If there's one GSA site that is overlooked the most, we think it's GSA eLibrary. No matter if you are a prospective or experience GSA Schedule contractor, GSA eLibrary is an important source for you. A lot of contractors are unaware of how useful this site can be for their contracting success, and we think you should understand what GSA eLibrary can offer you and how you can use it to your advantage. For example, the site addresses common questions such as: Who is my Contracting Officer and what is their contact information? When does my contract expire? Who are my competitors?
Throughout the course of this post, we will be going over the capabilities of GSA eLibrary and how to navigate the site so you are making the most out of it.
What is GSA eLibrary?
GSA eLibrary houses all of GSA's latest contract award information--in other words it's like one large contractor directory. Government agencies can use this site to research contractors, so it's important you keep all your information accurate and up to date. Contractors can also use this site to research their competitors, find their own contract information, and other important details pertaining to their GSA Schedule.
eLibrary is also home to all the latest Large Category and Special Item Number (SIN) information, so you can conduct research on where your products and services may best fit into the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program.
How Do I Find Large Category and Special Item Number (SIN) Information on eLibrary?
First, we'll talk about where to find the Large Category and SINs. GSA’s eLibrary homepage has a plethora of useful information to help you research more about the GSA MAS program. Whether you are looking to get a GSA Schedule and are trying to figure out where your company might fit in, or you want to learn more about adding offerings and what’s available, you have all the information at your fingertips.
The “Category Guide” has links with information on the multiple Large Categories within the Multiple Award Schedule, leading to information on specific SINs and their respective groupings and titles (as seen below).
For example, when clicking on Professional Services, referring to Large Category H, the following subcategories show up. This displays that range of services GSA accepts under this category.
From there, you can click any of the subcategories to view the respective SINs within that section. When clicking on “Business Administrative Services,” the following page shows up with the respective SINs and descriptions. Depending on the SIN, the listed subgroups are listed as well, as is the case for SIN 541611: Management and Financial Consulting, Acquisition and Grants Management Support, and Business Program and Project Management Services.
How Do I Research My Competitors on eLibrary?
GSA’s eLibrary makes it easier to research your competitors and see the prices and products and/or services they offer. This is important in understanding the federal market and determining what competitive, fair, and reasonable pricing may look like for your business. Referring to the previous steps and last screen, when clicking on the link for a specific SIN number, in this case for SIN 541611, it leads to this page:
This page includes a description and a list of contractors who are registered under this SIN. A company’s contract number, phone number, city and state, business classification, pricelist, and GSA Advantage! catalog are all available for view. Clicking on the link for a specific contractor brings up a new page with the same information and additional content.
Another way to research your competitors in a given SIN would be to look it up on the “Search” browser on the home website. In the search bar, you can enter keywords, a contract number, a contractor/manufacturer name, SIN, Governmentwide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) number, etc. Once you type in what you need to pull, in this case the SIN, you can select the relevant link that will bring you to all the listed contractors (demonstrated below).
How Do I Find My Contract Details on eLibrary?
Getting awarded a contract is an exciting move for your business, but as contractors, it is very easy to feel overwhelmed with all the information needed to keep compliant. A lot of contractors don’t know the valuable information that’s on eLibrary—from their contract renewal date, to contract expiration date, or to their government POCs, there’s a lot of information on there.
Knowing how to navigate the website is the first step in keeping your contract compliant. There are many ways to find you contract webpage on eLibrary, but the easiest would be to look up you company in the search engine on the home page and clicking the relevant link. For example, we can look at Winvale’s own GSA Schedule contract:
The page above contains a lot of information that is relevant to contractors and potential buyers. On the upper left-hand side of the page, basic contract information, such as the contract number, contractor address, Contract Administrator name and email, company website, Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code(s), is included.
On the upper right-hand side of the page, information on the socio-economic classification of your business (small business, women-owned, veteran-owned, etc.), status on the Excluded Parties List System, your government Point of Contact with contact information, and contract clauses/exceptions are listed.
The center of the page contains some important details about your contract, including your contract number, current option period end date, your ultimate contract end date, the company’s GSA terms and conditions sheet/pricelist, registered SINs, and links to your GSA Advantage! listings.
The Benefits of GSA eLibrary
When working with GSA, it’s important to keep yourself organized and know the basics of your contract such as your government POC, when your contract expires, your terms and conditions list, etc. The eLibrary website is a great source to browse for learning more about your own contract and/or checking out your competitors. This website also holds a lot of value for businesses that are interested in getting their own GSA Schedule since it has all of the potential SIN and category listings your company can choose from.
Do you need additional help understanding your GSA Schedule or the work that goes into obtaining one? Our team of experts at Winvale are more than happy to help with any additional questions or concerns you may have.
