GSA Schedule
Become a Preferred Vendor
The GSA Schedule is a tool that allows your company to reduce competition, increase revenue, and accelerate your organization’s timeline to government contracting success.
The General Services Administration (GSA) is the bulk purchasing division of the federal government. What does this mean? It means that anyone in any location within the federal government can buy any “Commercial Off-the-Shelf” (COTS) product or service from your company by simply going online and ordering through a shopping cart.
Think “Amazon” for government buyers – any quantity that you allow, at pricing you set, without having to go through the normal contracting processes.
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The FedBiz Access GSA Schedule Proposal Assistance Program is designed for companies who want FedBiz Access to handle the entire proposal preparation process. The outcome of the work is a ready-to-submit GSA Schedule proposal, written for easy GSA review and award.
The GSA Schedule program is the premier acquisition vehicle in government, with approximately $50 billion a year in spending or 10 percent of overall federal procurement spending. GSA Schedules are fast, easy, and effective contracting vehicles for both customers and vendors. For GSA Schedules, GSA establishes long-term, government-wide contracts with commercial companies to provide access to millions of commercial products and services at volume discount pricing. GSA continually updates the offerings under the GSA Schedules program, and aids vendors in being successful in the government marketplace. Particularly, the GSA Schedules program has a strong record of small business achievement. To be successful under the GSA Schedules program, vendors should be prepared to take necessary steps to be productive in a highly competitive marketplace. Having a GSA Schedule contract is a significant investment on the part of the vendor and GSA. Careful analysis, planning, and proactive steps are required to ensure vendors are successful under the GSA Schedules program. GSA is committed to helping vendors succeed in the government marketplace. To aid you with your decision to get on a GSA Schedule, here is some important information to consider:
One of the biggest benefits of outsourcing your GSA Processing to a seasoned professional is the negotiation process. GSA Contracting Officers are trained and certified negotiators whose mission is to get best pricing for the US Government. Many GSA Vendors who do not achieve success through the GSA contract vehicle is primarily due to pricing errors including not negotiating Time & Materials into their pricing, Per Diem costs, and other critical variables. As the saying goes… Peace of mind is priceless! So is having a trained advocate represent your organization’s best interest at the negotiation table.
WHO NEEDS A SCHEDULE?
If your organization sells “Commercial Off The Shelf” (COTS) goods and/or services, then you should consider acquiring a GSA Schedule as a tool to sell to the federal government. One of the early decisions a government buyer makes about any federal acquisition is whether or not the products / services can be bought through an existing “Contracting Vehicle” – such as a GSA Schedule. If your organization has a GSA Schedule, you will be one of the limited number of vendors considered at this stage. Without a GSA Schedule, you will never sell to the government at this stage of the Acquisition process.
WHAT IS A GSA SCHEDULE?
A GSA Schedule is up to a 20-year contract between your organization and the federal government to potentially sell goods / services in bulk quantities over a period of time renewed each 5 years. Government buyers prefer to make purchases through GSA vendors whenever possible for three primary reasons – easier process, lower risk, better pricing, faster turnaround, pre-approved vendors. It’s an easier process because the overall contract between your organization and the government is already established. Therefore, all the government buyer has to do is place an order against the existing contract. It’s lower risk because GSA Schedule holders have already been vetted and approved by the government. It’s better pricing because prices are pre-negotiated. For these reasons, today GSA oversees approximately $75 billion in annual contract, and delivers services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people.
WHEN SHOULD I CONSIDER ACQUIRING A GSA SCHEDULE?
If your organization sells “Commercial Off The Shelf” products and/or services, you should consider acquiring a GSA Schedule, provided you meet the following criteria: You’ve conducted market research and are confident in the potential to sell your products / services through the GSA, You are confident you can offer a competitive market price to the government for your products / services, Your federal registrations are complete, optimized, and active, and You have a high-quality Capability Statement to send to government buyers upon request.
WHERE ARE GSA SCHEDULES UTILIZED?
The General Services Administration (GSA) is the “general store” for the federal government. This means that every federal agencies, office and location is able to take advantage of the benefits afforded through the GSA, such as reduced risk, preferred pricing, and buying in bulk. The GSA process is designed to allow any agency, office or location to place orders directly to a GSA vendor as needs arise.
WHY DO GOVERNMENT BUYERS PREFER GSA VENDORS?
Government buyers are accountable for the performance of the contract awardees they select. Each award decision has deadlines to meet, and costs to manage. Therefore, government buyers are primarily interested in reducing risk, saving money, and saving time. By purchasing products and services through the GSA, government buyers can achieve their three primary goals: 1: They reduce risk because GSA has vetted and approved them as a vendor. 2: They save the gov money through pre-negotiated “best pricing”. 3: They save time with reduced processes, paperwork , and redundancy.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO COMPLETE THE PROCESSING?
Processing time for a GSA Schedule can vary greatly based on a number of factors. The timeline relies greatly on active organizational participation in collecting and providing the information required to move through the process. In some cases, companies attempt to process and submit their own GSA Schedule applications. On average, it takes a company submitting on their own more than a year to complete the process. In addition, companies that submit GSA Schedule applications on their own tend to have a failure rate of acceptance up to 10 times higher (over 90%) than those who outsource their GSA Application and negotiation process to a professional GSA processing organization such as FBA. Most applicants that process their own applications get denied due to mistakes resulting from their lack of knowledge about federal contracting rules and the protocols of engagement.
We provide your company with processing and negotiations to obtain immediate access to a segment of the federal contracting market.
We provide your company with processing and negotiations to obtain immediate access to a segment of the federal contracting market.
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We assist you with all aspects of your GSA Schedule renewal, ensuring you maintain an active contract for the next 5 years.