If your organization sells “Commercial Off The Shelf” (COTS) goods and/or services, then you should consider acquiring a GSA Schedule as a tool to sell to the federal government. One of the early decisions a government buyer makes about any federal acquisition is whether or not the products / services can be bought through an existing “Contracting Vehicle” – such as a GSA Schedule. If your organization has a GSA Schedule, you will be one of the limited number of vendors considered at this stage. Without a GSA Schedule, you will never sell to the government at this stage of the Acquisition process.

A GSA Schedule is up to a 20-year contract between your organization and the federal government to potentially sell goods / services in bulk quantities over a period of time renewed each 5 years. Government buyers prefer to make purchases through GSA vendors whenever possible for three primary reasons – easier process, lower risk, better pricing, faster turnaround, pre-approved vendors. It’s an easier process because the overall contract between your organization and the government is already established. Therefore, all the government buyer has to do is place an order against the existing contract. It’s lower risk because GSA Schedule holders have already been vetted and approved by the government. It’s better pricing because prices are pre-negotiated. For these reasons, today GSA oversees approximately $75 billion in annual contract, and delivers services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people.

If your organization sells “Commercial Off The Shelf” products and/or services, you should consider acquiring a GSA Schedule, provided you meet the following criteria: You’ve conducted market research and are confident in the potential to sell your products / services through the GSA, You are confident you can offer a competitive market price to the government for your products / services, Your federal registrations are complete, optimized, and active, and You have a high-quality Capability Statement to send to government buyers upon request.

The General Services Administration (GSA) is the “general store” for the federal government. This means that every federal agency, office and location is able to take advantage of the benefits afforded through the GSA, such as reduced risk, preferred pricing, and buying in bulk. The GSA process is designed to allow any agency, office or location to place orders directly to a GSA vendor as needs arise.

Government buyers are accountable for the performance of the contract awardees they select. Each award decision has deadlines to meet, and costs to manage. Therefore, government buyers are primarily interested in reducing risk, saving money, and saving time. By purchasing products and services through the GSA, government buyers can achieve their three primary goals: 1: They reduce risk because GSA has vetted and approved them as a vendor. 2: They save the government money through pre-negotiated “best pricing”. 3: They save time with reduced processes, paperwork , and redundancy.

Processing time for a GSA Schedule can vary greatly based on a number of factors. The timeline relies greatly on active organizational participation in collecting and providing the information required to move through the process. In some cases, companies attempt to process and submit their own GSA Schedule applications. On average, it takes a company submitting on their own more than a year to complete the process. In addition, companies that submit GSA Schedule applications on their own tend to have a failure rate of acceptance up to 10 times higher (over 90%) than those who outsource their GSA Application and negotiation process to a professional GSA processing organization such as FBA. Most applicants that process their own applications get denied due to mistakes resulting from their lack of knowledge about federal contracting rules and the protocols of engagement.