Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

Here’s how to decide whether a GSA Schedule is right for you

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As a business person pursuing government contracts, you may have heard about the benefits of having a GSA Schedule.  But you may not know what a Schedule contract involves — or whether it’s worth your while to pursue one.  This article presents you with the facts about a GSA Schedule, how to qualify, and the decisions you need to make.

 

Consider the Facts

Here are some facts to help make an informed decision.

First of all, “GSA” stands for the General Services Administration, a federal agency which awards, each year, about $50 billion in blanket contracts (known as “Schedules”) to hundreds of companies.  Eighty percent (80%) of Schedule contractors are small businesses who are successful at winning 36% of those sales.

The process to win a GSA Schedule contract begins with your preparation of a proposal.  This is a demanding task that can take several months to prepare.  Many businesses choose to hire a consultant to prepare their proposal, even though proposal preparation is actually something that just about anyone can do — if you are willing and able to follow detailed proposal preparation instructions.

Qualifying for a Schedule

Not every business qualifies for a GSA Schedule, so before preparing a proposal, you first should determine your eligibility. Here are the major requirements:

  • Your company must have at least two years’ experience in successful sale of the products and/or services you offer.
  • Your company and its corporate officers must have a satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics.
  • You must make sure all your NAICS codes are accurate and reflect the type of services that you plan to offer on your GSA Schedule.
  • Your registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) must be active and up-to-date.
  • You must be willing to obtain a “digital certificate” (at a cost of about $119) so that GSA can authenticate your electronic signature and allow you to upload and access your proposal documents.
  • Your company must have adequate financial resources to perform a federal contract, or you must have the ability to obtain them.
Your Options

If you meet the requirements listed above, then it’s appropriate to chart a course of action.  Here are some things to consider:

  • If you decide to hire a consultant to help you navigate the proposal process, please proceed with caution.  You should be aware of the fact that no consultant can do 100 percent of the work for you.  In fact, it’s desirable that someone from your company actively participates in the GSA Schedule proposal process.  Your company representative will need to compile a lot of information to be included in the proposal and also needs to carve-out enough time to learn the process, develop a relationship with GSA’s contracting officials, and make strategic decisions about how and to which government agencies the eventual contract will be marketed.  A consultant can play a valuable role but, before hiring one, make sure you investigate their experience, ask about their track-record, and have a clear understanding of exactly what they will do for you and at what price.
  • Attending a GSA training session can help you better understand the GSA Schedule process.  The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) regularly offers a free webinar entitled “Understanding the GSA Schedule Process.”  Visit GTPAC’s training calendar at http://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/Conferences.action to register for the next session.  GTPAC also has compiled a group of resources for companies seeking help with the Schedule process.  You can find these resources at: http://gtpac.org/gsa-schedule-resources.

Feel free to discuss your GSA Schedule needs and options with any GTPAC Counselor.  You can find our contact information at: http://gtpac.org/team-directory.

 

Tech to offer professional coursework on government contracting in October

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Interested in deepening your understanding of the federal government’s contracting rules?

Want to develop your professional skills in winning and managing government contracts?

If your answer to these questions is yes, you’ll want to consider attending two important courses being offered by Georgia Tech’s Contracting Education Academy next month.

The first course is CON 260B, Small Business Programs.  It provides an in-depth review of the federal government’s efforts to improve small business participation in prime contracting and subcontracting.  This 3-day course focuses particular attention on the Small Business Managers’ role as a vital member of the acquisition team.   As a part of this course, business people:

  • Discover business growth opportunities for your company in the government sector.
  • Learn how to better develop a bid proposal that will put you ahead of the competition.
  • Gain insight on ways to get your small business subcontracting plan approved.
  • Network with and learn alongside government contracting officials to gain a better understanding of the process, roles, and responsibilities of government contracting.
  • Understand how your company fits in as an important member of the government’s overall acquisition team.

The second course is CON 170, Fundamentals of Cost and Price Analysis.  This course begins with an in-depth review of the market research process, and provides instruction to help students understand and analyze contractor pricing strategies. This is a 10-day course where students learn how to:

  • Demonstrate ability to execute fundamental quantitative pricing skills.
  • Successfully distinguish various seller pricing strategies given an acquisition situation.
  • Describe the Truth in Negotiations Act, including its purpose in mitigating government cost risk.
  • Identify the policies and procedures for applying the Cost Accounting Standards Board (CASB) rules and regulations to negotiated contracts and subcontracts.
  • Identify contract cost principles and procedures.

CON 260B, Small Business Programs is offered Oct. 14-16, 2014.  Learn more about this course at: http://www.pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-260b-small-business-programs.

CON 170, Fundamentals of Cost and Price Analysis is offered October 20 – 31, 2014.  Learn more about this course at: http://www.pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-170-fundamentals-cost-and-price-analysis.

Tech’s Contracting Academy to teach cost & price course in October

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The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech is offering a course focusing on the Fundamentals of Cost & Price Analysis in government contracting on October 14-25, 2013.

This comprehensive, two-week course begins with an in-depth review of the market research process, and provides instruction to help students understand and analyze contractor pricing strategies.

Attendees will learn to accomplish cost-volume-profit analysis, calculate contribution margin estimates, and develop cost estimating relationships in order to accomplish an effective price analysis pursuant to FAR Subpart 15.4.

After learning the basic elements of price and cost analysis, students will build and defend a pre-negotiation objective, including a minimum and maximum pricing objective with a weighted guidelines assessment. After successfully defending their pricing objectives, the students will practice face-to-face negotiations.

This course is targeted toward new hires to the contracting career field.   For government contractors, this course also provides invaluable insights into the government contracting decision-making process.

Student performance will be assessed by graded exams on math fundamentals and applied course material as well as an exercise for student participation and completion of negotiations.

CON 170 – Fundamentals of Cost & Price Analysis is Defense Acquisition University-equivalent training that satisfies the FAC-C and DAWIA certification programs.   In addition, 7.35 CEUs are granted for successful course completion.

For more information or to register, please visit: http://www.pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-170-fundamentals-cost-and-price-analysis

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