Data Mining and the Schedule Sales Query System

The GSA Schedule Sales Query, located at ssq.gsa.gov, is an underutilized resource that can provide tremendously valuable market intelligence when used the right way.

It provides a wide array of "snapshot" reports, such as contractor sales totals or total spending under certain types of contracts (such as the Group 70 IT Schedule), all for a specific fiscal year.

Combining these reports allows you to get to the heart of data mining: manipulating large amounts of data into meaningful information you can use to increase sales.

If you run and combine the right reports you can:

• see the Schedule contract sales for all companies in your industry over the past 7 years,
• determine which companies have ascended or descended, and
• see how the percentage of GSA Schedule dollars spent with your industry has changed over time.

When this information is combined with a knowledge of your industry and competition, it can yield powerful results showing the long-term market behavior of your competition and the Government. It can even help you decide whether the GSA Schedule is the right contract vehicle for you to use.

Here's a screenshot showing what reports you can run (click on the picture for a larger version):
The information is there and free for the taking. I encourage you to explore it and use it to help understand the competitive landscape.