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The age-old question when researching services is: does paying more for a high-end service make it worth the investment? When companies decide to pursue a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS), it doesn’t take long to see there’s no shortage of firms offering GSA Schedule consulting. But if you haven’t noticed already, the pricing ranges wildly. This leaves many companies wondering if they can get just as good of a service if they select a cheaper option. It really depends on what kind of support you’re looking for and what kind of long-term investment you’re trying to make.
Some GSA Schedule consulting firms provide comprehensive support from start to finish, while others provide you with a template and guide you to fill out parts of it. And unfortunately, there are also firms out there that overpromise and underdeliver, sometimes leaving contractors worse off than when they started. Let’s break down the major types of GSA consulting firms, what makes them different, and the questions you should ask before choosing one.
Types of GSA Schedule Consulting Firms
When discussing GSA Schedule consulting firms, we like to break them down into three categories:
- Full-Service Firms
- Mid-Range Firms
- Limited-Service Firms
We’ll cover each one below and what kinds of service you can expect to see out of them.
Full-Service Firms
Full-service firms offer comprehensive hands-on support for GSA Schedule acquisition and post-award maintenance. These firms are best suited for companies who do not have a federal contracting expert on their team and need help navigating the complicated acquisition process.
Generally, full-service firms handle most of the work for you, while educating you in the process. That way you aren’t completely lost in the decisions being made for your contract, and you end up with terms and conditions that are feasible and make sense for your business.
Full-range firms will work directly with Contracting Officers (COs) on your behalf during the acquisition process when it comes to clarifications and negotiations stage. This can be very useful, especially because they have experience with COs and know what strategies to use with GSA Schedule pricing. During post-award maintenance process, the consultants will also work directly with Contracting Officers for your Contractor Assessment Visits (CAVs), so you are well prepared and ready to extend your contract when the five year period of performance is up.
It’s not really a secret that they are going to be the priciest. But if you have limited background in the GSA MAS Program and do not have someone on your team who can dedicate a lot of time to learning the ins and outs of the process, it’s worth the investment. It’s certainly better than trying to get a Schedule yourself first, getting rejected, and having to start the process all over again.
Important questions to ask these firms before hiring include:
- Do you outsource your consultants?
- Do you provide additional resources/training (such as blogs, newsletters, webinars)?
- Do you offer both acquisition and post-award maintenance support?
Mid-Range Firms
Mid-Range Firms are more of a plug and play model, meaning they give you pre-determined templates, checklists, and light coaching as you navigate the GSA Schedule process. You are handling most of the work, but they are giving you a push in the right direction. This could be a good option if you already have an employee with strong federal contracting expertise, but maybe just not on the MAS Program, or they need a refresher.
It’s important not to be tempted by the lower prices if you don’t have a lot of federal contracting experience but want to take a stab at it yourself with the minimal guidance. If you’re going to do this, you should be heavily educating yourself on the process along the way—and be prepared to try again. The templates given aren’t necessarily customized, and companies’ offerings can range wildly depending on the business size, what they plan to offer, and if they are following legacy Commercial Sales Practices or Transactional Data Reporting (TDR).
These firms offer limited support if issues arise during the acquisition process (such as clarifications or negotiations you don’t understand or know how to handle), and there is no one to oversee your work if you make an error in the submission process, or during a post-award modification.
If you want to choose this path, important questions you should be asking include:
- How much of the process do you actually complete vs. just guide us through?
- Are the templates customized to our company’s needs?
- What happens if our proposal gets rejected?
Limited-Service Firms
These firms aren’t really a viable option for any company, and you should be wary of firms promising dirt cheap rates and guaranteed GSA Schedule success. They tend to overpromise and underdeliver and are mostly a band of 1099s strung together with little experience and organization. They are easily recognizable by their fees alone, but they also claim extremely short award timelines or promise a specified award date which is not possible when you’re working with outside forces like GSA.
We see a fair number of clients each year who tried this path, had a bad experience/got their offer rejected, and are now spending more to get more comprehensive support. If you really want to go this route first, or you can’t determine between a limited-service or mid-range firm, ask the following questions:
- Can you provide references?
- How much experience do you have with GSA Schedule acquisition and post-award support?
- What exactly is included in your services?
- What happens if my proposal is rejected?
What’s Next: Hiring a GSA Schedule Consultant
As you can see, what you get for your investment can vary dramatically. So, it’s important to review your options against your company experience and budget, and choose the right investment for you. Once you are sure which type of firm you want to go with, you’ll want to make sure you’re asking the right questions to pick someone that’s right for your company’s needs.
At Winvale, we’ve helped companies of all sizes not just obtain their GSA Schedule but also maintain compliance and grow sales through the federal marketplace.
