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.
As government Q4 spending progresses, federal buyers may be more interested in procuring products or services through the GSA MAS program. Throughout this blog, we will explain the key tenets of an RFQ and address resources to locate RFQs.
A Request for Quote (or Quotation) is a solicitation method for a government purchaser to gather pricing information from potential suppliers. RFQs will identify the requirements for the products or services requested, associated terms and conditions, and may ask for additional details from contractors, including delivery. Contractors should note the issue date and response deadline for an RFQ.
Within an RFQ requesting services, agencies are required to include the Statement of Work (SOW) or Performance Work Statement (PWS) for the project and evaluation criteria for assessing each potential contractor. Consequently, GSA Schedule contractors can respond to an RFQ by addressing their companies’ capabilities, experience, and related costs to fulfill the requirements identified by the buyer in the SOW/PWS and supporting documents.
Each contractor’s response can be classified as a “bid” to potentially win a contract. There are a few different types of RFQs to prepare for when searching for contract opportunities: open, sealed, or invited bid. In the government contracting world, sealed bids are often used. This type of format allows each contractor to submit their RFQ response in a more confidential manner. The government buyer will accept quotes until the deadline and contractors are not able to view competitors’ responses until after all bids have been received.
It is important to note that a Request for Quote is not a contractual agreement; it simply provides buyers with information to assess suppliers for their project requirements. If a government buyer selects your company to work with, then both parties can move forward with establishing the contract. Additionally, government buyers may use an RFQ simply for research and not to award a contract.
There are two main resources to locate Request for Quotes if you’re a GSA Schedule contractor: GSA eBuy and SAM.gov.
Through GSA’s electronic RFQ system, GSA eBuy, contractors can view government buyers’ RFQs related to their Special Item Numbers (SINs) through the search option. Contractors can easily browse government solicitation opportunities they would like to pursue and view the request’s information, such as the RFQ title, SOW, terms and conditions, contact information, quote expiration date, and additional solicitation details. Prior to using eBuy, contractors will need to register their awarded contract with the Vendor Support Center.
After deciding to respond to an RFQ through GSA eBuy, contractors can indicate their interest to government purchasers by selecting “Interested” when viewing the RFQ. This allows contractors to generate awareness with the buyer prior to submitting an official response. On the buyer side, the RFQ distributor can also gauge the volume of potential responses they will receive and determine if an extension of the response deadline is necessary.
Under the “My Quotes” tab, contractors will have the option to begin working on their response, submit their offering, and view a catalog of the RFQs they are “interested” in pursuing. By indicating your interest in an RFQ, you are not required to submit a response. In this section, you also could rescind your interest by choosing “No Quote.”
All GSA Schedule contractors are required to have a SAM.gov account. Through the System for Award Management (SAM) site, contractors should select “Contract Opportunities” on the main page. From there, you can choose “Advanced Search” to filter the search results by keywords, your company’s NAICS Codes, response dates for requests, place of performance, federal organizations, set aside, notice type, and more.
Under the “notice type” filter on the left hand side, the “solicitation” option best correlates with a Request for Quote. The set-aside filter narrows the search results to contract opportunities specifically for small businesses and small businesses meeting specific socioeconomic categories; this helps you locate and compete for RFQs geared towards your business.
By clicking on the name of the contract opportunity in the search results, contractors can view the notice ID, general information, classifications (e.g., NAICS Codes, set aside), a description of the opportunity, and any attachments or links provided.
In the “Description” section, the organization will provide updates on the RFQ, such as extending the response date or additional changes to the request. You should review the description carefully, because in this section you can verify that a notice is a Request for Quote or a different solicitation method.
Since many GSA Schedule competitors can respond to the same RFQs, you will need to craft a competitive and compliant response. GSA compiled examples of Request for Quotes for agencies to reference, but this resource provides a good foundation if you are a new contractor or are unfamiliar with the structure of RFQs.
A key advantage is to be timely and responsive when submitting your RFQ response, however, details and proofreading for grammar and spelling errors should not be ignored. Make sure to note the response date and submit your response prior to the deadline.
You can always contact the federal buyer to ask questions and to clarify information presented in a Request for Quote; you do not want to include service/product pricing or solutions that would be non-compliant with the request or make assumptions from the solicitation. Contractors should create a compelling response, answer each tenet of the RFQ’s instructions, and remain on-topic.
It’s important to consider how your company will align with the RFQ’s evaluation criteria and competitors’ offerings. You can research potential competitors through multiple resources, including GSA eLibrary. GSA eLibrary allows contractors to search for and view competitors’ current price lists and related terms and conditions. This will help you understand how they may shape a response to an RFQ.
While offering a low price or submitting a “low bid” may be an appealing strategy for contractors to secure a contract, it is not always the best idea. By having a GSA Schedule contract awarded, the government determines that your prices for products or services are fair and reasonable. This does not mean that your offerings have the lowest prices; it’s an umbrella term that includes fair and reasonable pricing based on quality, shipping, price, socioeconomic types, and other factors. Thus, you do not want to misrepresent your product or service offerings in an RFQ.
As a GSA Schedule contractor, you are not guaranteed sales when your contract is awarded. You will need to actively search for contract opportunities to secure sales from government buyers. Request for Quotes allow contractors to easily view solicitation options and engage in bidding through resources, like GSA eBuy.
However, you want to ensure your company’s time and resources are not wasted on a non-compliant or insignificant response to RFQs. We are available to help you avoid common mistakes when responding to an RFQ to help you create a winning offer and be successful on the GSA Multiple Award Schedule. If you want to learn more about other government responses, check out our blogs, A Guide to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Responding to RFIs: Tips and Tricks for Engaging in Market Research.