligibility, and how to check what buyers use.
Past Performance for Software Companies: CPARS, References and Building a Record
How federal buyers weigh past performance, why no record scores neutral, and how a software company builds one from commercial work and subcontracts.
Reading a Federal RFP: Sections L and M for Software Companies
How software companies read a federal RFP, what Sections L and M ask for, and how to build a compliant proposal around the evaluation criteria.
Sources Sought and RFIs for Software Companies: Why Answering Early Shapes the Contract
What sources sought notices and RFIs are, why agencies post them, and how a software company answers one so the later requirement fits what it sells.
Teaming and Subcontracting for Software Companies: Entering Federal Work Through a Prime
How software companies enter federal work as a subcontractor, reseller or teaming partner, what the agreements cover, and the rules that shape each role.
Section 508 and the VPAT for Software Companies: The Accessibility Report Federal Buyers Ask For
What Section 508 requires of software sold to federal agencies, what a VPAT and an Accessibility Conformance Report are, and how to write one buyers trust.
CMMC in 2026: Phase I In Force, Phase II Suspended — What Changes
Phase I is in force, Phase II is suspended — not cancelled — per memo 26-P-1023. What that means for ISVs selling into DoW programs in 2026.
The 2026 Federal Readiness Playbook for ISVs — Chapter 1: The 2026 Window
FedRAMP 20x opened Class A on August 3, 2026 and Class B and C on August 31. Why the prepared first cohort sets the benchmark latecomers are graded against.
The 2026 Federal Readiness Playbook for ISVs — Chapter 2: Readiness, Scored
The 100-point Federal Readiness Score: 12 categories, five tiers, computed from public federal data, with your own intake answers labelled self-reported.
The 2026 Federal Readiness Playbook for ISVs — Chapter 3: Verified vs. Self-Attested
Self-attested compliance is not verified compliance. The three states of a federal compliance claim, and why a SOC 2 Type II does not carry over.
The 2026 Federal Readiness Playbook for ISVs — Chapter 4: The DoW Compliance Calendar
CMMC Phase I is in force, Phase II is suspended — not cancelled — and DFARS 252.204-7012 remains in force. The DoW compliance calendar for ISVs.
The 2026 Federal Readiness Playbook for ISVs — Chapter 5: Your 90-Day Plan
Your readiness score read backward: sequence 90 days by leverage, fix the gating registration gaps first, then aim the final 30 at your FedRAMP 20x submission.
The 2026 Federal Readiness Playbook for ISVs — Chapter 6 (Appendix): The Six Federal Data Sources
The six public federal APIs behind a readiness score — SAM.gov, USASpending, FPDS, FedRAMP, GSA CALC+, SBIR — what each informs and how a gap is shown.
FedRAMP 20x Class A Is Open — Is Your Company Ready?
FedRAMP 20x Class A opened August 3, 2026. Ready is not a checkbox: what federal buyers actually verify, and why self-attested compliance is not verified.
FedRAMP 20x Class B and C Are Open — The Next Cohort's Move
The Class B and C FedRAMP 20x pipelines opened August 31, 2026. What a company deciding now should do with the precedent already set.
The SOC 2 to FedRAMP On-Ramp for ISVs
Your SOC 2 is real federal credit — but not a complete authorization. What carries over, what doesn't, and the plan to bridge the gap before you submit.
Verified vs. Self-Attested: What Federal Buyers Actually Check
Federal buyers distinguish three tiers of compliance: unverified assertions, self-attestation, and independent verification. Know which survives diligence.
Federal Contract Vehicles for Software Companies: GWACs, IDIQs, BPAs and Where to Start
How federal contract vehicles work for software companies: IDIQ structure, GWACs, SEWP, GSA Schedule BPAs, and how to pick a first route in.
SBIR and STTR for Software Companies: Funded R&D as a Federal Entry Point
How SBIR and STTR work for software companies: eligibility, the three phases, why Phase III matters, and how SBIR data rights protect your product.
Other Transaction Authority for Software Companies: A Route Around the FAR
How OTs work for software companies: the prototype conditions, why follow-on production matters, how consortia and CSOs work, and what an OT does not remove.
Small Business Set-Asides for Software Companies: 8(a), SDVOSB, HUBZone and WOSB
How federal set-asides work for software companies, what each SBA program requires, where venture-backed firms stop qualifying, and which status to pursue.
SAM.gov Registration for Software Companies: A Step-by-Step Guide
What a software company needs before SAM.gov registration, the order the steps happen in, which NAICS codes fit software, and the mistakes that cost weeks.
FedRAMP 20x Class A Pipeline: What Opens August 3 and Who Qualifies
The FedRAMP 20x Class A pipeline opens August 3, 2026. Who qualifies, the 7 required KSIs, the SOC 2 fast path, and the 2-year clock — from primary sources.
How to Estimate Your Federal Total Addressable Market as an ISV
Use USASpending.gov, SAM.gov, and NAICS codes to size your real federal TAM — not the $100B headline number, but the actual spend in your product category.
FedRAMP 20x: Timeline, Eligibility, and Cost for SaaS Companies (2026)
FedRAMP 20x replaces the old 12-24 month authorization process with machine-readable packages. Here's what SaaS companies need to know before Phase 3 opens.
GSA Schedule for SaaS Companies: Is It Worth It, How Long, and What Does It Cost?
GSA MAS is the most common federal entry point for SaaS companies. Eligibility, timeline, cost, and whether it's right for your stage — the honest breakdown.
How to Sell Software to the Federal Government: The Complete 2026 Guide for ISVs
A practical guide for ISVs entering the U.S. federal market — SAM.gov, compliance, contract vehicles, TAM sizing, and a 90-day action plan.