Getting a GSA Schedule Contract is an important milestone for US-based companies that want to sell their products and services to government customers. From the ability to increase annual revenue to the reduced pool of competition, there are many benefits of getting a GSA Schedule Contract.
But despite what you might think, obtaining a GSA contract is not the hardest part of the process. The hard work actually begins once you’re in the GSA schedule. That’s when you have to separate yourself from your competitors and stand out in the federal marketplace.
Here are some key tips for making the most out of your GSA contract.
What is the GSA Schedule?
First off, the GSA Schedule (also known as Multiple Award Schedule) is a program where US vendors are pre-qualified to provide products and services for the federal government and other agencies entitled to use the GSA Schedule, such as local administrations.
The GSA schedule ensures that the vendors that are part of the program are offering their best prices to the government buyers. Because the vendors have pre-qualified prices, terms, and conditions, the government buyers don’t have to negotiate these with each specific vendor within the GSA program and can be certain they are getting the best value on the market.
Without further ado, here are the top three insights that we gained from working with GSA-approved clients that can help you maximize your GSA contract potential.
Clarification: being awarded is the easy part
Despite what many entrepreneurs believe, getting a GSA contract is actually the easy part. Although the process of getting approved is a bit tedious, it’s fairly simple. Because there’s a lot of paperwork involved, such as certifications, relevant evidence, documentation, etc., companies tend to think it’s complicated to obtain a GSA.
However, the process is relatively easy because you’re not competing against anyone. You’re only required to submit the necessary documentation, complete relevant forms, and wait for six to nine months to get into the GSA program.
Tip #1 Develop your B2G sales channel
The real work begins once you’re in the GSA schedule program. And that’s when our first key tip comes in. After you obtain a GSA contract, you need to develop your business-to-government sales channel.
It’s important to understand that the GSA schedule is just a vehicle and being GSA-approved doesn’t mean you will automatically start receiving orders.
Getting a GSA contract needs to be a part of a broader business strategy about how to develop your B2G sales channel. To effectively sell to government agencies, your B2G sales channel will require extensive planning, marketing, and sales effort.
With that said, once you’re in the GSA program, you’re in charge of implementing a relevant plan. That would involve contacting agencies, doing proper marketing, presenting your solution at trade shows, and performing other sales activities that you would normally do for B2B sales but that would, in this case, be targeted towards government agencies.
The government comes in to facilitate the last part of the sales cycle. Since you’re in the GSA program, your prices, terms, and conditions are already pre-negotiated, so you don’t need to get into them.
As we already mentioned, the GSA schedule is only a medium to sell to government agencies and other entities involved in the GSA program, but it doesn’t guarantee you will get a sales channel. You are the one that needs to do the hard work of developing an effective B2G sales strategy.
Tip #2 Leverage the available GSA tools
Finally, there is a set of GSA tools that you can use for free as part of the program. For some reason, these tools are fairly underused and we’ve seen too many companies making the same mistake of not leveraging the available tools. So, today, we want to share our top three GSA tools that will help you improve your positioning and make the most out of your GSA contract.
GSA Advantage
GSA Advantage is an online shop where potential government customers (federal, state, and local agencies) come to buy products and services. Think Amazon, but for government buyers.
Most vendors don’t use the GSA Advantage tool properly and miss out on a lot of sales potential. For example, just like Amazon, the GSA Advantage tool uses keywords, images, and descriptions to create a good customer experience. So if you don’t have a proper image or your description is not search-friendly, you are less likely to be found by government customers. We have been able to increase our clients’ B2G revenues just by implementing basic improvements in their GSA Advantage catalogs.
To get the most out of this tool, make sure you include images, write detailed descriptions, and add external links. That’s how you will gain a competitive advantage and improve your positioning.
GSA eBuy
GSA eBuy is more like a private club for purchasing, as opposed to an online shop. It’s a portal where government agencies ask for custom requirements for products and services and then vendors submit proposals to compete for those opportunities. If you’re a part of the GSA program, you should monitor the GSA eBuy proactively in order to keep track of all sales opportunities.
Another great thing about the GSA eBuy tool is that you gain access to the agencies’ contact information so you can offer them your products or services even if they're not relevant to that specific eBuy opportunity.
Market intelligence from publicly available info
The last set of tools that we want to recommend is focused on helping you leverage market intelligence from publicly available info. Unlike in the B2B and B2C world, the competitors’ information is freely available in the case of government procurement. This means that you can gain a very deep understanding of how your GSA competitors are doing and how they’re positioned in the GSA schedule. By leveraging this crucial information, you can improve your B2G strategy and improve your position in the government marketplace. Here are some tools to check out:
- GSA eLibrary: https://www.gsaelibrary.gsa.gov/ElibMain/home.do
- SAM reports: https://sam.gov/reports/awards/standard
Final thoughts
Even if you’re in the GSA schedule program, you still need to develop an effective B2G sales channel, leverage the available tools and information to your advantage, and seize every opportunity to improve your position on the government market.
By implementing our top tips above, you will maximize the potential of your GSA contract and greatly improve your revenue in this program.
At BizCusp, we help small technology companies win more contracts with US federal, state, and local governments. If you want to grow your business in the government space, we’ve got you covered! Get in touch with us today for a consultation.
Hey! It's me, Javi, the BizCusp Lead Consultant
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