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Businesses are drawn to selling to the government because of the many benefits that come with a GSA government contract. When done correctly, GSAs can bring growth to your business and get your foot in the door with government entities. Government contracting marketplaces are highly competitive but also yield high rewards. We have put together the top 6 best GSA benefits you can receive with a GSA schedule contract.
1. Get a Pre-Approved Cost Estimate
The federal government’s goal is all about purchasing products and services to receive the best value. GSA schedule contracts are reasonably priced and pre-negotiated at the contract level. With pre-approved cost estimates, the mix of labor and effort is always considered, ensuring that the overall price is the best value for the government. Since the price has already been determined as fair by the government, it is much easier to get clients and agencies without going through the process of wondering if your pricing is competitive in the marketplace and worrying about agencies trying to bargain with you. Provide technical capabilities.
2. Provide Technical Capabilities
GSA pricing is great for valuing your experience level and technical capabilities. When submitting a GSA proposal, a technical narrative must also be provided. This gives a picture of the company’s experience in the field as well as their specific expertise. While this can be time-consuming and make for a lengthy proposal, it ensures that agencies are buying from contractors who will meet all of their needs. This is great for your business as well as it is a one-time thing. Once you provide a technical narrative, you can reuse it for every bid. This prevents GSA schedule holders from having to go through a lengthy process of creating a technical narrative for every bid proposal and instead makes the process more streamlined.
3. Save Time & Easy to Use
Once you get started, you can use marketing tools such as ‘GSA Advantage!’ which is an online shopping tool where GSA offerings can be posted online. Sites like this allow for all agencies and buyers to see and access all offerings and proposals. The site allows contract holders to upload products, photos, product descriptions, and the use of keywords to help your business rank higher on the search engine. With prices being clearly stated on the site, there is no need for negotiating with the buyer either. This is a great tool for connecting with potential buyers as well as scoping out your competition.
4. Help Your Business Grow
Instead of having to go out and contact potential customers, the buyers will now come to you. This is one of the biggest benefits of having a GSA contract and will help you build your company’s portfolio with the clients that you receive through the GSA. You can use those clients in your work outside the GSA marketplace to show your expertise to larger clients. This will let all of your other customers know you are a professional company that they can put their trust in. Because GSA schedule orders are usually big orders, this will also show your other clients that you can take on larger challenges. Along with making new sales through the GSA marketplace, you’ll also be able to show other clients your accolades, growing your business quickly and efficiently.
5. Monetary Benefits
GSA schedule contracts draw in over $40 billion in business every year. With that amount of money being put into GSA government contracts, you are almost guaranteed to be successful if you know how to navigate contracts. At any given time, there are over 12,000 available contracts and often federal agencies are required to purchase from the GSA. Federal agencies are also required to award 20% of schedules to small businesses, so the competition from large companies won’t hurt your chances of getting a contract.
6. Gain a Competitive Advantage
Having a GSA government contract is a great thing to be able to advertise on your company’s website. Being able to tell your customers that you are ‘GSA Certified’ means that your company is as trustworthy as can be. The process for getting GSA schedule certified is strict, detailed, and time-consuming and it means that you passed the evaluation process. Being able to say that you have worked with federal clients is also a great way to stand out against your competition. When you’re GSA certified, it means that you can complete large orders, be professional, trustworthy, and show that you have expertise in the field. Going through the lengthy process shows that your business is committed to being the best of the best and will put you miles ahead of your competitors.
The benefits that a business can get out of the GSA Schedule contract are well worth the time and effort. When you become ‘GSA Certified’ you can save time by joining the GSA marketplace and have customers come to you. Your business can experience amazing growth and monetary benefits, and you’ll have a huge edge up on your competitors. While the application is time-consuming and tedious, the benefits that a business can get out of becoming certified will always be worth it.
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About the Author
Josh Ladick is the President of GSA Focus, Inc., and has been immersed in GSA Contracts and Government Contracting for over 15 years. I explain the complex GSA and FAR clauses in simple terms that anyone can understand, as well as keep government contractors informed on a broad group of GSA Contract related topics.
