With over $17 billion in sales, the GSA Information Technology category remains one of the most profitable opportunities for small businesses aiming for government contracts. Previously known as GSA Schedule 70, this category was in extremely high demand among federal buyers in FY 2020. And the new FY 2021, with all the present day requirements for distance learning, videoconferencing, and overall growth of the IT sector, is expected to bring even more federal sales to GSA contractors working within the IT Large Category.
- What is the GSA IT Schedule category?
- How does a GSA IT Schedule contract help your business?
- GSA IT Category SINs receiving most orders
- SIN 54151S – Information Technology Professional Services
- SIN 33411 – IT Hardware
- SIN 511210 – IT Software Licenses
What is the GSA IT Schedule category?
The GSA IT Category is a part of the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program. This Large Category allows federal buyers to procure various IT products, services, supplies, software, and equipment.
This category is densely populated by various small and mid-sized contractors, as well as IT giants. The reason is simple: since the 90’s, the GSA IT Schedule has been the most high-budget GSA Schedule. Almost every federal agency that performs acquisition via the GSA MAS program needs various IT products of services.
For example, almost every federal agency needs computer hardware, telecommunication equipment, software licenses, and a whole lot of IT services starting from health and information security services, to training, personal identification, internet services and so on.
After the MAS Consolidation, legacy GSA IT Schedule 70 is now a part of the consolidated Schedule, the GSA Information Technology Category.
How does a GSA IT Schedule contract help your business?
Winning a GSA contract in the IT category in 2021 is a big step forward for your business. A GSA contract in the IT category is of IDIQ type which means Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity. This means your contract is limited neither to specific quantities of products, nor to specific costs. And for a business this means that you can receive orders during the entire period of validity of your contract.
Another reason to consider a GSA Schedule 70 contract in FY 2021 is the Cooperative Purchasing and Disaster Recovery programs, running in 2020-2021 that allow state, municipal, tribal, and local governments to purchase IT products, solutions and services through the GSA Schedules Program. This essentially adds even more potential clients to the federal ones, already procuring IT products through the GSA Schedule.
And once more, let us remind you about the total budget of the Information Technology Category. It is enormous! The GSA reports $17.8 billion in sales in fiscal year 2020. And you can have your own share of the pie in FY 2021.
GSA IT Category SINs receiving most orders
Currently, the Information Technology category contains seven subcategories and 19 Special Item Numbers. Of them, the following ones are primary, receiving plenty of orders:
SIN 54151S – Information Technology Professional Services
This SIN contains such services as
- database planning and design;
- IT systems analysis, integration, and design;
- programming services;
- conversion of data and implementation of algorithms;
- network services;
- data/records management;
- testing of IT environments;
- and others.
Sure enough, in 2021 literally every organization has a database it needs to manage.
Among closely related subcategories within this subcategory are information assurance, virus detection, secure web hosting and backup, and various other information security services. The overall spending for IT Professional Services (vs. Products) was about $10 billion in 2020.
Note that the legacy SIN for this category before MAS Consolidation was SIN 132-51.
SIN 33411 – IT Hardware
Federal organizations purchase computers, computer equipment and peripherals under this SIN. The SIN encompasses the following:
- Purchasing of new electronic equipment, such as desktop, laptop or tablet computers, servers, storage media, AV equipment, printing devices and so on.
- Leasing of new electronic equipment.
- Maintenance of IT hardware
- Repair services
- Purchasing spare parts and components for IT equipment
Needless to say, the necessity to procure various IT equipment is extremely high among agencies as well as state, local and municipal authorities, who are also eligible to make purchases through GSA IT Schedule, via the Cooperative Purchasing and Disaster Recovery programs. In FY 2020, the total budget for purchasing IT hardware was about $2 billion.
The pre-consolidation numbers of this SIN were SIN 132-8 and SIN 132-9.
SIN 511210 – IT Software Licenses
This SIN allows federal agencies to purchase perpetual and time-limited software licenses and maintain them. The SIN replaces legacy SINs in the Schedule 70: SIN 132-32 (Term Software Licenses), SIN 132-33 (Perpetual Software Licenses) and SIN 132-34 (Software Maintenance Services).
The term “IT software” includes:
- Operating systems;
- Software tools and utilities;
- CAD systems;
- Database Management systems;
- Specialized software;
- End-user software.
In 2020, total federal spending in our third primary IT SIN was about $5 billion. That’s enough to start thinking of taking a role of a GSA contractor, isn’t it?
Other not-so-whopping budgets are divided between all other SINS in the Information Technology Category of the MAS Program, namely:
- 54151ECOM – Electronic Commerce and Subscription Services;
- 54151HACS – Highly Adaptive Cybersecurity Services (HACS);
- 54151HEAL – Health Information Technology Services;
- 518210C – Cloud and Cloud-Related IT Professional Services;
- 541370GEO – Earth Observation Solutions;
- 541519CDM – Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) Tools;
- 541519ICAM – Identity, Credentialing and Access Management (ICAM);
- 541519PIV – Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 Product and Service Components;
- 541519PKI – Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Shared Service Providers (PKI SSP) Program;
- 561422 – Automated Contact Center Solutions (ACCS);
- 611420 – Information Technology Training;
- 517312 – Wireless Mobility Solutions;
- 517410 – Commercial Satellite Communications Solutions;
Conclusion
The fiscal year 2021 is going to be very profitable for the IT sector. The global pandemic made personal communication harder, so everyone had to adapt. Video conferencing, remote communication, distance training and education are already a reality. And that is why this year the GSA IT Schedule is going to hit new records. Will you be a part of it? It is for you to decide.
If you have any questions about getting onto the GSA Information Technology Category, please contact Price Reporter. We will be glad to help.