Government Contracting Blog

A GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract is no doubt a great business opportunity—not only does it open doors to a huge pool of government agencies, but the ability to sell directly to the largest buyer of goods and services in the world at pre-negotiated rates and shorter lead times is not something you can find in the commercial market. However, it’s not without effort. If you are interested in becoming a GSA contractor, or if you have recently been awarded a contract, it’s important you are aware of the requirements it takes to maintain a GSA Schedule contract. One of the main requirements is identifying what a GSA sale is and reporting it regularly to GSA. Several clients have come to us wondering what constitutes a GSA sale, so we have created a blog with everything you need to know.

One of the biggest reasons contractors choose to get a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract is the easy access it provides to the world’s largest buyer of goods and services, the U.S. government. With a GSA Schedule, contractors have access to government buyers with pre-negotiated prices and terms, giving them an advantage over other contract vehicles. This is because government buyers often choose to purchase from GSA Schedules with streamlined procurement and pre-negotiated pricing, terms and conditions, and pre-vetted contractors.

If you are new to the world of government contracting, you may be asking yourself, “how is the federal marketplace organized so that I can sell my products or services?” The General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program is a long-term governmentwide partnership with commercial companies providing federal, state, and local government buyers access to more than 11 million commercial products and services at volume discount pricing. To put it simply, the GSA Schedule acts a medium for government agencies to search for and purchase contractors’ products and services at already determined discounts and terms and conditions. One of the greatest features of the GSA Schedule to prospective contractors is that it encompasses such a wide variety of products and services.

A GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract offers commercial companies a whole new pool of prospective customers. Obtaining a GSA Schedule can be a bit of a process, but those who are able to get a contract are awarded with ample business opportunities. If you are looking into getting a GSA Schedule, you probably have a lot of questions. You may not even know exactly what a GSA Schedule is, but that's OK, you have to start somewhere. As consultants well versed in government contracting, we know that the process can be confusing and there’s a huge learning curve with all the government acronyms and lingo. So, we gathered a list of key questions to help you navigate the process of getting a GSA Schedule contract.

Maintenance and compliance are a huge part of being a successful GSA Schedule contractor. One of the more important compliance requirements for GSA contractors is submitting sales in the Federal Acquisition Service Sales Reporting Portal, also known as FAS SRP. The FAS SRP supports the collection of data required by FAS procurement programs including Multiple Award Schedules and other Government-Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACS).

Most GSA contractors are used to working with federal government agencies through the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program. While federal government agencies do account for a large percentage of GSA revenue, some of the major buyers through the GSA MAS Program are state and local government entities. State and local government entities cannot purchase everything through GSA Schedules, but they can qualify through certain programs. One of the ways in which states and local units of government can purchase off GSA Schedules is through the 1122 Program.