GSA Contract Benefits from a Buyer’s Perspective
With over $38.5 billion in sales last fiscal year, the GSA Schedule Contract is the most widely used government contract vehicle. Many government buyers prefer to purchase products and services through the GSA Schedule because it streamlines the procurement process through a host of benefits.
Benefits of Ordering Through the GSA Schedule
- Ease of ordering
- Discount volume pricing
- FedBizOpps (FBO.gov) synopsis is not required
- GSA Schedule pricing is pre-determined by GSA to be fair and reasonable
- All applicable regulations and competition requirements, including FAR & Competition in Contracting Act have been met
- Save time & money: Schedule orders average 15 days while open-market procurement averages 268 days
- Easy payment options: GSA SmartPay®, is accepted for all Schedule orders under $3,000
- No order limitations: Customers can place an order for any dollar amount
- Orders placed under the Schedules program can count towards an agency’s socioeconomic goals and accomplishments
- Flexible Pricing: Customers are free to request price reductions beyond discounted Schedule prices
- Expedited Delivery: Available in many cases and items can frequently be delivered overnight or within two days
- Skill Pool: Contractor Team Arrangements allow agencies to customize solutions from a vast skill pool
- Control of procurement process: Ordering activity maintains a direct relationship with the contract service provider; GSA is not involved in the process except to initially establish the Schedules Contract
- Quality Purchases: Customers have access to state-of-the-art technology and quality services and supplies
- Environmental Compliance: Orders placed under the GSA Schedules provide compliance with environmental requirements for application services and products
Placing a GSA Schedule Order
Federal buyers that wish to purchase through the GSA Schedule have a few different options. Buyers can browse GSA Schedule Contract holders and their offerings on GSA’s eLibrary website at https://www.gsaelibrary.gsa.gov, or they can search for specific products on GSAAdvantage! https://www.gsaadvantage.gov. Alternatively, agencies can issue Requests for Proposals (RFPs) through GSA’s online system, eBuy https://www.ebuy.gsa.gov.
New FAR Rule: Fair Notice Requirements
An interim FAR rule has changed fair notice competition requirements for orders placed against the GSA Schedules, also known as Federal Supply Schedules (FSS), as well as:
- FSS Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs)
- Government Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs)
- Other Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contracts
As of May 16, 2011, buyers placing orders against any of the Multiple Award contracts listed above must receive at least three quotes unless they use eBuy to post the Request for Quote (RFQ). eBuy meets the new FAR rule that requires buyers to provide “fair notice to all contractors”. For more information, please refer to the interim FAR rule here.
For More Information Visit GSA’s Website:
