GSA Schedule | Government Business Development | Government | Technology | Resources and Insight | Contracts | 2 Min Read
Federal, state, and local governments use GSA's eBuy system to find businesses that offer specific services and products at competitive prices. These federal buyers can request information and prepare RFQs/RFPs for services and products offered through GSA Schedule contracts. Businesses small and large use GSA eBuy to sell products and services to the government. According to GSA, more than $8.34 billion in products and services were processed through eBuy in 2012. Now the GSA is making a push to make eBuy more accessible to small businesses by taking eBuy mobile. According to a GSA representative, “you can learn how to do business with the federal government right from your cell phone” making the site more accessible to small businesses.
So why does it matter that eBuy is mobile now? When RFQs come out for products and services, you can get text message alerts on your mobile device, phone or tablet. These email and mobile alerts will be in addition to the emails you can currently get from eBuy, when an RFQ or RFP pertaining to your company’s GSA Schedule and SIN(s) becomes available. Providing GSA’s electronic Request for Quote (RFQ) and Request for Information (RFI) system in a new mobile device format will allow vendors to respond as quickly as possible.
The GSA is promoting the new mobile strategy as a measure to help small businesses who may not have the dedicated staff to check eBuy every day for new offers or who cannot search for RFQs and RFPs. According to the Heartland Region Office of Small Business Utilization public affairs officer Angela Brees, “[by] providing automated mobile alerts and real-time updates on bidding opportunities, small businesses are able to do more with less and compete more effectively.”
The Heartland Region Office of Small Business Utilization in Kansas City, MO is where the idea for mobile updates originated. The Heartland office submitted the idea to the GSA in 2012, after conducting research with local small business owners, and the idea was approved for development and put into practice by the GSA the first week of August 2013.
If you would like to know more about GSA eBuy, how to respond to government proposals, or how to sign up to get the mobile notifications, contact us for help!
