Get on GSA schedule

A GSA contract works like a license that allows you to sell to the government; having obtained a contract will open your business up to all federal purchasing. It allows companies to sell on all government online portals, including GSA Advantage and respond to Bids, RFQs, as well as solicit all Federal Agencies directly. This means more business and more sales for your company.

Under the GSA schedule program, a wide variety of businesses from almost every industry are able to trade with the government. Some of the more popular fields are among the IT products and services, office and industrial supplies, business management services, engineering services, environmental products and services, as well as many others. Overall there are sixty-two categories of commercial products and services that vendors may apply for, under a GSA contract.

Holding a GSA contract will open the door to a huge, multibillion Dollar market for US Federal Government procurement. Having Price Reporter assist you in the process will save you time and energy, while enabling you to make more money, while spending less of it in the process.

Get on the GSA Schedule Now

You can think of GSA Schedule contracts as a license to sell to the federal government directly. The GSA Schedule is a $45 billion government expenditure , and each approved vendor is allocated a slice of the pie. There is a niche of government contracts for every kind of business; GSA splits its Schedule into twelve Large Categories, from IT and Office Management to Scientific Solutions and Security & Protection. If you’d like to learn more about getting a GSA Schedule, then keep reading.

Am I Eligible to Get a GSA Schedule?

Naturally, the federal government only wants to procure the best products and services from the best qualified vendors, so your business will be subject to a careful review beforehand. The GSA requires that you:

• Have been in business for at least two years;
• Demonstrate an annual revenue of at least $100,000 per year for the past two consecutive years;
• Continuously Meet the technical and service-related requirements of your customers.

How do I get a US government contract?

There are 5 stages to get a GSA Schedule, and Price Reporter will assist you at every step of GSA contract preparation, and beyond.

1. Company evaluation and registration.
   During your free initial consultation, our GSA experts will use specially developed marketing tools to analyze your company’s finances and capabilities, to ensure that you meet GSA’s proposal requirements. The next step of the GSA Schedule solicitation is registration. Each GSA applicant is required to get a DUNS number (Dun & Bradstreet Open Ratings Past Performance Evaluation), a unique number used to maintain your business information and identify your business credit file. Following that, you register on SAM, the System for Award Management, a central database for the various federal procurement systems. Finally, you must select the NAICS codes (North American Industry Classification System) that best define your company’s primary activities.
2. Proposal preparation.
   This is the most complex and time-consuming stage of getting on the GSA Schedule, but Price Reporter offers GSA Schedule preparation services to guide you through the process. It can take half a year from the moment of application to contract award, depending on the accuracy of your proposal (any clarifications or missing documents will delay the process), GSA Schedule category and other factors. The smallest oversight can set you back months and cost you thousands of dollars. An experienced GSA consultant will be your lifeline; we’ll ensure you get it right the first time.
   There are three elements to the GSA proposal:
   • Administrative section;
   • Technical section;
   • Pricing section.
     Price Reporter will assist you in compiling documents such as Past Performance Assessments, product catalog, financial statements and marketing materials, and checking the final proposal before submitting it to GSA.
3. Proposal review and negotiations.
   A GSA contracting officer will be assigned to review your proposal and negotiate optimum prices, discounts and deals for government customers. We will lead the negotiation process on your behalf to secure the best T&Cs, so that your company can profit and compete without losing business. Once the negotiations are complete, your Final Proposal Revision (FPR) will be prepared and submitted.
4. Contract award.
   As soon as you are awarded your GSA contract, you can start selling. Price Reporter will publish your catalog on GSA Advantage!, an electronic procurement portal for government agencies that enables them to find vendors and purchase products and services directly through GSA Schedule Contracts. Our team of GSA professionals will edit and update your catalog with as much relevant content as possible, so that it attracts customers to your business.
5. Post-award support.
   When doing business through GSA, getting on the Schedule is just the beginning; finding each opportunity and remaining compliant with GSA’s many regulations post-award is of paramount importance. Price Reporter’s team will work with you to maximize sales, research and identify your top competitors, devise a strong marketing strategy, optimize pricing, expand your catalog, and monitor your compliance. You can leave it with us.

What Are the Easiest Government Contracts To Get?

Bidding for GSA Schedule contracts is no easy process. However, there are some strategies that will make it simpler to maximize GSA Schedule sales.

• Instead of bidding against industry leaders for major contracts, use your size to your advantage. Small businesses and newcomers can partner with prime contractors, learning and earning throughout the subcontracting process.
• Small disadvantaged businesses can benefit from government programs and ‘set-aside’ contracts, which we’ll cover in more detail below.
• As we’ve highlighted, applying for, winning, and managing GSA Schedule contracts is easier if you are assisted by specialist GSA consultants, like Price Reporter.

How Do I Get a Government Contract for a Small Business in the US?

The US Government is committed to supporting small disadvantaged businesses, and awards at least 10% of contracts to them. A firm is considered to be ‘small disadvantaged’ either if it is more than 51% owned or controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged people (among them women, veterans or service-disabled owners), or if it is considered ‘small’ according to the SBA’s size standards (determined by the NAICS code of your business activity).

Small disadvantaged businesses can benefit from the following programs:

• 8(A) Business Development Program: this nine-year program offers a world of resources and assistance to minority-owned small businesses, enabling them to compete in the government marketplace. Benefits include set-aside contracts (which are ‘set aside’ specifically for this category of business), assistance from Business Opportunity Specialists, financial experts and others, as well as mentorship and joint venture opportunities.
• Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contracting Program: contracts offered through this program are limited to women-owned and economically disadvantaged women-owned businesses that operate under 400 NAICS codes.

Benefits of Getting a GSA Schedule Contract

To get on the GSA Schedule is no easy process. But if it’s right for you, then it can certainly offer lucrative opportunities and benefits such as:

• Administrative perks;
  • Prices, T&Cs and other administrative elements are pre-agreed, leaving you more time to focus on what matters.
  • Purchases are made directly from a vendor’s GSA Schedule contract, reducing administrative headaches and lengthy negotiations.
  • Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) can be established between agencies and contractors, eliminating repetitive and time-consuming ordering procedures.
• Financial perks;
  • As we mentioned, the GSA Schedule is a $45 billion government expenditure. The Information Technology Large Category is the most lucrative, averaging out at $3.5 million in sales for each contractor. Next up is Professional Services, averaging at $2 million per contractor.
  • GSA Schedule contracts promise you years of business relationships with the government. Each contract is signed for 5 years, with three consequential 5-year renewals. If 20 years of streamlined sales with minimum administrative burden can’t convince you, then what can?
  • GSA vendors can stay in the commercial market after signing a GSA contract, so your sales are not curtailed in any way.
  • Winning a GSA Schedule earns you access to government marketing and advertising tools, among them GSA Advantage!, GSA eBuy and GSA eLibrary.

Should I Get a GSA Schedule?

Getting a GSA Schedule contract will open the door to a multibillion-dollar marketplace for US Federal Government procurement. Price Reporter will assist you every step of the way, enabling you to make more money while spending less of it in the process. Utilizing our full range of custom marketing intelligence solutions, we provide the insight you need to navigate today’s complex government marketplace. And our numbers say it all: we have 15 years of relevant experience under our belt, have helped 700 successful businesses, managed over 1000 GSA contracts, and processed over one million GSA orders through our Order Management System. Contact us today for a free consultation.

Who Should get a GSA Schedule Contract

While a GSA Schedule contract is not the only way to sell to the government, it is certainly one of the fastest and small business-friendly options. It is a sure way to facilitate sales on the federal market, and secure terms and conditions for the entire period of the contract’s validity.

Hence, a GSA Schedule contract is advisable for

• small, medium and large-sized businesses, who want to penetrate the federal market
• owners of small disadvantaged businesses, such as women-owned business or service-disable veteran-owned businesses, who enjoy a number of set-aside contracts netting to over $50 billion.
• those who want to confirm high-stability and reliability of the business by working with the government, which is known as the strictest and the most demanding customer of all.
• consulting firms who want to offer their services to the governmental and federal institutions.
• various professional services companies who want to benefit from their high skill level.

Here are a few reasons to get a GSA contract.

• You get access to a very large market with a wide range of demands in almost any sphere, from architecture and construction services, to office supplies and janitorial services.
• GSA Schedules are a preferred way for government agencies to procure goods and services, so by having a GSA schedule contract, you are automatically on the short list of potential vendors.
• Access to all federal selling platforms such as eBuy and GSA Advantage. Many federal buyers publish requests for purchase (RFP) and requests for quotation (RFQ) on these platforms.

How to Get on the GSA Schedule?

Yes, getting onto a GSA Schedule is not an easy task, especially if you are very new to the entire government contracting theme. Overall, the process of obtaining a GSA Schedule consists of several obligatory stages, each having lots of difficulties, nuances and pitfalls.

Here are the main stages of the GSA contracting process.

1. Preliminary preparation. Before you even start gathering the required documents for GSA contract application, you should really build a firm knowledge about the federal contract system conceptually, at least in the most general sense. You really should know the terminology and basic processes to understand what’s going on here. Even if you are going to hire someone to manage GSA sales for you.
2. GSA proposal preparation. Gather all the required documents (there are roughly 30-40 of them) to submit to the GSA. These documents are required because they tell the GSA what you sell, your pricing, terms and conditions, the financial state of your company, and why the government should  trust you and choose you as a contractor.
3. Proposal review. This step is done by the GSA contracting officer. The review process can take quite a while and there is little you can do to speed it up. And this is exactly why you should pay a lot of attention to the previous steps; every mistake or error will get your application declined, thus wasting time and effort you put into compiling it.
4. Negotiation. The GSA reviews your proposal and compares it to other offers and to the commercial averages. The GSA will do this if they feel that  they can negotiate better terms or prices. After this stage is successfully done, the GSA awards the contract. Negotiation along with the review stage can easily take up to 12 months. However, with a good GSA consulting agency at your side, you can reduce this period to 4-6 months.
5. Initial setup. Now, as a GSA contract holder, you should register at the federal market platforms, upload your product catalogs and price lists, fill up your company profile and make other necessary steps that will pave your way to future federal sales. This stage also involves training of your sales staff, so that they know how to sell within the scope of the GSA contract.
6. Marketing and promotion. While the federal market is very different from the commercial one we all are accustomed to, they both have something in common: you need to market your products and services to federal agencies to increase sales. Also, you need to constantly manage your contract to remain relevant and compliant.

How can Price Reporter help you get a GSA Schedule?

While there is nothing that could prevent you from filing all the documents required to secure a GSA contract yourself, it is recommended that you delegate this to a GSA consultant, such as Price Reporter. Here is how our specialists can help you get onto the GSA Schedule.

• We can provide vast amounts of information about GSA contracting, in a structured and easy-to-comprehend way. So you can understand GSA schedules better and get answers to your questions from seasoned experts in federal contracting.
• We can help you with collecting and compiling the required document package, avoid mistakes and pitfalls, save a lot of time and effort you would otherwise put into document preparation, if you were to do this in-house.
• We can communicate with GSA contracting officers on your behalf. We know how to do this correctly, so you’d benefit from better negotiated conditions and faster responses.
• We can manage your contract during its entire lifetime, so you don’t have to spend resources on manually checking compliance issues, tracking changes in FAR, and dealing with dozens of legal issues accompanying government contracting. We can do all of this faster, cheaper, professionally and diligently.

Have questions? Don’t hesitate to give us a call – 201.567.6646

How could you get on a GSA Schedule?

Even though the number of challenges on your way towards a GSA Schedule contract is huge, the resulting benefits will repay by far. This is a longsome road for sure, but you are not alone. There are a lot of trusted GSA consulting agencies who will be willing to help you out. Price Reporter has been helping small and medium sized businesses to acquire GSA contracts over the past 16 years.We know this market and the federal contracting like the back of our hands. And we will gladly provide our services to streamline the process of application, negotiation and post-award management of the contract.

With Price Reporter you can get on a GSA Schedule without losing your primary business focus. We offer turn-key solutions that include every service you need to successfully enter the new world of government sales and lucrative GSA contracts. Welcome!