If you’ve been awarded a GSA Schedule contract, you may be feeling relieved. After all, you’ve finally completed the lengthy process of putting together your offer, waiting for review, and going through negotiations. While getting a contract award is certainly something to celebrate, it’s also not the end of your work. What many contractors don’t realize is that it is just as important to maintain your contract as it is to acquire it in the first place. In this blog, we’ll cover ways you can optimize your GSA Schedule.

After your GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract is awarded, you may be wondering how to connect with potential customers. Through a GSA Schedule contract, your customer base includes federal government agencies, state and local governments, educational institutions, and other eligible entities. If you are new to government contracts, it can be overwhelming to analyze opportunities, understand the various solicitation types, and compete against experienced contractors.

After having a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract awarded, contractors will have access to a large federal marketplace with many potential buyers. However, it can be overwhelming to understand the opportunities and strategies available to contractors. Government buyers use a few resources to research or evaluate potential GSA Schedule contractors that could fulfill their project or order requirements through a Request for Information (RFI), Request for Proposal (RFP), or Request for Quote (RFQ). While each request differs in their degree of formality, a Request for Quote is important for contractors to understand to accurately respond to a government solicitation and hopefully win a contract.

With a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS), you can access a wide network of federal, state, and local agencies looking to procure products and services. One misconception contractors have, however, is they can sit back and watch the orders roll in the minute their contract is awarded. This isn't true for the commercial world, and generally isn't true for the public sector either. While you are part of a unique pool of contractors, you still have to compete with other companies for business, and be proactive about advertising your solutions to government agencies.

GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contracts provide businesses with the opportunity to sell their products and services to the federal government, but many potential contractors are unaware of the tools available to shape a competitive offer.

While searching for a contracting opportunity on SAM.gov, you may have glossed over entries that are marked as Sources Sought Notices (SSNs). Maybe it's because it's not a Request for Proposal (RFP) and overall may seem like it's not worth your time because it doesn't directly end in contract award, but we suggest you take a closer look. Sources Sought Notices play a key role in federal procurement and can increase your odds of winning the opportunity.