Government Services Administration (GSA) is but one of the many procurement methods that the government uses to procure products and services.
Under the GSA Schedules (commonly referred to as Multiple Award Schedules and Federal Supply Schedules), commercial business are invited to enter into a long term relationship with the government.
The Contracting officer or federal procurement agency can order supplies and products from GSA Advantage online. This makes it more convenient for the government and eliminates many man-hours of writing RFP and Solicitations.
The government also order delivery of services from Schedules & Other Supplies & Services. Agencies, in various parts of the word (U.S. Federal Government) can conveniently order many of your supplies and services.
Benefits of GSA Schedules include:
· Ready-to-go pricing and a list of services
· Once you are on schedule it eliminates internal man-hours from responding to traditional RFPs.
· Pricing has already been determined fair and reasonable
· The government contracting office can now use the awards to meet their internal small business goals
Length of Approval Times
Getting on a GSA schedule can be very cumbersome and time consuming. If you are not familiar with the process, it can take between 400 and 650 man-hours to get the application ready to go. It may then take another 4-6 months for a decision.
Sometimes having a GSA consultant or RFP service can eliminate valuable man-hours in your department. However, you will still need to initially provide you specific information.
Cost to Get on Schedule
Obviously, there is no such thing as drafting the RFP and GSA application for free. If you have internal employees, then the amount of man-hours still adds up – depending on how much they are paid.
GSA consultants can range anywhere from $6,000 – 10,000 to get on GSA Advantage. Some people say this is too much. However, what you are actually paying for is;
· Convenience
· Access to thousands or millions of dollars in federal work
· Accuracy
Examples of GSA Supplies and Services
The government buys a wide array of commercial services and products. These include:
· 8(a) STARS (Streamlined Technology Acquisition Resources for Services)
· ACES (Access Certificates for Electronic Services)
· Advertising and Integrated Marketing Solutions (AIMS)
· Airline City Pairs Services
· Alliant
· Alliant SB (Small Business)
· ANSWER (Applications 'n Support for Widely-Diverse End User Requirements)
· Appliances
· Automobile and Light Truck Leasing
· Building Materials
· Cleaning Equipment/Janitorial Supplies and Cleaning Chemicals/Sorbents
· COMMITS NexGen (Commerce Information Technology Solutions—NexGen)
· Consolidated Schedule
· Cooperative Purchasing
· Copier Equipment
· Digital Certificate Products and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Services
· Disaster Recovery Purchasing
· Domestic Delivery Services
· E-Gov Travel
· Employee Relocation Services
· Energy Services
· Environmental Products
· Environmental Services
· Facilities Maintenance and Management
· Financial and Business Solutions (FABS)
· Firefighting and Rescue Equipment
· Fire Program
· Food Service Equipment
· Furniture Products and Services
· Geophysical, Environmental Analysis Equipment and Services
· Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs)
· GSA Global Supply
· GSA Schedules
· GSA SmartPay®/Credit Card Services
· Hardware Store
· HSPD-12 (Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12) Product and Service Components
· Human Resources and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Services
· Industrial, Aerospace, and Marine Painting
· Information Technology Products and Services
· ITOP II (Information Technology Omnibus Procurement II)
· JWOD (Javits-Wagner-O'Day Program)/AbilityOne
· Laboratory Instruments, including Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Clinical Instruments
· Laboratory Testing and Analysis Services
· Language Services, including Translation/Interpretation Services and Language Training
· Law Enforcement and Security Equipment
· Lawn and Garden Equipment
· Logistics Worldwide (LOGWORLD)
· Marine Craft and Equipment
· MAS (Multiple Award Schedule) Express Program
· Medical Training including Course Development and Instructor-Led Training
· Millennia
· Millennia Lite
· MOBIS (Mission Oriented Business Integrated Services)
· Networx
· Office Imaging and Document Solutions/Equipment
· Office Products, Supplies, and Services
· Office Relocation Services
· Paints, Coatings, Sealants, and Adhesives
· Personal Property Disposal Solutions (Excess/Surplus Property)
· Pest Control Services
· Photographic Equipment, Supplies, and Services, including Film Processing
· Power Distribution Equipment, Generators, and Batteries
· Prefabricated Structures
· Professional Engineering Services
· Publications Media Products and Services
· Recycling Collection Containers
· Restroom Products
· Scientific Equipment
· Security Services
· Shipping, Packaging, and Packing Supplies
· Solar and Energy Saving Systems
· Special Purpose Clothing
· Technology Contracts
· Temporary Administrative and Professional Staffing Support Services
· Test and Measurement Equipment
· Tires (New and Retread)
· Toiletries and Personal Care Items
· Tools
· Training Aids and Devices, Instructor-Led Training, and Course Development
· Transportation Services
· Travel
· Vehicle Buying
· Vehicle Leasing—GSA Fleet
· VETS (Veterans Technology Services)
· Virtual Data Center Services
Knowing If GSA is Right for You
As with any business judgment decision, you must always ask yourself whether it is worth it to get on a GSA schedule. The answer depends on several things such as:
· How often does the government buy your service or product?
· Which procurement mechanism is frequently used to buy them?
· Does the amount of awards in dollars justify your business getting on schedule?
Our GSA consultants usually research this information for our clients as part of the application process. We believe that spending some money up front for dependable data is key. Successful business owners never do business on assumptions or guesswork.
If you need additional help with GSA or even government contracting legal assistance , feel free to call Watson & Associates, LLC at 720.941.7200
