The General Services Administration (GSA) is constantly creating programs and platforms to help make the acquisition process more efficient. From procurement platforms like GSA Advantage! and GSA eBuy, to catalog management initiatives like the upcoming Verified Products Portal (VPP), GSA has myriad resources out there to help GSA contractors succeed in the federal marketplace. One of these resources is the Assisted Services Information System (ASSIST).

Cybersecurity concerns can reach high levels of national security especially if they pertain to the federal government. Past data breaches like the recent SolarWinds hack have proven it’s important for the federal government to set cybersecurity standards for government contractors. One critical aspect of government networks is cloud services. In Fiscal Year 2020, federal agencies spent over $6 billion on cloud computing, making it an important part of federal procurement. All Cloud Service Providers selling to the federal government must meet proven security standards established through FedRAMP.

Managing your GSA Schedule can be an arduous task. As a contractor, you are required to stay on top of constantly changing regulations, to understand and navigate difficult restrictions, and most importantly, to find and win procurement opportunities so you can meet your contract’s minimum sales requirement.

The short answer is, no. The purpose of GSA eBuy is for U.S. federal government agencies and military services worldwide to have an online procurement site to find solutions at the best value and price. In order for government buyers to be guaranteed this value, they need to purchase pre-vetted products and services from GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contracts.

The federal government is known for the mountains of red tape it can take to do business with. Fortunately for GSA Schedule contractors, several barriers have been removed over the years. However, there are still many compliance risks you need to be aware of.

With over 11 million commercial products and services sold to government buyers, it’s clear the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program is a great business opportunity for companies. What’s not so obvious though, is the other ways to sell through a GSA Schedule without acquiring your own contract. One of the ways to do this is partnering with an authorized GSA reseller.