When entering the federal marketplace, a contractor could pursue many government contracting vehicles. In this blog, we will discuss the General Services Administration (GSA) MAS program and how you can determine whether it could be a good fit for your company. When considering a GSA Schedule, analyzing how you will fit into the program is crucial. This includes making sure you can meet the minimum requirements of a contractor, such as having an up-to-date SAM account and being able to provide two years of financials.
Another tool to use in determining whether you're a good fit for GSA is by conducting market research. You’ll want to take a look at your competitors and how they’re performing on the GSA Schedule as well as research your target agencies to see who is purchasing your solutions. When considering acquiring a GSA Schedule, it's essential to understand where you can take advantage and capture the most business opportunities, given what you offer commercially. So, let’s talk about the MAS program and if it’s the right fit for your company.
First, let’s talk a little bit about the MAS program. The GSA MAS contract is an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, meaning there are no sales restrictions; if there is a demand and you have the resources to fill the order, it is allowed. GSA contracts are Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) meaning they are intended for governmentwide use. This includes state, local, and tribal entities under certain circumstances.
The GSA Schedule Program continuously accounts for approximately $45 billion of government spending annually, meaning it’s a popular contract with a lot of opportunity. Government buyers can benefit from shorter lead times, lower administrative costs, reduced inventories, and compliance with environmental and socioeconomic laws and procurement regulations, so they prefer to use this vehicle. By placing an order against a GSA Schedule contract, the government buyer has concluded that the order represents the "best value" and results in the lowest overall cost alternative to meet the government's needs.
Before we dig too deep into the other topics, it’s important to first identify if you meet the requirements to get a GSA Schedule. The GSA proposal is divided into three sections: Administrative, Technical, and Pricing. The Administrative Section gives GSA background on your company. The critical aspect of the administrative section is providing two years of financials, having an active SAM account, and Past Performance. The GSA will look at past commercial performance, ensure you have sold the solutions you plan to offer commercially, and use clients as references and examples of your ability to perform the work within the GSA MAS program.
The Technical Section gives GSA a deeper look into your company’s experience, expertise, and quality control process. Within the Technical Section, you will be asked to write narratives discussing your company experience and why you feel qualified to provide the products or perform the services you offer commercially to the GSA.
The Pricing Section highlights your commercial sales practices by looking at your commercial discounts and ensuring you intend to offer “fair and reasonable” pricing. The complete proposal is meant to give GSA an overview of what your company does and why you are qualified to offer your products or services to GSA. It also confirms that you have the resources to be a supplier throughout the 20-year contract.
GSA created the MAS program for the federal government and other eligible entities to purchase products and services. Through acquiring a GSA Schedule, a contractor lays out their terms and conditions and the products or services they want to offer the government. The GSA Schedule is divided into 4, 5-year option terms, up to 20 years total. The GSA Schedule classifies contractors' products or services into 12 Large categories:
Large Category A: Office Management
Large Category B: Facilities
Large Category C: Furniture and Furnishings
Large Category D: Human Capital
Large Category E: Industrial Products and Services
Large Category F: Information Technology
Large Category G: Miscellaneous
Large Category H: Professional Services
Large Category I: Scientific Management Solutions
Large Category J: Security and Protection
Large Category K: Transportation and Logistics Services
Large Category L: Travel
Contractors are classified based on Large Category and Special Item Number (SIN). This allows you to compete with other contractors offering similar products and services. It is essential to identify the correct Large Category and SIN for your products and services to ensure you fall within the scope of the categories. This can also help you conduct market research to identify competitors and look at your prospective market opportunities.
A key aspect of understanding where you fit within the GSA MAS program is looking at competitors. There are many tools to track your competitors, and a widely used tool is the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). This tool is used to see contracts that other competitors have been awarded and allows you to track the history of awards and see from what agencies your competitors are targeting. This will tell you if the GSA may be viable depending on the main purchasing entities. The GSA Schedule Program has many eligible entities that can purchase from the GSA MAS Program.
You can also use GSA eLibrary to look at other contractors' terms and conditions to see their pricing, what SINs they sell under, their offerings, and other important designations.
When getting more granular with your analysis, you can use GSA-specific market research tools to look at the prospective market. The Schedule Sales Query Plus (SSQ+) database gives us insights into the trend of each category and SIN. You can determine if the market you are about to enter is growing, who our main competitors are, and the amount of money flowing through these categories. USAspending.gov is also a great place to deep dive into federal government spending including budget allocation, contract awards, and how much has been spent so far.
The two largest markets through the MAS program right now are Professional Services (Large Category H) and Information Technology (Large Category F). Other popular Large Categories are Industrial Products and Services, Human Capital, Transportation & Logistics Services, and Security and Protection.
Another important tool to use to get a better read on the market is SAM.gov. The “contract opportunities” tool will allow you to find any relevant upcoming opportunities or search past solicitations so you can see how often government agencies are acquiring your solutions and what opportunities will be out there for you when you get your Schedule.
Whether you need a consultation to decide whether a GSA Schedule is right for you, or you are already confident your company would be a good fit, Winvale would love to assist you throughout the process, regardless of where you are. The GSA Schedule acquisition process can be time-consuming and laborious, sometimes requiring hiring additional staff to obtain the contract and continue maintenance and compliance. To learn more about the process check out our whitepaper below. For assistance, reach out to one of our consultants today.