The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States Government that was created to facilitate the basic functioning of federal agencies. Some GSA functions include supplying products and communications for U.S. government offices, providing transportation and office space to federal employees, developing government-wide cost-minimizing policies, and other management tasks.

Why is the GSA important to your business?

A major function of the GSA is to approve vendors who want to work with the federal government. If an applicant satisfies the necessary requirements, they will be approved and issued what is called a GSA Contract and GSA Schedule. A GSA Schedule is basically a collection of pre-negotiated contracts. Government agencies can view all companies holding a GSA schedule, and use this pool of companies as a sort of shopping mall. Therefore, any company who wants to cash in on the massive spending of the US Government must first acquire a GSA Contract.

Why would you want to acquire a GSA Contract and do business with the Federal Government?

The answer is simple: money, and a lot of it. The US government spends money in large amounts, and that spending is expected to increase 6.5 percent this year. This is more than double the rate of the U.S. economy. In 2010, government spending topped the combined revenues of the 15 largest fortune 500 companies. The average GSA Schedule holder does over $2 million a year in government contracting. Furthermore, most companies with a GSA Contract are small businesses. Lastly, as stated before, your company will be visible to federal buyers looking for vendors. In some cases, a GSA Schedule holding company can win high-dollar bids without much competition.

How does a company go about obtaining a GSA Contract or Schedule?

There are basically 2 ways to go about obtaining a GSA Contract. Your business can choose to do it in-house or you can hire a third party consulting firm to handle the process for you. If you choose to seek a GSA Contract in-house you will need the money and time necessary to learn the process. This can take up to, and sometimes more than 6 months for an employee to learn. Some companies end up turning to a consulting agency after they receive a letter of rejection.

Therefore, there are advantages to working with a third party firm that knows all the ins and outs of GSA contracts and how to acquire them. These firms act as a liaison between your business and the federal government. They can save time and money when it comes to this lengthy and sometimes difficult process. These companies help with writing GSA proposals and other technical aspects of the process. Furthermore, firms that specialize in GSA services offer money back guarantees for their services. That is, if you pay them to provide GSA services and they don’t obtain a contract for you, you will get your money back. This can provide many small businesses with peace of mind as they strive to obtain a government contract.

Government Contract Services, Inc. has been helping businesses sell to the Federal Government since 1985. Gov Con Svcs specializes in helping businesses acquire a GSA Contract. Let Gov Con help your business learn how to get a GSA schedule.

Government Contract Services, Inc. has been helping businesses sell to the Federal Government since 1985. Gov Con Svcs specializes in helping businesses acquire a http://govconsvcs.com GSA Contract. Let Gov Con help your business learn how to get a http://govconsvcs.com/gsa-schedules/ GSA schedule.

Author Bio: Government Contract Services, Inc. has been helping businesses sell to the Federal Government since 1985. Gov Con Svcs specializes in helping businesses acquire a GSA Contract. Let Gov Con help your business learn how to get a GSA schedule.

Category: Business
Keywords: gsa contract, schedule, consulting, services