Get To Know the GSA
As previously mentioned, if a product or service is a commercial-type or general-purpose item, there is a good chance that the General Services Administration (GSA) buys it for all government agencies, including the DoD.
GSA, one of the government's largest agencies, helps other agencies acquire the products, services, consulting advice, space, real estate, and vehicles they need from federal and commercial sources. It acts as a catalyst for approximately $66 billion in federal spending annually, which accounts for more than one-fourth of the U.S. government's total procurement dollars.
GSA simplifies government buying and reduces government costs by negotiating large multi-user contracts and by leveraging the volume of the federal market to drive down prices. Federal agencies then place orders against these contracts. Orders are placed in a variety of ways--through catalogs, phone or fax, electronic requisitioning, auctions, the Internet, or by contacting suppliers directly. GSA contracts are awarded for a period of five years, with three- to five-year option clauses. Most GSA contracts are for standard types of services and "commercial off-the-shelf" (COTS) products and equipment in three major areas:
- general-purpose supplies, equipment, vehicles and services
- office space and land management, building construction, repair and maintenance
- information technology and professional services
GSA contracts are available to large and small businesses that provide nationwide or local services and products. GSA contracts are advertised, awarded, and managed by GSA regional offices and acquisition centers. All GSA contracting opportunities over $25,000 are advertised on the FedBizOpps web site.
So, as you can see, if your business provides commercial products or services, GSA is a potential customer that you want to get to know and learn how to do business with. And, as you can also see, it is easy to understand why GSA is sometimes referred to as the "Sears, Roebuck" for the government.
GSA Service Organizations
The GSA has two service organizations:
- Public Buildings Service (PBS) -- This is the largest public real estate organization in the U.S., maintaining more than 340 million square feet of workspace for more than one million federal employees in more than 2,100 cities, with an inventory of 8,300 government-owned buildings and leased properties.
- Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) -- This is a consolidation of the old Federal Technology Service (FTS) and the popular Federal Supply Service (FSS). It provides federal and other customers with the products, services, and programs they need to meet their supply, service, procurement, vehicle purchasing and leasing, travel and transportation, and personal property management requirements. This is done by bringing hundreds of thousands of federal customers together with over 14,000 contractors through six primary business lines:
- Commercial Acquisition
- Transportation Programs
- Travel Programs
- Vehicle Acquisition & Leasing Services
- Property Management
- GSA Global Supply
Since the GSA's Office of Commercial Acquisition is the area that presents the greatest opportunity for small businesses, this is where we will focus our discussion. (For further information on the Public Buildings Service, see this site.)
Getting on Schedule
Like any business looking to sell its products or services to the government through the GSA, your goal is to get on a "GSA Schedule" and obtain your own "GSA number." Here's what that means.
GSA manages a federal supply schedules program known as the Multiple Awards Schedules (MAS). MAS are long-term, government-wide contracts with commercial firms providing commercial services and products ordered directly by government buyers from GSA Schedule contractors or through GSA Advantage!, GSA's online shopping and ordering system. GSA Schedules cover a vast array of brand name items from office supplies and copier paper to systems furniture and from computers to laboratory equipment as well as a wide range of services, such as accounting, engineering, management, graphic design, landscaping and elevator repair.
To "get on schedule"--become a GSA Schedule contractor--you must first be awarded a contract. In order to obtain a GSA Schedule contract, you must submit an "offer" in response to the applicable Schedule solicitation. GSA uses practices similar to those found in the commercial buying arena and awards contracts to responsible companies that offer commercial items or services falling within the generic descriptions in each of the more than 40 different Schedules (these descriptions are referred to as Schedule Item Numbers or SINs). Contracting Officers determine that prices are fair and reasonable by comparing the prices or discounts that a company "offers" to GSA with the prices or discounts that the company offers to its own commercial customers (known as "most favored customer" (MFC) pricing). In order to make this comparison, GSA contracting officers require companies to furnish commercial pricelists and disclose information regarding their pricing/discounting practices during the application process.
Why would government buyers prefer to order via GSA Multiple Award Schedules instead of procuring products or services on the open market? There are several reasons. When government buyers place orders against a GSA MAS contract, they are considered to have met federal regulations regarding competition, pricing, and other socio-economic requirements. In addition, government buyers know that to be "on schedule," GSA Schedule contractors have already been screened for quality, responsibility, reliability, and other criteria during the application process; therefore government buying offices save the time, money, and trouble of having to go through that process themselves.
We assume that, at this point, you are seeing some benefits in getting your company "on schedule." Although the process can be somewhat long and complicated, it can be worth it to you and your company. The following discussions provide a step-by-step guide to help you move through the process easier and faster, as well as guidelines for marketing your GSA Schedule contract after you have been awarded:
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Work Smart
Assistance with the GSA Schedules solicitation process is readily available. GSA offers GSA Schedules Contract Training for businesses looking to become GSA Schedule contractors. To find more information, see this site.
And, as always, you can consult your local PTAC for help and advice on working through the process.
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