GSA Schedules - a Major Marketing Tool for selling to Uncle Sam!

Having a GSA (Government Services Administration) Schedule is mandatory to be effective in the government marketplace. Billions of dollars of government sales are made through the GSA. GSA purchases via competitive bidding but government buyers prefer working with GSA Schedule holders. Government contracting officers know that working with a GSA Schedule holder is much easier than with another vendor so if there is a competition between you and another company on the GSA schedule, guess who wins? Learn more about GSA schedules here.

GSA Schedules are the preferred vehicle of purchase for federal buyers. Companies who are attempting to enter the federal marketplace will be a step ahead with a schedule in place. However, getting on a GSA schedule is not easy. The paperwork is daunting and the process complex. It's possible to "go it alone" but a preferable approach is to work with someone who has the experience in assisting companies who would like a GSA schedule. GSA has a number of schedules one or more of which may be applicable to your products or services.

Information International has experience in assisting companies who would like a place on a lucrative GSA schedule. With help from you, we will prepare the schedule submittal and provide advice on the solicitation requirements for a successful award. We assist thorough out the process including price negotiations, labor category descriptions, contract negotiation, preparation of best and final offers and preparation of pricing policy.

The core of the GSA schedule solicitation is proving commerciality and the Commercial sales practices form. This form is a mandatory requirement for the GSA schedule proposal. Companies need to have established pricing policies in place to prove commerciality. Uncle Sam wants to make sure that they get the best possible discount from the list price for the products and or services. The schedules can include products, professional services and training. Information International will prepare the complete package that can be submitted to GSA. We assume that clients have all the necessary pricing policies in place, however if not we can assist with this aspect to ensure a successful award. Obviously we cannot guarantee contract award, however, we will prepare a thorough proposal to minimize questions from the GSA Contracting Officer. Assuming that clients have the necessary policies and procedures in place, the proposal preparation will take approximately 2 weeks and will require the client to provide the following items (under Non Disclosure Agreement):

• Tax ID Number
• DUNS Number
• Cage Code
• Attest to the fact that you have EEO policies in place
• Pricing information - Price lists and discounting policies
• Discount to be provided to Government agencies
• Labor category descriptions if applicable
• References – generally requires submittal to a third party and costs $125. (This fee is not included in our price noted below)
• Names of authorized negotiators
• License/professional services/training agreements if applicable

The solicitation contains representations and certifications that will be completed and provided to clients for signature. Information International will also prepare the actual GSA Schedule per the solicitation instructions. This Schedule becomes the catalogue that can be sent to government agencies. Client will be responsible for input of pricing to GSA Advantage. This is where the GSA Schedule pricing and product descriptions are provided for Government buyers. Once the GSA Schedule proposal ID submitted, it is assigned to a Contracting Officer (CO) for review. This process can take up to 30 days. Once a CO is assigned they will contact the client for any clarifications that they deem necessary. Client may consult us for assistance with the response. In some cases the Client may wish to consider requesting a meeting with the CO. After the CO has reviewed the response and met with the client, they generally ask for a best and final offer. We can assist with pricing strategy to assure a smooth negotiation with GSA. Once the CO has reviewed and accepted the best and final offer, they will make the contract award. The Schedule (catalog with terms and conditions and pricing) then becomes the client’s GSA Schedule. This process from start to finish takes approximately 3 months.

Questions? Need more information? Feel free to contact us!

Cost for a GSA schedule preparation and advice on the solicitation requirements
varies considerably but is generally in the range of $2500 - $5500.

Additional services available at $175/hour.

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