GSA Contracts Are a Great Way for Companies to Increase Revenue
Unlike private sector or public sector contracts that are canceled if the client experiences financial problems, a GSA contract is a federal sector contract that's existence is as secure as the budget of the agency that uses it.
The GSA Schedule is a large collection of pre-negotiated federal agreements; the GSA contracts are pre-negotiated sales agreements that federal procurement managers use to buy goods and services for government agencies.
Because the agreements are pre-negotiated, they allow agencies to bypass the conventional bidding process, and acquire and sell crucial products and services in a short period.
Pursuing a Contract Pursuing a government arrangement is a smart idea for a reliable stream of revenue.
The first step is to determine whether the company has products or services that federal agencies need - a question that a GSA consultant can answer.
Although some companies choose to apply for GSA contracts without the assistance of a consultant, using a consultant has at least three advantages:
- There is no need to prepare a lengthy, tedious proposal.
- A dialogue with a federal contract officer is not required.
- The process is completed far sooner than it would be otherwise.
Because even a small error may result in the proposal to be rejected, and because proposal instructions are regularly updated, a company is wise to let a consultant prepare the proposal.
Ideally, the consultant should also confer with the assigned contract officer to evaluate the proposal.
In many cases, the contract officer speaks with the applicant or the applicant's consultant at least twice - once to clarify certain aspects of the initial proposal, and again to finalize the pricing system for the delivery of goods or services if the proposal is accepted for the GSA schedule.
Ultimately, using a consultant saves the applicant a significant amount of time on the application process - as much as several months, by some estimates.
Conclusion Since the 2008 financial crisis, many companies have struggled to attain the same level of financial security that they enjoyed in the mid 2000's.
Companies and consumers alike that have struggled financially have perpetuated each other's economic hardship.
GSA contracts allow companies to earn revenue outside of the consumer marketplace and the business marketplace.
Better yet, the initial term of a contract is five years, with the option to renew it for a 20-year period.
At a time of economic uncertainty, having contracts in the GSA schedule is giving many companies a greater sense of economic certainty for the future.
Speak with a GSA consultant today about doing business in the federal marketplace.