GSA Contracting and Government Marketing

A GSA schedule is a half-decade contract offering a set pricelist the federal government has agreed to pay for the products and services of a company. The GSA contract expires every 5 years, at which point it must be renewed. In renewing a GSA schedule, the company and government re-evaluate the prices that are offered for federal contracting.

There is still some competition for a government bid, however a company holding a GSA Contract has a large advantage. Often, the only competition would be another company on schedule with a GSA contract, or a business that makes a very specialized item. Therefore, competition is reduced due to the prices contained in a schedule which are pre-negotiated at the time of contract award. Usually, the competition is between only companies with GSA Contracts, and those without a GSA Contract are our of the race before it began.

GSA Contract holding companies should not expect sales under the contract without focused, agency-based sales efforts. It does take some time to get your foot in the door, even with a GSA Contract. However, once trust is established, the GSA Contract alongside a track record of successful projects will secure a strong position for any business in the federal market.

Federal buyers, or procurement officers, are usually required to request proposals from three contractors and decide on the winning vendor based on best value. However, best value does not mean the lowest price. Put yourself in the place of a contracting officer. They usually are not experts on what they are responsible to procure, they just want to make sure that tax dollars are fairly spent.

The two biggest factors when a CO determines the best value are performance history and price tag. But, there is a lot to be said for end-user influence. It may not be the ideal tax-payer protection, but it is actually a quite functioning system. Here is why: A business that has their GSA Contract and has worked with Camp Pendleton on successful projects is likely to win even more projects on that military base. At the end of the day, federal employees just want to avoid being responsible for a horrible waste of taxpayer dollars, and the proven contractor is most often the best bet.

The use of a GSA schedule is an efficient buying system, and is growing in popularity among federal purchasers. Administrative costs for providing products or services under GSA schedules are much lower than the costs of dealing with individual contracts. Companies with a GSA Contract are given a supreme advantage in competing for bids in the federal market.

GSA Schedule Services has over 5 years of experience in acquiring GSA Contracts and federal proposal writing. Any business with a GSA Contract has a great advantage when bidding on a federal project. GSA Contract Services can acquire a GSA Contract for a company in less than 3 months.