You will wonder how to get on GSA schedule contracts at some time throughout your career in government contracting. While not every ship that pursues this siren song will crash on the rocks, those who don't comprehend government wide contracts face a significant danger of wrecking their ships. This siren song has drawn many businesses.
In actuality, GSA contracts have the potential to be extremely significant and profitable for your government contracting company. The drawbacks, however, are numerous, and if you don't carefully consider each one, you might discover that despite your best efforts, you probably won't get much of a return on your investment.
This is the reason we created this manual. We won't attempt to instruct you on how to join the GSA schedules because each company has a different process. This article's goal is to assist you in determining whether obtaining a GSA schedule is the best course of action for you because the result might surprise you.
A GSA contract gives your company access to a completely new market and clientele. There are millions of GSA contractors and billions of dollars worth of GSA contracts each year, so there are many opportunities for you to earn federal business and even collaborate with other contractors on larger awards. The GSA Schedules program is a fantastic way to get started in government sales, but if you're not familiar with the rules, it can be a difficult and drawn-out process. Check out the below list of steps for getting on a GSA Schedule if you're not sure where to start.
1. Determine if a GSA contract Is Right for Your Business
Before starting the proposal process, it's crucial to check if you are qualified to submit a GSA Schedule bid. The following is a list of specifications to bear in mind:
- Financial stability is essential
- Business must have existed for at least two years (unless you qualify for and can provide alternate information through the Startup Springboard Program).
- A demonstrable commercial sale of the proposed goods or services must be made.
- Obligated to adhere to the Trade Agreement Act (TAA)
- Must have an active SAM.gov registration and a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).
You are prepared to start the proposal process if your business satisfies the aforementioned standards. An extensive amount of needed paperwork must be included with a GSA proposal. Administrative, technical, and pricing parts make up the bulk of the proposal. To give you a sense of how the process works and what kind of information is required, we'll quickly explain what each part implies below.
2. Complete each of the GSA Schedule Proposal's three sections.
Section Administrative
The administrative portion provides the GSA contract with background information on your business. This contains records like the company's organizational chart, financial statements, employee handbook, and SAM.gov registration. Pathways to Success and Readiness Assessment are two additional necessary training courses in the administrative portion that will help you get and keep your GSA Schedule.
Technical Section
GSA learns more about your company's experience and technical proficiency in the proposal's technical part. A GSA contract is interested in learning more about the goods and/or services you provide and how previous clients have rated them.
Corporate experience and quality control narratives that showcase the skills and capabilities of your company as well as organizational roles are required for the technical part. The technical area also features details of previously finished projects and a Past Performance Evaluation report with client feedback. You may also submit your Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) ratings if you have previously worked for the government.
The Price Section
The proposal's main body, the pricing section, can be the most challenging to understand. All items or services that support the company's commercial price list or market rates must have pricing support from the offeror. You must give thorough explanations of functional responsibility, education, and experience if you are giving labor categories. You must also disclose all commercial sales techniques, commercial costs, and proposed GSA pricing. When submitted, the pricing section itself might have up to 15 separate documents.
3. GSA navigation Proposal to Award Schedule
After the application has been submitted, the GSA contract has the option of rejecting it owing to deficiencies or requesting more information. If the designated Contracting Officer believes the offer to be adequate, they will not attempt to bargain for a lower price. A Final Proposal Revision (FPR) will be signed following the conclusion of talks, and the contract will then be awarded. It's vital to have patience throughout this step because it could take several months.
Have Questions About Your GSA Contract Offer?
A GSA proposal submission can be a challenging procedure that calls for extensive GSA expertise. You might be on your own if your business has a strong team with government knowledge and the capacity to handle everything that comes with a GSA contract. However, many businesses find that they need assistance in trying to understand the procedure, from the GSA Schedule offer process through negotiations and even handling Schedule maintenance post-award, so they investigate hiring a GSA consultant.
We have highly qualified consultants who have contributed to proposals for almost all of the GSA Multiple Award Schedule's categories (MAS). We would be pleased to assist you if you wanted to know more about the services you could need or if you had any questions.
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