Co-written by Kris Brinker, Government Contractor Marketing SME (Ocean 5 Strategies), Katie Helwig, OASIS+ SME (Mild Red LLC), and featuring Karen Myers.
This article builds on the foundation established in The GovCon Decathlon: 10 Disciplines for OASIS+ Success (co-authored by Kris Brinker, Ocean 5 Strategies, and Katie Helwig, Mild Red LLC). That piece introduced the core disciplines required for sustainable growth in the federal market. Here, we take the next step: connecting those disciplines to best practices for Contract Compliance in the context of GSA’s OASIS+—a Best-in-Class (BIC) Multiple Award Contract (MAC) that has quickly become a centerpiece of federal acquisition.
Introduction
Winning a spot on OASIS+ is a major achievement—but it’s only the beginning. Staying active requires rigorous contract compliance that goes far beyond box-checking. Compliance is the lifeline that determines whether you keep your place on the vehicle, qualify for new task orders, and maintain a positive reputation with GSA. And here’s where many contractors stumble: compliance and marketing are two sides of the same coin.
For a government contractor, marketing is the thread that ties compliance milestones to visibility. Every time you meet a reporting deadline, update a CSCRM plan, or pass a DCAA audit, you’re generating proof points that can be repurposed into marketing collateral, proposal narratives, and confidence-building signals for teaming partners.
Without strong marketing integration, compliance accomplishments remain invisible. With it, compliance becomes a growth engine—transforming operational discipline into government contractor marketing credibility.
OASIS+ by the Numbers
According to the GSA Data-to-Decisions Dashboard for OASIS and HCaTs, this contract family has generated more than $100 billion in obligated sales across 5,000+ task orders between 2015 and 2025. And the growth continues: as of September 22, 2025, OASIS+ alone recorded over 70 task orders totaling $117 million (HigherGov). These numbers demonstrate both the earning potential and the strategic importance of staying compliant and active.
NTP Checklists: Compliance Meets Marketing
For newly awarded companies, establishing a Notice to Proceed (NTP) Checklist is the most effective way to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. Assign clear points of contact for each compliance task—contracts, accounting, HR, BD, finance, and program management. Think of the checklist as both a compliance dashboard and a marketing asset.
💡 Marketing Connection
Document every milestone internally and share externally where appropriate. A post like “Our team finalized our CSCRM Plan ahead of schedule to ensure proactive OASIS+ compliance” sends a powerful signal of readiness and reliability. This builds trust with partners, strengthens proposal narratives, and positions your company as disciplined and low-risk.
Take a good look at your messaging. Are you clearly communicating your differentiators, or does it feel overly data-driven and impersonal?
OASIS+ NTP Shortlist (and Why It Matters for Your Brand)
- Within 5 days of NTP – Assign two distinct Points of Contact: Contract Program Manager and Contract Contracts Manager.
- Within 3 business days – Submit ACCORD 25 Certificate of Liability.
- Within 30 days – Complete Contractor Self-Assessment.
- Within 90 days – Submit Cybersecurity & Supply Chain Risk Management (CSCRM) Plan.
- Within 6 months – Ensure FAPIS Reporting is in place.
⚠️ Watch Out: GSA is already using AI tools to monitor compliance in real-time. Non-compliance can quickly lead to formal notices and inactive status—the most common failure so far being missing or non-compliant CSCRM Plans.
💪 OASIS+ Pro Tip
Treat compliance deliverables as marketing stories. Every milestone you hit demonstrates maturity, professionalism, and reliability—qualities that make your proposals more persuasive and your brand stronger. Effective government contractor branding is based upon clear, concise, mission-focused messaging.
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Compliance Across Contract Types: Risks, Rewards, and Messaging
Your compliance approach changes depending on contract type. Here’s how to integrate marketing while managing risk:
1. Firm Fixed Price (FFP)
- Positives: Predictable revenue, on-time/on-budget credibility.
- Risks: Scope creep and margin pressure.
- Best Practice: Highlight milestone-driven execution in marketing to showcase operational discipline.
2. Labor Hours (LH)
- Positives: Transparent billing, client trust.
- Risks: Payroll/timesheet complexity, DCAA scrutiny.
- Best Practice: Position transparency as a differentiator—show efficiency and accountability.
3. Time & Materials (T&M)
- Positives: Flexibility, adaptability.
- Risks: Budget uncertainty, administrative overhead.
- Best Practice: Market adaptability as a strength—demonstrating responsiveness to evolving client needs.
4. Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF)
- Positives: Guaranteed fee, quality focus.
- Risks: Documentation burden, cost inefficiencies.
- Best Practice: Use CPFF performance as a case study in marketing—proof that you manage complexity with precision.
OASIS+ Success: Contracts Management in Practice
Compliance isn’t just paperwork—it’s about building trust, discipline, and capability. Karen Myers’ advice highlights what it takes to not just keep your contract, but thrive under OASIS+:
- Build a strong partnership with your Contracting Officer (CO). Don’t rely solely on email—schedule monthly calls or in-person meetings. Trust and timely follow-through matter.
- Ask questions when in doubt. Submitting incomplete or incorrect deliverables erodes confidence. Clarify, then comply.
- Back up your cost proposals with solid documentation. Strong data supports budget discipline and signals professionalism.
- Track and meet reporting deadlines. Missing reports or deliverables can block you from winning new task orders.
- Maintain an active SAM registration. It must be updated and renewed every year.
- Work as an integrated team. Bring contracts, finance, and technical experts together—compliance is stronger when it’s a shared effort.
- Maintain systems integrity. A robust accounting system, proven past performance, and regulatory compliance are non-negotiables. Gaps in these areas may jeopardize awards, task orders, and option years.
- Stay alert to GSA notifications. “Exclusion Determination Letters” have already gone out under MAS. The same level of compliance rigor applies to OASIS+.
💡 Marketing Connection
Each of these actions doubles as proof of operational maturity. Capture them in past performance narratives, proposal graphics, and LinkedIn updates to reinforce credibility. Are your brand messages standing out or getting lost in the crowd?
Case Study: Odyssey Systems: Contract Management as the Catalyst for Sustainable Growth
Context
Odyssey Systems, headquartered in Wakefield, MA, has been a long-time player on GSA’s OASIS Small Business and Unrestricted vehicles, recognized by OASIS Small Business Industry Group for top sales across all OASIS SB Pools.
With a history of supporting the Air Force (primarily through EPASS), space and missile defense, C5ISR, Nuclear Deterrence, and defense health missions, Odyssey converted strong performance on OASIS into expanded coverage on OASIS+, securing two Small Business domains and five Unrestricted domains. This trajectory highlights how disciplined Contract Management serves as a springboard for sustainable growth.
Contract Management in Action
1. Structured On-Ramp: Notice to Proceed (NTP) Checklists. Odyssey’s OASIS wins required rapid stand-up of geographically dispersed task orders. Standardized NTP checklists—covering staffing, GFP/GFE, specific security requirements, reporting, and badging—ensured clean contract start-up and client confidence.
2. Deliverables Discipline. From QASPs to monthly status and detailed financial execution reports, Odyssey treated deliverables as strategic communications tools, not just compliance artifacts. This built credibility with Mission Partners, contracting officers, and CORs, laying groundwork for positive CPARs.
3. Financial Controls & EAC Monitoring. Cost-reimbursable and hybrid TOs on OASIS demanded rigorous burn-rate and incremental funding tracking. Odyssey embedded earned value baselines and invoice quality checks to maintain visibility on cost control, EAC projections and profitability, while avoiding funding lapses and supporting prudent de-obligation processes for timely closeout.
4. CPARs as Growth Currency. Contract Management wasn’t just back-office activity; it was treated as performance enforcement rigor and business development fuel. Positive CPARs harvested from OASIS TOs became critical inputs for OASIS+ domain scoring, proposal narratives, and measures of recompete readiness.
5. Vehicle PMO Governance. Odyssey treated OASIS like a program of record: a central PMO oversaw task order compliance, option-year readiness, and subcontractor management. This governance model scaled seamlessly into OASIS+, where task-order volume and complexity will multiply.
CEO Insight
“Sustainable growth isn’t just about winning contracts—it’s about executing them with excellence. Strong contract management transforms each award into a platform for repeatable success.” — Matthew Kasberg, CEO, Odyssey Systems
Outcomes
- Clean Contract Execution → Strong Past Performance. OASIS task orders executed with compliance rigor generated the CPARs that translated into OASIS+ wins.
- Financial Health Maintained. Responsible monitoring of funding aligned with cost discipline preserved margins, ensured efficient execution and diminished rework.
- Sustainable Growth Platform. By professionalizing contract management early and maintaining discipline during execution, Odyssey ensured OASIS+ wasn’t just a contract award—but a runway for growth through 2029 and beyond.
Lesson for the GovCon Decathlon
Discipline #6: Contract Management is where growth is either compounded or eroded. Odyssey’s success illustrates the principle: well-managed contracts don’t just stay compliant—they power sustainable growth.
💡 Marketing Connection Summary
Odyssey’s success illustrates how compliance stories can be transformed into marketing fuel. Standardized checklists, disciplined deliverables, financial rigor, and CPARs excellence not only kept Odyssey compliant—they created a steady flow of content for proposals, teaming conversations, and business development.
The lesson: compliance activities, when documented and communicated, become powerful assets for brand building. Government clients value brands that communicate clearly and purposefully, highlighting their strengths and addressing unique government needs.
Final Word
Compliance under OASIS+ is not just about keeping GSA satisfied—it’s about creating a platform for sustainable growth. Start early, assign responsibility, and integrate compliance across contracts, accounting, HR, and marketing.
✅ Marketing Best Practice: Treat compliance as a differentiator. Showcase DCAA-compliant accounting, CPARs excellence, and milestone achievements across proposals, social media, and BD campaigns. Contractors who embrace this mindset don’t just stay active—they position themselves as trusted, low-risk partners who are built for long-term success.
Read All GovCon Decathlon Series Articles:
OVERVIEW: The GovCon Decathlon: 10 Disciplines for OASIS+ Success
1. Stand Out from the Crowd – Find Your Niche
2. Go-to-Market Strategy for Government Contractors: How to Define, Connect, and Win
4. Operational Excellence Meets Marketing: The Hidden OASIS+ Differentiator
5. OASIS+ Growth Engine: Recruiting, Retention, and the Government Contractor Marketing Connection
6. OASIS+ Success Strategies: Compliance, Government Contractor Marketing, and Growth
Ready to stand out in the OASIS+ ecosystem? Clarity isn’t just helpful—it’s essential. Make it easy for your customers to find you, understand you, and choose you.
Ocean 5 Strategies helps government contractors refine their niche, craft powerful messaging, and implement brand strategies that win contracts and attract top talent. If you’re ready to move from “good” to “great” in the federal market, Reach Out to Ocean 5.
Mild Red LLC helps government contractors turn complex federal procurement opportunities into competitive advantage. We combine data-driven market intelligence with strategic communications to position clients for growth in programs like OASIS+, Zero Trust, and AI initiatives. Our expertise translates policy and market shifts into actionable strategies that win. Reach out to Mild Red.
