It is the Single Most Efficient Way to Do Business With The Federal Government

Having a GSA Schedule is the most efficient way to do business with the Federal Government. A Schedule provides a quick and relatively easy way to purchase its needs without the hassles and headaches associated with some of the more burdensome and complex procurement regulations. An authorized user buying off a Schedule does not have to advertise or synopsize its needs, seek further competition, or make independent determinations of fair and reasonable pricing. Furthermore authorized users can review Schedules on-line and buy on-line through the GSA Advantage! online shopping and ordering system.

Given the relative ease of GSA Schedules, most federal purchasing agents are loathe to issue a full blown Request for Proposals. This is increasingly true as the federal government continues to make cut backs in its purchasing departments and existing resources are stretched to their limits.

As each year passes, not having a GSA Schedule makes less and less sense.

Schedule Sales Data

Every passing year marks an increased use of GSA Schedules. Below are links to charts for some of the more popular GSA Schedules which show the increase use of these Schedules over the past few years.

Opens the Doors To State and Local Procurements

Having a GSA Schedule also opens the door to doing business with certain States. To establish standing contract vehicles, States are increasingly trying to "piggyback" on GSA Schedule contracts. A leader in this area was California with its California Multiple Award Schedule ("CMAS") contract, which takes a vendor's GSA Schedule contract, adds a layer of California terms and conditions, and gives the contractor the opportunity to sell its commercial items to California state and local government agencies. This is no small market; if California were a free-standing, sovereign country, it would have the fifth largest Gross Domestic Product in the world. Other States going the piggyback Schedule route include Texas, Louisiana and Ohio.

Some States, such as New York, do not have a true MAS contract program like California and Texas. New York instead often use prices found in other competitively negotiated contracts. This is done on a procurement-by-procurement basis, and apparently these contracts are not available for use by other New York agencies on a regular basis. As the example of New York suggests, it is common practice for State governments to ask if a vendor has a competitively price contract for the items solicited, and the easiest, neatest example is a GSA Schedule contract. States are free to use the GSA Schedule contract as a comparison or ceiling price on the State procurement and often do so. Moreover, GSA rarely looks at an offeror's pricing to State governments when negotiating a fair and reasonable GSA Schedule contract price, so it is not uncommon for a State to insist on a price equal to or lower than the benchmark GSA Schedule contract price.

Provides an Alternate Source of Income

After 9/11, many commercial vendors found that revenue from the commercial marketplace had trickled down significantly or even dried up altogether. The federal government, on the other hand, increased its spending to meet new safety and security mandates and those with Schedules in place were there to scoop up the profits. The old adage is true – don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Next:   How do I get a GSA Schedule?