As government Q4 approaches, businesses with GSA Schedules are gearing up for a busy period full of potential awards and increased contracting dollars. Federal agencies typically spend roughly 1/3 of their annual spending during this time, offering unique opportunities for those prepared to capitalize on them. However, one issue contractors can run into is realizing their pricing is out of date, or they don’t have enough time to submit a modification to add a crucial product or service to go after these awards. So, as we enter Q4 in the next month and as you enter the next Fiscal Year, how can you prepare your GSA Schedule so you are ready to respond to any relevant opportunity that comes up?
Why Keeping Your GSA Schedule Updated is Crucial
GSA Schedules are long-term government contracts that provide federal agencies with a simplified process for purchasing commercial goods and services. This means several agencies are going to be turning to GSA Schedules to use up their contracting dollars and help them fulfill their needs, especially during Q4 of the government Fiscal Year (July through September).
However, Q4 isn’t the only time it’s important to keep your contract updated. If you are not keeping track of your GSA Schedule maintenance ahead of Contractor Assessment Visits (CAVs), when it’s time for an Option Extension, or when other opportunities arise outside of Q4, you could be hurting the overall success of your contract.
Assessing Your Current GSA Schedule
Many contractors don’t know where to start when it comes to contract maintenance. Getting into a habit of regularly assessing contract compliance and identifying areas of improvement is important for the overall health of your GSA Schedule. If you find this is too much to keep up with, you can always consider hiring a GSA consultant for maintenance.
Reviewing Contract Compliance
Before diving into an action plan, it’s essential to ensure your GSA Schedule is compliant. This involves reviewing your contract's terms and conditions, checking for any changes in regulations, and confirming that you're meeting all requirements. Compliance issues can lead to delays or disqualification from opportunities, so thoroughness is vital.
Below is a list of the most frequent maintenance requirements you need to keep track of:
- Accepting Mass Modifications (for solicitation refreshes)
- Updating your pricing and other contract offerings through modifications
- Monthly or quarterly sales reporting
- Keeping your GSA Advantage! catalog and GSA eLibrary text file updated
- Trade Agreements Act (TAA) compliance
- Contractor Assessment Visits (CAVs)
- Ability One compliance
- SAM registration
- Price Reduction Clause compliance (for Commercial Sales Practices contractors)
This is not an exhaustive list but rather common maintenance activities that must be constantly monitored. We suggest you review this list and see what you may not be monitoring or if you have a process in place to keep track of it all.
Identifying Gaps in Your Schedule
Next, take a critical look at your GSA Schedule to identify any gaps. Are there products or services you offer that aren't listed on your Schedule? Do you have outdated pricing or terms? Is there a Special Item Number (SIN) your competitor sells under that you could add to your Schedule to remain more competitive? Addressing these gaps ensures you're ready to compete in the world of government contracting, especially during Q4.
Preparing Your GSA Schedule for Upcoming Opportunities
Here are some ways you can prepare your GSA Schedule to respond to opportunities when they arise, and you can remain competitive.
Updating Your Pricelist
We cannot stress this enough—you MUST keep your pricing not only updated, but in line with GSA regulations and practices. You can’t just adjust your prices for the sake of a solicitation. There’s a process, and it’s not a good sign if a government buyer reads one price on your pricelist or text file, but you tell them a different story in your solicitation response.
GSA eLibrary is where you keep your physical text file pricelist outlining contact information, awarded SINs, and your pricelist of products and/or services. For product contractors, GSA Advantage! is where you post information on products, software licenses, and other items for government buyers. You need to keep both of these sites updated and active. GSA can remove your listings if you’re not updating it frequently enough, or they find outdated products or services.
Each time you complete a modification for your GSA Schedule, you must conduct a Special Input Program (SIP) or FAS Common Catalog Platform (FCP) upload of your new pricelist within 30 days. Do this not only for compliance, but because these two sites are some of the best marketing tools for your site.
Modifications
No matter if you are updating something crucial like a price or product change, or something miniscule like your main company address, modifications can be the bane of your existence if you wait too long to submit them. We’ve all been there—our CO may be speedy sometimes, but you can’t harass or rush them if you need something to pull through in a short timeline. Modifications take time and if you are responding to an upcoming opportunity, you don’t want to be trapped. Plan ahead and keep your CO in the loop as much as you can when it comes to contract changes.
Optimizing Your Product/Service Offerings and Prices
Another way to optimize your GSA Schedule so it’s prepared for upcoming opportunities is reevaluating your scope and pricing. We suggest you research your competitors and see if there’s something you offer commercially similar to your competitors that you could add to your GSA Schedule, or if you can add additional SINs. You can also look into their pricing range to see if you need to make any adjustments. This can give you a competitive edge and increase your chances of securing contracts.
Making Sure Your SAM Registration is Updated
Your System for Award Management (SAM.gov) registration is an annual requirement, but contractors can easily let this lapse or wait until it’s too late, causing issues. Every year (sometimes we suggest twice a year if you’ve made some bigger changes to your Points of Contact, address, etc.), you should be on top of updating your SAM registration because it’s one of the first requirements when selling to the government.
Other Ways to Prepare for Government Contracting Opportunities
Networking and partnerships can add to your success as a GSA Schedule holder. We encourage you to build relationships with other GSA contractors, industry associations, and key stakeholders in the federal market. You may come across an opportunity where partnering with another contractor in a Contractor Teaming Arrangement (CTA) or a subcontracting out part of the work is crucial to winning an award. You may even find opportunities to be a subcontractor yourselves on larger projects.
GSA industry days and conferences are also excellent opportunities to network and market your GSA Schedule. Attend relevant events to meet potential clients, learn about upcoming opportunities, and showcase your offerings.
Maximizing Your GSA Schedule Potential
With the right preparation, you can capitalize on Q4 and all the other quarters of the government Fiscal Year. By assessing your current GSA Schedule, developing a strategic plan, optimizing your offerings, and leveraging partnerships and networking, you can position your business for success. If you have more questions about maintaining your GSA Schedule or you know you need help managing it all, we are here to help.
