A GSA Schedule is a long-term contract between a private business and the federal government. The Schedule is for an indefinite quantity and an indefinite delivery date. Basically, you provide the GSA with a list of products or services (including prices, delivery terms, warranties, and other terms and conditions) and the GSA determines whether your list meets their criteria. If so, your business is given a GSA contract number and your products are added to the GSA's database known as the GSA Advantage. Government agencies can then use that database to find your products. The purpose for awarding GSA Schedules is to make it easier for the federal government to find and purchase your products or services.
GSA Schedules: The Application Process
I thought it might be interesting to my readers to read an actual account of the process first hand from one of my clients. My client Outersports, LLC has graciously written the following about the process:
GSA: Central Contractor Registration
Before you can be awarded a GSA contract schedule you will be required to register with Central Contractor Registration (CCR).
CCR is the primary vendor database for the U.S. Federal Government. As a current or potential federal government vendor you are required to register your business with CCR in order to be awarded contracts by the federal government.
The registration will require you to provide CCR basic information about your business’ procurement procedures and financial viability.
Once registered, you must update or renew your business’ registration at least once per year to maintain an active status.
Once you have registered with CCR, CCR will validate the information you have provided about your business and then electronically share the secure and encrypted data with the federal agencies’ finance offices to facilitate paperless payments through electronic funds transfer (EFT).
GSA CCR also shares the data with federal government procurement and electronic business systems.
Information Need Prior to Registration
Prior to registration you will need to: (1) obtain a DUNS number; (2) if applicable, a DUNS +4 number; (3) obtain a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code; (4) a Federal Tax Identification Number; and (5) a Legal Business Name and Doing Business As Name.
The registration will require you to provide CCR basic information about your business’ procurement procedures and financial viability.
Once registered, you must update or renew your business’ registration at least once per year to maintain an active status.
Once you have registered with CCR, CCR will validate the information you have provided about your business and then electronically share the secure and encrypted data with the federal agencies’ finance offices to facilitate paperless payments through electronic funds transfer (EFT).
GSA CCR also shares the data with federal government procurement and electronic business systems.
Information Need Prior to Registration
Prior to registration you will need to: (1) obtain a DUNS number; (2) if applicable, a DUNS +4 number; (3) obtain a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code; (4) a Federal Tax Identification Number; and (5) a Legal Business Name and Doing Business As Name.
GSA: Procurement Classification Codes
Before you apply for your GSA Schedule Contract you must first determine what classification your product or service falls under. I have included a list of GSA's product and service classification code numbers and descriptions below.
Classification Code Numbers and Descriptions
10 -- Weapons
11 -- Nuclear ordnance
12 -- Fire control equipment
13 -- Ammunition & explosives
14 -- Guided missiles
15 -- Aircraft & airframe structural components
16 -- Aircraft components & accessories
17 -- Aircraft launching, landing & ground handling equipment
18 -- Space vehicles
19 -- Ships, small craft, pontoons & floating docks
20 -- Ship and marine equipment
22 -- Railway equipment
23 -- Ground effects vehicles, motor vehicles, trailers & cycles
24 -- Tractors
25 -- Vehicular equipment components
26 -- Tires and tubes
28 -- Engines, turbines & components
29 -- Engine accessories
30 -- Mechanical power transmission equipment
31 -- Bearings
32 -- Woodworking machinery and equipment
34 -- Metalworking machinery
35 -- Service and trade equipment
36 -- Special industry machinery
37 -- Agricultural machinery & equipment
38 -- Construction, mining, excavating & highway maintenance equipment
39 -- Materials handling equipment
40 -- Rope, cable, chain & fittings
41 -- Refrigeration, air-conditioning & air circulating equipment
42 -- Fire fighting, rescue & safety equipment
43 -- Pumps & compressors
44 -- Furnace, steam plant & drying equipment; & nuclear reactors
45 -- Plumbing, heating, & sanitation equipment
46 -- Water purification & sewage treatment equipment
47 -- Pipe, tubing, hose & fittings
48 -- Valves
49 -- Maintenance & repair shop equipment
51 -- Hand tools
52 -- Measuring tools
53 -- Hardware & abrasives
54 -- Prefabricated structures and scaffolding
55 -- Lumber, millwork, plywood & veneer
56 -- Construction & building materials
58 -- Communication, detection, & coherent radiation equipment
59 -- Electrical and electronic equipment components
60 -- Fiber optics materials, components, assemblies & accessories
61 -- Electric wire & power & distribution equipment
62 -- Lighting fixtures & lamps
63 -- Alarm, signal & security detection equipment
65 -- Medical, dental & veterinary equipment & supplies
66 -- Instruments & laboratory equipment
67 -- Photographic equipment
68 -- Chemicals & chemical products
69 -- Training aids & devices
70 -- General purpose information technology equipment
71 -- Furniture
72 -- Household & commercial furnishings & appliances
73 -- Food preparation and serving equipment
74 -- Office machines, text processing systems & visible record equipment
75 -- Office supplies and devices
76 -- Books, maps & other publications
77 -- Musical instruments, phonographs & home-type radios
78 -- Recreational & athletic equipment
79 -- Cleaning equipment and supplies
80 -- Brushes, paints, sealers & adhesives
81 -- Containers, packaging, & packing supplies
83 -- Textiles, leather, furs, apparel & shoe findings, tents & flags
84 -- Clothing, individual equipment & insignia
85 -- Toiletries
87 -- Agricultural supplies
88 -- Live animals
89 -- Subsistence
91 -- Fuels, lubricants, oils & waxes
93 -- Nonmetallic fabricated materials
94 -- Nonmetallic crude materials
95 -- Metal bars, sheets & shapes
96 -- Ores, minerals & their primary products
99 -- Miscellaneous
Classification Code Numbers and Descriptions
11 -- Nuclear ordnance
12 -- Fire control equipment
13 -- Ammunition & explosives
14 -- Guided missiles
15 -- Aircraft & airframe structural components
16 -- Aircraft components & accessories
17 -- Aircraft launching, landing & ground handling equipment
18 -- Space vehicles
19 -- Ships, small craft, pontoons & floating docks
20 -- Ship and marine equipment
22 -- Railway equipment
23 -- Ground effects vehicles, motor vehicles, trailers & cycles
24 -- Tractors
25 -- Vehicular equipment components
26 -- Tires and tubes
28 -- Engines, turbines & components
29 -- Engine accessories
30 -- Mechanical power transmission equipment
31 -- Bearings
32 -- Woodworking machinery and equipment
34 -- Metalworking machinery
35 -- Service and trade equipment
36 -- Special industry machinery
37 -- Agricultural machinery & equipment
38 -- Construction, mining, excavating & highway maintenance equipment
39 -- Materials handling equipment
40 -- Rope, cable, chain & fittings
41 -- Refrigeration, air-conditioning & air circulating equipment
42 -- Fire fighting, rescue & safety equipment
43 -- Pumps & compressors
44 -- Furnace, steam plant & drying equipment; & nuclear reactors
45 -- Plumbing, heating, & sanitation equipment
46 -- Water purification & sewage treatment equipment
47 -- Pipe, tubing, hose & fittings
48 -- Valves
49 -- Maintenance & repair shop equipment
51 -- Hand tools
52 -- Measuring tools
53 -- Hardware & abrasives
54 -- Prefabricated structures and scaffolding
55 -- Lumber, millwork, plywood & veneer
56 -- Construction & building materials
58 -- Communication, detection, & coherent radiation equipment
59 -- Electrical and electronic equipment components
60 -- Fiber optics materials, components, assemblies & accessories
61 -- Electric wire & power & distribution equipment
62 -- Lighting fixtures & lamps
63 -- Alarm, signal & security detection equipment
65 -- Medical, dental & veterinary equipment & supplies
66 -- Instruments & laboratory equipment
67 -- Photographic equipment
68 -- Chemicals & chemical products
69 -- Training aids & devices
70 -- General purpose information technology equipment
71 -- Furniture
72 -- Household & commercial furnishings & appliances
73 -- Food preparation and serving equipment
74 -- Office machines, text processing systems & visible record equipment
75 -- Office supplies and devices
76 -- Books, maps & other publications
77 -- Musical instruments, phonographs & home-type radios
78 -- Recreational & athletic equipment
79 -- Cleaning equipment and supplies
80 -- Brushes, paints, sealers & adhesives
81 -- Containers, packaging, & packing supplies
83 -- Textiles, leather, furs, apparel & shoe findings, tents & flags
84 -- Clothing, individual equipment & insignia
85 -- Toiletries
87 -- Agricultural supplies
88 -- Live animals
89 -- Subsistence
91 -- Fuels, lubricants, oils & waxes
93 -- Nonmetallic fabricated materials
94 -- Nonmetallic crude materials
95 -- Metal bars, sheets & shapes
96 -- Ores, minerals & their primary products
99 -- Miscellaneous
GSA: Contracts Online
In a phrase, "Let's get it out there for all to see."
No longer are contactors able to ignore contract provisions feeling comfortable that most of the agencies can be kept ignorant to the terms of the contract.
Contracts Online
GSA calls its new online contractor/schedule search website, appropriately enough, "Contracts Online."
Contracts Online was developed to provide governmental agencies on hand schedule contract information when performing market research and placing orders. The website makes comparing one contractor/schedule to another fast and simple.
The information contained in Contracts Online can ensure governmental agencies are in compliance with the terms and conditions of the schedule contracts.
Contracts Online is the result of a collaborative effort between GSA and the Department of Defense (DOD). Together GSA and DOD have teamed up to ensure proper use of GSA contracting methods in an effort to help agencies “get it right” when purchasing products and services.
Downloading The Solicitation Files for Your GSA Schedule
Once you are sure of which GSA Schedule your contracted products will be offered under, you will need to download the appropriate files to prepare and submit.
Finding them on the GSA website can be rather frustrating.
Here is the path from their home page to the GSA Schedule Solicitations page where you will find links to each of the GSA Schedules: Home > About GSA > Acquisition Solutions > Schedules > For Vendors - Getting on Schedule > GSA Schedule Solicitations . I have provided the full path so that you can see what directory the GSA lists this information under.
You will need click on the last link: GSA Schedule Solicitations to find your particular schedule.
To download the solicitation, you will need to click on the solicitation link and not the schedule link. This can be found in the middle column and is a series of letters, numbers and dashes such as: 7FCI-L3-03-0084-B.
The solicitation page should have the solicitation number listed just below the corresponding schedule. Here you will need to download all of the files that relate to your products. I would recommend downloading the very first file and reading it first. It is usually titled All-Read Me First for some reason.
The READ ME file will guide you in selecting the appropriate files to download for your specific offer.
If you are still unclear on which files you need to download and prepare, contact the contracting officer listed at the top of the solicitation page. The contracting officer's name, phone number and email are all listed in the box under the solicitation number at the top of the page.
There is often more than one contracting officer for a solicitation that you can contact. I would recommend emailing all of them if you cannot reach any of them by phone.
Once you have downloaded the appropriate files, I would highly advise you to do as the GSA recommends and print all of the files out and organize them in a three ring binder with dividers.
You might be inclined to skip this step because of the number of pages you will have to print, but trust me here. You will thank me for this advice later. It is much easier to keep track of your revisions by marking it on paper than it will be in digital form.
I also recommend placing a sticky note next to each of the revisions you make so that it will be easier to find later. The revisions that I'm talking about take place after you have submitted you completed solicitation to your contracting officer.
In the process of completing and receiving our GSA contract award, we were required to make around a hundred different revisions. As your contracting officer makes these requests, you have to revise each part that is required and then fax it back to the officer within a specific time frame(usually around 5 days). So, go ahead and print it all out and organize it in a binder. The more organized you are, the easier this will be.
Finding them on the GSA website can be rather frustrating.
Here is the path from their home page to the GSA Schedule Solicitations page where you will find links to each of the GSA Schedules: Home > About GSA > Acquisition Solutions > Schedules > For Vendors - Getting on Schedule > GSA Schedule Solicitations . I have provided the full path so that you can see what directory the GSA lists this information under.
You will need click on the last link: GSA Schedule Solicitations to find your particular schedule.
To download the solicitation, you will need to click on the solicitation link and not the schedule link. This can be found in the middle column and is a series of letters, numbers and dashes such as: 7FCI-L3-03-0084-B.
The solicitation page should have the solicitation number listed just below the corresponding schedule. Here you will need to download all of the files that relate to your products. I would recommend downloading the very first file and reading it first. It is usually titled All-Read Me First for some reason.
The READ ME file will guide you in selecting the appropriate files to download for your specific offer.
If you are still unclear on which files you need to download and prepare, contact the contracting officer listed at the top of the solicitation page. The contracting officer's name, phone number and email are all listed in the box under the solicitation number at the top of the page.
There is often more than one contracting officer for a solicitation that you can contact. I would recommend emailing all of them if you cannot reach any of them by phone.
Once you have downloaded the appropriate files, I would highly advise you to do as the GSA recommends and print all of the files out and organize them in a three ring binder with dividers.
You might be inclined to skip this step because of the number of pages you will have to print, but trust me here. You will thank me for this advice later. It is much easier to keep track of your revisions by marking it on paper than it will be in digital form.
I also recommend placing a sticky note next to each of the revisions you make so that it will be easier to find later. The revisions that I'm talking about take place after you have submitted you completed solicitation to your contracting officer.
In the process of completing and receiving our GSA contract award, we were required to make around a hundred different revisions. As your contracting officer makes these requests, you have to revise each part that is required and then fax it back to the officer within a specific time frame(usually around 5 days). So, go ahead and print it all out and organize it in a binder. The more organized you are, the easier this will be.
Schedules E-Library
The website url is www.gsa.gov . On their home page you will see a list of arrows down the left hand side. The second arrow points to "GSA Contracts and Schedules." It is under this heading that you will find "Schedules e-library." Click on the link to take you to the "Schedules e-library."
On this page, you will see a graphic on the right hand side that is a screen shot of the Schedules e-library site. Don't ask me why it takes this many steps to get there from the GSA home page. You'll learn not to ask silly questions like that once you really get started on your GSA schedule.
Now, once you are on this page, you will see a search box just below the welcome message near the top of the page. This is where you will type in your product name or a description of your product. In my case, I wanted to sell polypropylene underwear.
After running the search, schedule 84 returned by the search engine. Sometimes, the search engine will return more than one schedule. If you cannot decide which schedule to choose, you can click on one of the schedules. At the top of the schedule page, you will find the contact information for the contracting officer for that particular schedule.
You can then call or email them with the description of your product and they will help you select the right schedule. When I did mine, I found that emailing my contracting officer was the most effective way to reach her. I rarely got a response or a call back over the phone. But that was just my experience with my contracting officer.
Now that you know what schedule you product will fall under, you will need to download the contract information to fill out.
Got a GSA Schedule?
Well, to be a part of the market selling to the government, you need to have a GSA Schedule. You probably already get an inbox full of emails from companies wanting to charge you a years salary to set complete your schedule for you.
If you are a small business, you can't afford to invest your hard earned profits only to pad another companies pockets. It is possible to complete all of the paperwork yourself. You just need to know where to start and what resources to turn to when you have questions.
Now, over the coarse of this blog, we'll show you where to start and who to take your questions to. But first, I will tell you right out front that obtaining a GSA Schedule requires some patience. There are a series of approval processes for your schedule that can take some time to complete. But, hang in there.
The benefits of having a GSA Schedule are definitely worth the time it takes to complete your schedule and receive your contract award.
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