Understanding the Benefits of GSA Schedule 70 for IT Procurement

The landscape of Federal contracting may seem like a minefield for those that are not aware of the procedures and methods necessary. The advancements in technology and the growth of IT are changing the landscape of the business environment.

Therefore, it is important for government agencies to have efficient procurement for their operations. At the same time, it is important for commercial vendors such as yourself to be aware of the Schedule as well as how it can affect your business.

This is where the GSA Schedule 70 comes in. It provides business owners such as yourself to provide IT solutions to the Federal and State Governments. In this article, we will be looking at what is the GSA Schedule 70. The article will provide you with the benefits that you can receive once you have been awarded the contract. Finally, we will also help you understand the requirements necessary for the schedule. 

What is GSA Schedule 70?

A long-term government contract known as GSA Schedule 70, also known as the IT Schedule 70 or the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) 70 gives federal, state, local, and tribal government agencies a streamlined and simple procedure for acquiring IT products, services, and solutions from pre-vetted vendors. The Schedule 70 program, which is overseen by the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) of the GSA, is one of the largest and most frequently used federal procurement vehicles.

The commercial technical sector and the departments and agencies of the US federal government have entered into a business agreement. According to the General Services Administration, the company that offers the greatest fair cost while maintaining the standard quality of a product is awarded the GSA Schedule.

GSA Schedule 70 companies offer a variety of services and products to the US Federal government. The General Services Administration divides the products and services that they are offering into special categories. These categories are known as the Special Item Numbers, which allow Government agencies to identify the businesses they need to form a contract with in order to meet their requirements.

The US government is among the largest consumers of IT services in the country. Commercial vendors such as yourself are awarded the Schedule using the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) of the General Services Administration. The MAS allows you to sell your products and services to both State and Federal Governments across the country.

What are the benefits of GSA Schedule 70?

The IT Schedule or the GSA IT Schedule provides several benefits to vendors like yourself. At the same time, it also provides several benefits to government agencies as well. The benefits of these GSA contracts are as follows:

Streamlined Procurement

One of the major benefits of the GSA IT Schedule is that it streamlines the procurement process for Federal agencies. By lowering the time and effort needed for procurement actions, GSA IT Schedule streamlines the purchasing procedure for IT acquisitions.

Government agencies can buy IT goods and services directly from vendors who have been granted GSA IT Schedule contracts without issuing separate solicitations or going through drawn-out competitive bidding procedures. Agencies can quickly purchase the IT solutions they need to support their mission-critical operations because of the time and administrative resources saved.

It also offers government agencies the ability to order their supplies online using the GSA portal. It simplifies the online purchase process by utilizing Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPA). 

Pre-determined Price

The main function of the GSA is to enable the efficient running of Federal and State agencies across the US, while at the same time providing benefits to private businesses. One of the benefits that government agencies receive is the standard pricing of the services and products. These prices are set on a competitive basis through a stringent review process.

If you are a business that is offering your products to federal government agencies, you need to align the pricing of the products in accordance with the pricing standards of the GSA IT Schedule. This ensures that government agencies are able to get the best value for the purchase they make from a vendor.

Federal Acquisition Regulations

Being part of the GSA Schedule 70 allows you to brand your products with quality certifications. This is because in order for you to sell to Government Agencies, you have to meet the requirements of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. This brand certification shows that you provide a quality set of IT services and products to the US Government.

Furthermore, it enables reducing the red tape during the procurement process of State and the Federal agencies. As a result, it allows you as a commercial vendor to complete your sales process much more efficiently and on time. Being compliant with the FAR also allows you to build a brand image in front of private consumers and other B2B relations.

Wide range of Products

The GSA contracts enable the Government agencies to choose from a range of 5000 suppliers that are a part of the IT GSA contracts. GSA Schedule 70 provides an extensive and varied portfolio of IT solutions, encompassing a wide range of goods and services from well-known and trustworthy suppliers.

Agencies can now access a variety of IT offerings through a single contract vehicle, streamlining their procurement process and allowing them to pick the best options to suit their unique requirements. Hardware, software, cloud services, cybersecurity, telecommunications, data centre services, and more are all offered through GSA Schedule 70, making it a one-stop shop for IT procurement.

At the same time, it also allows commercial vendors such as yourself to get access to new customers. This is because you will now be able to sell your products and services to state governments across the country.

Training and Support

Being a part of the IT Schedule of GSA contracts allows you to get access to a huge amount of resources and tools for your business optimization. The IT schedule of the GSA offers commercial vendors such as yourself, training opportunities that can allow you to improve your business operations.

It is not always possible for you to navigate the regulations and rules of the GSA IT Schedule. During these situations, the General Service Administration provides training programs to small business owners to navigate their way through the IT Schedule. GSA contract officials will help you through the application and renewal process of the contracts. 

What are the requirements for the schedule?

In order for your company to be eligible for the GSA Schedule 70, it is important that you are able to meet the below requirements:

Registering your Business

Before you can apply for the IT Schedule, it is important that you first enroll and register your company with the Systems for Award Management (SAM) of the federal government. Ince registration is complete your business will now appear on a government database. The Federal government uses this registration list as a way to manage and identify the information of companies across the US. This is done by allocating your business with a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number for your business.

Documentation

After you have registered your business with the SAM, it is now time to collect the documents and information for the submission of the Schedule proposal to the GSA. It is important that you follow the GSA solicitation documents in order to evaluate the documents necessary to submit your proposal. The following documents need to be submitted with your proposal:

●      Financial Statements showing the financial stability of your organization.

●      Any other Federal certifications for your business. This may include any documentation showing whether your company is a small business or is owned by a woman.

●      A disclosure statement showing whether you already have a GSA contract or not. You also have to provide statements of any pending or rejected GSA offers.

●      You also need to submit the licenses and the registration documents of your business. This may include the End User License Agreement as well as it may require you to submit the Commercial Service Agreement (CSA).

●      If you are not the manufacturer of a product, you also need to submit a letter of supply from the manufacturer.

Past Experience

One of the major requirements of the GSA IT Schedule is that your business needs to show stability as well as provide information on past projects. Your firm needs to provide a record of accomplishment or references on the projects that you have completed in the past. Furthermore, you also need to provide references to past government contracts as well as any government customers in the past.

Pricing and Standardisation

The final requirement for your business is to match the pricing regulations of GSA for the products and services that you are offering to the federal government. This requires your business to negotiate the prices of your services and products before the GSA awards you the schedule.

Lastly, before you can submit your proposal, you need to evaluate whether the products and services offered by your company are able to match the standards of the Federal Acquisition Regulations. Thus ensuring that your products and services are up to the acceptable quality.

Key Takeaways

Government agencies and other qualified organizations can take advantage of a number of benefits by using GSA Schedule70 as a procurement vehicle for IT purchases. GSA Schedule 70 is a desirable alternative for IT procurement due to its expedited procurement process, competitive pricing, a wide range of IT solutions, compliance with federal procurement standards, small company set-asides, contract flexibility, and customer service. Being a GSA Schedule 70 vendor, however, entails fulfilling certain requirements and going through a rigorous application and approval procedure. GSA Schedule 70 is, overall, a useful tool for government agencies and organizations trying to buy IT solutions to support their missions.