The General Services Administration, also known as GSA, is the central purchasing authority established by the United States Federal Government in 1949 to perform a number of vital procurement functions. Some of its tasks include, but are not limited to, managing real properties and buildings owned by the government, providing support for the procurement of products and services, and creating guidelines and policies for processes within its jurisdiction.
One of the primary functions of GSA is to identify and categorize almost 12 million products and services that the government buys on a regular basis. To make things more organized, similar items are grouped according to use. These groups are also referred to as schedules. Interested companies may negotiate a contract with GSA. And if they successfully meet the requirements, GSA contract may be awarded.
Although GSA reviews huge numbers of contracts annually, getting awarded with one is not as easy at it seems. With thousands of other merchants and service providers, your company should always be a cut above the rest for you to meet the high level of GSA standards.
GSA contract is also referred to in many different names such as GSA schedule, Multiple Award Schedule or MAS, Federal Acquisition Service or FAS, GSA number, GSA listing, and federal supply schedule. GSA’s requirements may vary from schedule to schedule. But as a general rule, all interested company must prove financial capability to supply the specific goods and services as agreed by both parties. They must also show proof of at least two years of being in business, satisfactory performance in the past few years, and certification of commercially available products that are compliant with the Trade Agreements Act.
The time that it takes between negotiating a contract and acquiring an award also varies depending on the type of schedule. Depending on the resources of your company, preparation of a proposal may take between a few months to more than a year. The next process is the review of the submitted proposals. IT schedules are the fastest with an average review time of three months. On the other hand, furniture and security schedules may take over a year. To manage your time well, you may check the resources that readily available for interested companies.
Once you have been awarded a GSA contract, you can directly sell your products and services to hundreds of federal consumers including all federal and executive agencies, government contractors that are authorized to purchase using the federal currency, the Department of Defense, and other institutions and international organizations as identified by the General Services Administration. You may also check the GSA website for the complete list of eligible GSA schedule consumers.
Being a GSA contract holder means more than getting a steady inflow of profit for your company. It also increases your company’s reputation as a trusted source of goods and supplies and it also gives you exclusive access to online GSA systems wherein buyers shop for particular products and services. While there are many companies that prospered by being a GSA contract holder, it takes more effort to establish strong connections with consumers and stay competitive in the market.
