Check eligibility for selling on GSA. Determine if your organization qualifies for a GSA contract using our tool. Provide company details to assess readiness and estimate potential. Contact us for assistance with government sales eligibility and success prospects.
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GSA contracts require a company to be in business for at least two years and show an annual revenue of at least $100,000 per year, for at least two consecutive years. Your financial situation should be stayable. Some contracts require specific skills and experience, especially in technical and service contracts.
GSA Approval is a status used to describe organizations that have been approved to sell to the United States Government through the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). GSA approval is a non-industry specific status for organizations that manufacture products or provide services that the U.S. Government uses. To become eligible to bid on a GSA schedule, organizations must complete a number of steps including but not limited to obtaining a DUNS number, registering in SAM (System for Award Management) and providing previous customer contact information as a means for the GSA to perform a past performance evaluation.
To view the official GSA Order detailing entities eligible to purchase through the GSA Schedules Program, click here.
In general, it takes about three to four months for an IT Schedule while the Furniture and Security Schedules can take up to a year. If you need consulting and guidance on getting a GSA schedule. The General Services Administration (GSA) is a government bureau that is entrusted with managing government structures, buildings and real estate. This agency provides product and service acquisition support and development of policies, protocol and regulations. GSA schedule contracts were refined to aid federal workers in purchasing and acquiring products and services easily without having to put out an RFP and obtain quotes before choosing a vendor. The contract contains the delivery terms, warranty agreements and the pre-negotiated prices.
Businesses of all sizes often run into a problem when they try to add a GSA Schedule to their company, but suddenly hit a wall when they realize they aren’t qualified. The success that others have seen through government contracting is enough to get anyone interested in pursuing their own contract, yet there are quite a few steps to ensure that you qualify for a GSA Schedule.
The most important thing you can do to start out on the right foot is research. While hearing things through word of mouth about government contracting is good, make sure you’re fully aware of the process, requirements, and workflow before you attempt to apply.
There are several common reasons why businesses find out they don’t qualify for GSA Schedules, and it can be more than just a pre-qualifying factor. Besides the way your business is structured, how the government contracting process works can often lead businesses to change their minds.
The main thing to consider is time. How much time are you willing to dedicate to a GSA Schedule? Do you have team members who have the flexibility to work on this kind of project? GSA Schedule applications aren’t a simple contact information form — an average application contains 30 pages of requested information about your business. On average it can take businesses 70 hours to complete an application without expert help. It’s a tedious process, and mistakes can lead to swift rejection from the GSA. You’ll also have to make time to answer any questions the GSA has after your application has been reviewed, and then negotiate the terms before you can list your products or services on GSA Advantage!. The work doesn’t end there either, managing your contract after you win your award is a continuous process.
The next thing you’ll want to account for is money. Are you able to offer competitive prices on your products and services? Knowing how to price what you’re selling is half the battle. Only 40% of GSA Contract holders actually make money, but making sure your prices are competitive with others will help you stand out and win bids.
If you’re able to make time and are prepared for the costs, you can look at the business-specific steps for qualifying for GSA Schedules. Your business needs to be:
Time Commitment: Applying for a GSA Schedule demands significant time investment. Initial steps are time-consuming, from gathering documents and certificates to adhering to Federal Acquisition Regulations. Daily attention is needed to manage awarded contracts effectively.
Team Capability: Successful GSA Schedule management necessitates a dedicated team. Someone must assemble extensive required information, liaise with GSA officers, and submit pricelists and catalogs. Post-award management is even more demanding. Are you equipped for this commitment?
Competitive Pricing: The government expects competitive rates. Monitoring market averages is wise. Can you offer such prices while maintaining profitability? Prepare for price wars with competitors. Justify costs to the government based on your market prices, demonstrating value.
Pricing Strategy: Federal contracting’s pricing complexity is evident. Rationalizing costs and showing value is vital. Navigating this intricacy is a challenge in itself, often demanding careful strategy and communication.
Experience Verification: GSA demands two years in business and a record of reliability. Past Performance Evaluation scrutinizes completed projects and confirms product/service quality. The assessment ensures competence and trustworthiness, pivotal for government dealings.
Price Reporter team has been efficient at managing our GSA contract catalogs for the past 5 years. They keep our catalogs well maintained and compliant, saving our resources and letting us focusing on making sales.
The B. David Company enlisted the services of Price Reporter, Inc. to setup our DOD EMALL account. We are a second generation family owned company and were uncertain what would be required to complete this task. I fully recommend Price Reporter, Inc. to any company that is looking for assistance with their Government business endeavors. They were and have continued to be extremely helpful. We will continue to rely on Price Reporter, Inc. for future projects.
Price Reporter recently helped us with our 3rd GSA contract, the 2nd they did with us. It was the fastest we’ve ever been through the process with GSA. Each step was easy because the ground work was done before we were asked to do anything. Our pricing verification phase went smooth and quickly and both our contracts were accepted without rejection, with minimal negotiations with contracting.
We first learned about the DOD EMALL a couple years ago from Price Reporter. We decided to move forward on it in 2016. I would recommend them based on the following items:
These are a few of the reasons why I would recommend Price Reporter, Inc. Thank you!
Since 2009, Price Reporter has provided Fisher Scientific timely competitive item level GSA pricing data allowing us to identify opportunities and threats. Their customer service focus is solid.
Price Reporter are helping make my life much easier and helping me feel so much better about our GSA contract. Thanks!!!
For the past 10 years, Price Reporter has been providing us with exceptional service for the maintaining of our GSA office supplies contract. They have updated our files on a very timely basis. They have provided modifications when required. For a number of years, they had been giving us a price algorithm where each of our items were priced more than our cost and a penny below the next competitor. A very unique position that gave us thousands of government orders – that was prior to the GSA FSSI BPA.
And for all the service given, their cost was far less than any other consulting firm that we had contacted or worked with over the years.
I would highly recommend their service to any small business that is either interested in getting into the federal government arena or who wants to have their contract maintained at a most highly professional level.
Thank you for supporting a VETERAN OWNED SMALL BUSINESS.
We looked around for a reputable company to help us acquire a GSA contract for Muzeek World Intl., Inc. After looking around we were unsuccessful in finding a good company. By chance, one of our colleagues recommended Price Reporter, Inc., so we called them up. I highly recommend Price Reporter to anyone looking for help in acquiring a GSA contract or any Government business dealings. They have the expertise and the know-how to get the work completed.
We have used Price Reporter for various services over the past 5 years and have been very happy with the services they have provided and continue to provide for us. They work hard to help you get the most from your GSA Schedule and are able to adapt and customize to what your particular needs are. I highly recommend their services to others with GSA Schedules as they help you maximize your sales
We are extremely grateful for all your help in guiding us through the whole process, as this was all new to us. Without the help of you and the rest of the team at Price Reporter, it would have been impossible to achieve our approval – or at the very least – it would have taken a very long time. I would not hesitate to highly recommend Price Reporter, Inc. to anyone needing assistance in government contracts. Your knowledge and assistance was invaluable and very much appreciated, and we look forward to a continued excellent relationship.
Without Price Reporter contacting me at the right time, GSA would probably cancel my contract already. The CO said that she contacted us back in November of 2016, but got no response. Then Price Reporter called me and helped me with all the things needed and I followed his advise. That’s how we found out that our contract will be terminated soon, but had enough time to take the corrective action. The CO called us recently and it looks like they will extend our contract life. Thanks so much for your timely follow up – Price Reporter gave our Government sales a new hope!
My company STEC-STEADFAST TECHNICS have worked with 2 IT companies before we linked up with PRICE REPORTER ,INC over 5 years ago. Ever since our relationship with the company, there is no reason to stop working with them.
The company is staffed with experienced and high Tech professionals who meet our needs adequately.
Learn whether you are eligible to sell on GSA.
On this, page you can quickly see if your company qualifies for a GSA contract, or in other words if it is “GSA eligible”. We’ll talk about GSA qualifications further down the page, and here is a tool that we offer; it allows us to evaluate your readiness for obtaining a GSA contract and to estimate your potential with GSA.
Organizations that would conform to GSA requirements are sometimes called GSA eligible. It really pays off to be one of those GSA eligible organizations.
Here is why:
The government is quite picky when it comes to the selection of vendors that they choose to purchase products and services from. This is for a reason: GSA wants the best for federal agencies, so the typical qualification routine is very scrutinous and time-consuming. To be found eligible to sell on GSA, a company needs to meet certain requirements, some of which are easy to match, and others are quite complicated.
First, as said above, the government wants the best: the best products, the best services, and, of course, the best prices. GSA simply cannot and does not want to deal with minor firms, untrustworthy companies and so on. Second, strict regulations and qualification rules help prevent machinations and fraud on both sides.
GSA wants to have business with solid, trusted companies that already have a name on the open market, and do not carry debts or other financial burdens. Only companies that offer competitive prices can qualify for federal grants and schedules. Also, there are several specific requirements a business must meet in order to be eligible for a GSA Schedule.
A quick way to see whether your Past Performance score would be adequate, is to ask your existing customers to answer the questionnaire beforehand, and then see if you should improve on anything negative that your client might mention. Price Reporter will be glad to assist you with PPE references, among other things.
And if you merely need to know you have chances with GSA, and if your business is eligible for selling to GSA, please contact us using the form below. We will be happy to help.
Many small business owners who are willing to start their cooperation with the government ask themselves whether they would qualify. After all, small business is a small business, and the GSA Schedule seems and sounds like something really complex and demanding, which it certainly is.
So, if you too are wondering if you qualify for GSA Schedules, please know that you are on the right track. It is very wise to make a deeper research of the entire government contracting sphere, before rushing into it. Indeed, even if you have heard dozens of success stories, that does not necessarily mean that your own affair with the government will be a success too. We recommend taking your time, and investigate the requirements to contractors and the processes behind the GSA contracting system.
By conducting prior research, you can learn exactly what kind of preparations you will need. Or, you can consult with professional GSA agents such as Price Reporter. We have been helping businesses to ensure they qualify for a GSA Schedule contract for many years. Forewarned means forearmed. And forewarning comes from the in-depth knowledge of the government contracting. With proper knowledge (either your own, or those of the GSA expert) you can greatly improve your chances of successful government business.