Monday, February 7, 2011

What Are GSA Schedules Really Good For?

GSA Schedule contracts are complex creatures. Books that run over 500 pages have been written about them. However, the basic question that companies always want answered is simple. What are GSA Schedules really good for?

The answer is also simple. They streamline the procurement process and minimize your competition.

GSA Schedules streamline the procurement process by reducing the number of steps a Contracting Officer must perform before awarding a purchase order. They allow the government to operate faster and under less burdensome procurement regulations, reducing the cycle time of a purchase.

GSA Schedules minimize your competition by limiting the procurement process to only those companies that also have similar GSA Schedules. It simply eliminates all competitors that do not have a GSA Schedule of their own.

No one should minimize the complexity of the GSA Schedule program. However, it is also important to maintain a focus on the big picture and remember that GSA Schedules, as much effort as they require, offer you unique opportunities to sell more, sell faster, and drastically reduce your competition.

You can learn more about these advantages at the Rozycki Associates, LLC Frequently Asked Questions page.

SBA Dynamic Small Business Search

If your small business has registered in the federal government’s Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database but has not completed your profile at the SBA’s DSBS site, you’re missing a great opportunity.

If you're in CR, go one step further and enter detailed capabilities information in their Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) database.

DSBS is a searchable master database of all the small businesses in CCR, yet only a fraction of companies provide any meaningful content.

I have been told by federal Contracting Officers that they routinely use DSBS to search for companies with specific capabilities, and that without a blurb describing your business they most likely won't take the time to even click on your DSBS listing.

As you complete your CCR filing, you’ll be prompted to complete the DSBS data if you are classified as a small business. Take the few minutes needed to provide some descriptive information and develop yet another tool for reaching out to federal buyers.

Something this quick and easy should be done by every small business in the federal market.

At Rozycki Associates, LLC, we help both large and small businesses succeed in the federal sales environment.

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