Last week I wrote about our experience getting registered as a contractor for federal business. We have been working with a consultant from the GCAP (the Government Contract Assistance Program), Glenn, who helped us through the registration process, a mandatory step in order to do work with the government. We thought that the Textmetrics product would be a natural fit for government agencies and wanted to expose it as broadly as possible. According to Glenn, the most efficient way to do this would be to place it on the General Services Administration Multiple Awards Schedule (GSA MAS). The purpose of the GSA MAS is to vet prospective vendors once on behalf of all the agencies of the government so that they can have confidence that that the business from which they are ordering has the capability to fulfill the order satisfactorily. The added bonus is that state and local governments also order via this service, so the exposure truly is a marketing force multiplier. But it is a long journey to get from getting a UEI to landing the first order.
We started by taking the mandatory Pathways to Success training and completing the Readiness Assessment. This helped us evaluate our level of preparation to ready and submit the necessary program requirements.
Next, we had to determine the appropriate categories and Special Item Numbers (SINs) that best matched our service. That took several days; it’s not as simple a process as it sounds. Some SINs are intended for small business and some for large. We started at the GSA eLibrary which provides detailed descriptions of the scope of each SIN. We identified the category of the product offering and then examined the SINs found under the category. Each SIN has criteria and requirements specific to the SIN. Some SINs are extremely specific, and many have one or two stray requirements that makes them unsuitable for the product we are placing. At times this process feels like more art than science, but it is crucial to nail the SIN choice; choosing incorrectly can derail the entire process.
Preparing the actual offer is a complex process with many parts: from letters of supply from our channel partner, to past performance with and letters of recommendation from clients, to highly detailed pricing spreadsheets, to detailed and current financial statements and bank letters. Once we submitted, we had an extensive review and negotiation process with our assigned GSA contracting officer. Having expert guidance can be invaluable during this stage to negotiate favorable terms.
Getting awarded the contract is just the first step. Maintaining compliance with all GSA requirements will be an ongoing obligation. Once on the schedule, we implement processes for periodic mock audits, keep track of frequent regulatory changes, and proactively submit modifications.
We have found that acquiring and managing a GSA Schedule is a major long-term commitment.It requires great attention to detail and dedicated resources and a compliance program, as well as constant monitoring of changes to contracting regulations. It is quite the undertaking, both getting on the schedule and maintaining the offering once there. In fact, we are already in conversation with another manufacturer (who we were introduced to by our GCAP consultant, Glenn) to establish them on the schedule and serve as their GSA channel partner – a win-win!
