How to Get Into a GSA Schedule Contract?
What is a GSA Schedule?
The GSA Schedule Contract is also known as Federal Supply Schedule or Multiple Award Schedule (MAS). It is a $45 billion government contract with commercial companies to provide access to millions of commercial products and services at fair and reasonable prices to the government. It is businesses, non-profit organizations, and educational institutions that can obtain a GSA Schedule Contract to sell products and services to government customers Multiple Award Schedule make the procedure of buying easy and efficient along with the use of modern technology to connect government buyers and industry. General Service Administration Schedule Contracts streamline the process of government sales as they have pre-established pricing and terms and conditions that the buyers of the government can use to purchase from a company. GSA Schedule Contracts are basically used to sell to federal agencies, in certain circumstances that can be used to sell to state and local government.
Why are you in Need of GSA Contract Schedule?
GSA Schedule Contract is of the utmost important for you due to the following reasons:
- It is a Government wide Contract that can be used across agencies. It is a Contract that can be used from DOD and DHS, to FEMA and the Department of Energy.
- It has Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity and thus is a type of Open ended contract that has no pre-set amount. Even if the term of the contract is fixed, the deliverables are not. Any federal customer can order an unlimited amount of products or services during the term of a GSA Schedule Contract.
- Based on the name of Multiple Award Schedule, the contract can be received by more than one company.
Advantages of GSA Schedule Contract:
A GSA Schedule Contract has so many advantages which are as follows:
- It helps to have more than $45 Billion of Annual Sales
- It assists to reduce the pool of competition
- The process of sales in a GSA schedule contract is simple and shorter.
- It provides with Competitive Advantage in the Federal Market
- It can be used to sell to all Federal Agencies
- It is often use to sell to local and state Government.
When can a GSA Schedule Contract be a Valuable One?
It is a GSA Schedule Contract which can be a valuable tool to expand government sales provided your company has:
- Customers those who are requesting you to have the contract.
- If you have experience in selling to the agencies of the government.
- If you have competitors that have access to GSA Schedule.
- If you opt for market research that possess data support to the sales of GSA Schedule.
Getting to GSA Schedule will not be advantageous if your company have not enough staff to work with and is only at the start-up stage.
Indicators to define eligibility for GSA Schedule contract:
If you want to qualify for the service of a GSA schedule contract, your company should possess the followings:
- If you have healthy financials.
- Products and Services that best fit under the category of GSA Schedule.
- Make sure to have the Trade Agreements Act (TAA).
TAA compliance means that the “final products” you sell through your GSA Schedule as a product manufacturer or GSA reseller cannot be made in certain countries including few countries like China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka.
You need to have better records of the Past Performance.
Reasons to have Consider for a GSA Schedule Consultant:
- In House Resources:
- What are the in-house resources that you can assign for?
- How many hours per week you have dedicated to the work of producing your resources?
You are in need for distributing the internal resources for obtaining your GSA Schedule Contract. It is a GSA consultant who will significantly reduce the number of hours your resources used to spend on the project. Without a consultant you will prepare to devote 160-300 hours for having obtained the GSA Schedule.
Better Experience
- Your Staff or house resources should have government proposal writing experience.
- Not only that your staff members should must possess the experience of GSA Schedule Solicitations.
- You should have to remember that to prepare for the GSA schedule proposal of your company you should negotiate to serve as a foundation for future government sales and thus will , makeup your ability to compete with other GSA Schedule contractors. A consultant for GSA Schedule can help in positioning your contract for success for the contract term of twenty years.
Proper Timing
To prepare for a GSA schedule proposal and to have a GSA schedule contact in operation, you should be aware of the proper timing. As already stated above if you are in the start-up stage with fewer staffs to work with efficiently with for the contract then it is not the proper time for you to operate as a GSA Schedule contractor. Rather if you are in the advantageous position, well equipped with all needed resources to work with, and in the developing stage of your business, you can definitely pursue for the opportunity. But it would be better if you go for a GSA consultant to have the right choice of the time for availing and opting for the GSA schedule contract to avail for the best desirable results.


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