Is It Easy Getting On GSA Schedule Program? Things You Need To Know

Obtaining a GSA contract is a challenging process. Before thinking about obtaining a GSA contract, you need to know about getting into the GSA Schedule program. For that, you need to make preparations to be eligible and acquire GSA certification. 

Basically, The GSA Schedule is a long-term governmentwide contract with commercial companies. It provides access to commercial products and services to the government. Due to this contracting vehicle, the products and services are sold at a reasonable and fair price.

For small businesses, getting on a GSA Schedule can be overwhelming due to the complex and detailed submission process. If you carry out your tasks in a systematic approach then it can be a lot easier. There are requirements that you need to fulfill as a commercial company or federal contractor to become a GSA contractor. So, you must know all the requirements and follow a definite path systematically till you successfully obtain the GSA certification.

In this blog, we will talk about the eligibility criteria for getting into the GSA Schedule program. We will also mention what you need to do to obtain GSA contracts. Before that you need to understand should you consider getting on the GSA Schedule program.

Should you consider getting on a GSA Schedule?

A GSA Schedule contract can be a valuable tool to increase federal sales if your company has the following things.

• Customers are requesting you get a GSA Schedule. 
• You have gathered experience in selling to government agencies. 
• Your competitors have GSA Schedule 
• Your market research is supporting GSA Schedule sales. 
• Your products and services are already registered in GSA Schedules. 
• Your products and service fit in with the GSA Schedule contracts.

If you don’t want to respond to time-consuming, costly RFQs and RFPs. The process for receiving orders becomes far simpler than a traditional RFP after obtaining a contract. Small and large businesses, commercial products manufacturers and resellers, consulting firms, and professional service firms from all industries can obtain GSA contracts. Now you can decide if you should consider getting on the GSA Schedule program. 

Know the eligibility criteria to become a GSA contractor

You need to make sure that you are eligible to become a GSA contractor before you go through the process of completing a GSA Schedule process. The GSA wants to ensure that the companies are responsible. They also make sure that the companies have gathered experience, and have good financials. The companies also need to have products and services that abide by government regulations. The requirements are mentioned below:

• Before acquiring a GSA Schedule contract, contractors need to gather at least two years of experience. 
• The contractors either need to have 3 CPARS reports or need to provide 3 to 5 customer references. 
• Potential contractors who are going to provide services need to provide fully executed Statements of Work and descriptions of past projects similar in scope to each SIN they are proposing. 
• Contractors who are going to provide products must have TAA-complaint and must have fair and reasonable pricing.

If you cannot meet all these requirements then you can partner with an authorized GSA Schedule reseller on their contract. In this way, you can be a subcontractor and obtain GSA contracts.

How to get on the GSA Schedule? 

Now it is time to know how to get on the GSA Schedule. To understand the process we have broken it down into 4 phases for getting on a GSA Schedule.

• Phase 1 – GSA preparation & submission 
• Phase 2 – GSA review & contract negotiation 
• Phase 3 – GSA contract award and start-up 
• Phase 4 – On-going GSA contract management & marketing

GSA preparation & submission

Based on the specific GSA Schedule’s solicitation you prepare a GSA proposal. After that, you submit it to GSA through the GSA’s eOffer system. This is the very first phase of getting ona GSA Schedule and in the very beginning, you need to prepare and submit all the necessary documents. 

GSA review & contract negotiation

The GSA reviews the proposal to determine if the commercial company or federal contractor is a responsible vendor. GSA evaluates the prices that have been offered by the contractors. After proper evaluation, GSA tries to negotiate better terms. Once the negotiation is done, GSA awards the contract to the federal contractor. Phase 2 can be time-consuming, as it takes four to twelve month.

GSA award & start-up

After obtaining a GSA contract, you will have to take certain important steps and these are:

• Registering the contract. 
• Uploading the price list and catalog to GSA Advantage (an official website of GSA). 
• Setting up your profile in eBuy.

On-going GSA contract management and marketing

The fourth phase involves managing and maintaining GSA contracts. In this phase, marketing is also an important part. As a GSA contractor, you must prepare a contract modification request for approval, if you want to change the prices, add or delete products or services. To ensure everybody is in compliance with the GSA contract terms, contract administrators must work with the team of sales and marketing. Your team of sales and marketing must know how to utilize the GSA Schedule and take all the benefits of the offers of a GSA contract.

Conclusion

So we have explained all the phases that you need to go through to obtain a GSA Schedule contract. We have also mentioned if getting on a GSA Schedule is perfect or not. As you have already read the eligibility criteria to become a GSA contractor, now you need to take steps for becoming one.