We talk to companies every day in various stages of the GSA Schedule proposal process. After making the determination to pursue a GSA Schedule, companies can run into a number of challenges. Below are four common obstacles you could face while getting a GSA Schedule.
❶ Time
Rounding up the required documentation and preparing a GSA Schedule proposal takes significant time and resources – possibly more than you have available internally.
Depending on your experience, it could take up to 12 months to develop your proposal in-house. Our team here at FEDSched can cut your time commitment, from start to finish, down to 20-40 hours.
❷ Understanding Requirements
GSA invested a significant amount of time over the past two years to “modernize” the GSA Schedules program. This involved reviewing the terms and conditions detailed in the 24 individual GSA Schedule Solicitations and consolidating everything into one, single GSA Schedule Solicitation.
Despite GSA’s efforts to simplify things, the new GSA Schedule Solicitation is still daunting with more than 200 pages of instructions, requirements, and contract clauses. In addition to the main solicitation document, you’ll also need to review the applicable large category attachment(s) and any category specific templates and attachments.
Even if you have a proposal team on staff – understanding which clauses apply to you, what GSA wants you to submit, and how they want it submitted can be overwhelming.
❸ Responding to GSA Requests
Part of the proposal review process involves answering GSA questions, submitting clarifications, and providing additional information as requested. Failure to respond within given time frames can lead to rejection. It’s also important to recognize, while GSA is continually working to standardize the review process, many aspects are left to the discretion of the GSA Contracting Officer.
Unless you’ve participated in multiple reviews, you may not know if a request is standard or out of the ordinary. Not knowing what requests are standard could lead to you providing unnecessary information that could impact negotiations and/or award. Knowing why GSA is requesting certain information and what type of requests are standard can help you better formulate a response.
❹ Pricing Negotiations
During the negotiation process, companies can sometimes find themselves agreeing to steep discounts without fully understanding the long term ramifications. While you’ll have the ability to adjust pricing throughout the life of your contract, any price increases will be restricted by your original negotiations.
It’s important to negotiate pricing that is win-win for you and your buyer. Market research and familiarity with GSA’s negotiation objectives can help you find the right balance between profitability and competitiveness.
Need Help Getting Your GSA Schedule Contract?
FEDSched can successfully navigate your company through each step of the GSA Schedule process. We save you time, serving as your primary resource and educating you throughout the process. We also correspond with GSA, so you don’t have to, and help you negotiate a contract that aligns with your business objectives. Contact Us Today