If you hold a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract, there’s more to keeping it than just winning federal orders. While the MAS Program is a well-known vehicle for connecting with federal buyers, you also have a great opportunity to sell to state, local, and educational (SLED) entities with your GSA Schedule. For contractors who are struggling to reach their minimum sales requirement or those who want a stronger sales pipeline, state and local purchasing programs within the MAS program can be an untapped market. The two main programs we’ll discuss in this blog are Disaster Purchasing and Cooperative Purchasing, but we’ll also mention other additional programs you may be eligible for as a GSA MAS contractor.
When most contractors think about MAS sales, they go after the bigger name federal agencies. But orders placed by eligible SLED, tribal, and territorial governments through certain GSA programs can also contribute a lot of business to your contract.
As part of GSA’s recent push to “rightsize” the MAS Program by removing underperforming contracts, GSA is cracking down on contracts that aren’t meeting their terms and conditions, especially the minimum sales requirement. The requirement, currently $100,000 in the first 5 years of your contract and $125,000 in each subsequent 5-year option period, can be daunting for new Schedule holders, especially small businesses. So let’s talk about alternative ways you can grow your GSA Schedule business.
Two of the most valuable (and sometimes overlooked) programs are Cooperative Purchasing and Disaster Purchasing. We’ll dive into them below.
The Disaster Purchasing Program allows state and local governments to buy from MAS contractors for disaster preparation, response, or recovery. This is broader than many realize—disasters aren’t always limited to hurricanes or wildfires. Examples of products and services acquired through this program include:
Disaster Purchasing is set into motion when the President declares a national disaster or state of emergency under the Stafford Act, such as the pandemic or natural disaster relief.
Unlike Cooperative Purchasing, all MAS categories are eligible under Disaster Purchasing as long as the purchase relates to disaster preparedness or recovery. This program can provide spikes in demand around seasonal events like hurricane season, but it’s also relevant for year-round resilience planning.
The Cooperative Purchasing Program allows state and local governments to buy IT, law enforcement, and security products and services from MAS contractors. This program is not available to all contractors, but since IT and security are popular categories within the program, it’s very relevant for a lot of vendors.
If you sell under Large Category F (IT) or Large Category J (Security & Protection), then you can opt into this Program if you haven’t already. Many contractors are already opted in, but don’t realize they have access to state and local buyers through this program.
Examples of products and services that are purchased through this program include, but are not limited to:
If you’re unsure whether you’re in the program, check your contract page in GSA eLibrary and check for the “COOP” icon—or work with your Contracting Officer to opt in.
Under recent policies and Executive Orders (EOs) released by the Trump Administration, we expect to see a lot more activity within this program. As part of a recent EO to consolidate the procurement process, the White House is preparing GSA to take over the procurement of most common goods and services, while also directing agencies to turn to pre-existing commercial vehicles such as the MAS Program. Paired with the Trump Administration’s plans to increase IT and defense spending, we can expect to see this program to become more active.
While they may not be as popular as Cooperative or Disaster Purchasing, there are two other programs you can sell to state and local entities through the MAS Program. These are the 1122 Program and the Public Health Emergencies Program.
The 1122 Program allows state local governments to purchase products and services to support counter-drug, homeland security, and emergency response activities. Since we’re anticipating an increase in spending on the homeland security and defense fronts, we anticipate this program to become more popular.
The Public Health Emergencies (PHE) Program allows state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to purchase goods and services from GSA Schedules in response to public health emergencies. These emergencies must be declared by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act. While there isn’t a specific directive right now under the new administration that points to increased spending in this program, it’s still a good avenue for contractors with related SINs to sell through.
Before you can benefit from these programs, you need to make sure state and local buyers can find you. Here’s a checklist of things you can do to make sure you are reaching the SLED market:
For more information on GSA Schedule marketing, check out our marketing 101 blog. If you have questions about your GSA Schedule or are looking to get one, we are here to help you.