GSA ADVANTAGE ACCELERATOR
Step-By-Step Program for Building Your Federal Government Practice Through GSA Advantage!
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WHAT IS GSA ADVANTAGE?
GSA Advantage is an online marketplace for federal agencies to purchase goods and services from pre-approved vendors. It is operated by the General Services Administration (GSA), a government agency that is responsible for managing the procurement of goods and services for other federal agencies.
GSA Advantage is a platform that provides federal agencies access to a wide range of goods and services from pre-approved vendors. Vendors who have been approved by GSA have undergone a rigorous screening process that evaluates their qualifications and capabilities. This screening process helps ensure that the products and services offered on GSA Advantage are of high quality and that the vendors can meet the requirements of federal agencies.
Once a vendor is approved, they can offer their products and services on GSA Advantage at pre-negotiated prices and terms. This can save federal agencies time and money, as they don't have to go through the traditional procurement process, and they can be assured that the products and services they are buying meet the required standards.
GSA Advantage also offers a variety of tools and resources to help federal agencies find the products and services they need, such as search filters, product categories, and detailed product information. Additionally, GSA Advantage also enables online ordering, invoicing, and tracking, which makes the purchasing process more efficient.
THE GSA ADVANTAGE ACCELERATOR AND GUIDE:
The GSA Advantage Accelerator and Guide has been prepared with material from the GSA and the GSA Advantage website. For the most updated federal information always check the master federal source of the content before taking any executive decisions. Please save this page link as it has a lot of information, and you may be required to refer to it repeatedly.
This GSA Advantage guide has multiple steps - some simple and straightforward, while others are complicated but required. Please make sure that you address each step -- to be successful in your journey to build a strong federal practice:
First, understand the big federal opportunity and get involved in building a federal practice by taking the necessary steps listed below. This “opportunities” step is simple and straightforward and should not take too much time.
Second, learn how to create a strategic roadmap for federal business growth. The federal government is too large to work tactically to grow in it. You need a step-by-step strategy for growth. Either develop yours or use our best practices course.
Third, learn how to research the federal government to custom-select opportunities that you want to work with. Learn how to find federal partners and advisors. Also winning in the federal government requires teaming with the right partners. If you don’t know how to do all this learn it by taking this program.
Fourth, learn how to develop federal markets and conduct business development in the federal sector. This step is critical for success. Very few companies who have federal schedules or contract vehicles with the government win federal task orders without marketing and business development, so pay special attention to the advice in this guide.
Fifth, register to work with the federal government by ensuring that you have GSA and other federal schedules (contract vehicles) to sell to the government. This step is mechanical, and most companies can manage it by investing a little time, effort, and money. More details are below.
Sixth, ensure that you can execute immaculately the task orders won from the federal government. This way you will win the hearts and minds of the federal government and win repeat business from them while creating a “documented history” of past performance. The steps on how to do this are listed below.
In our experience, most companies take steps one and two listed above and then wait for federal opportunities and contracts to come their way. This is a big mistake; the federal government is not going to come to you unless you have a very “hot” product or service in the marketplace. For example, Zoom video conferencing during the pandemic. You need to reach out to the government with innovative market development techniques like the industry-powered learning program discussed in this guide and build the expertise to execute government projects well and consistently.
AUTHOR’S INSIGHT AS A TOP FEDERAL EXECUTIVE:
As the former CIO of the US Department of Transportation (US DOT) and part of the Obama-Biden Administration, NITIN PRADHAN had oversight of over $3.5B in annual technology investments/acquisitions, over 3,000 IT employees, 10,000+ technology contractors, and 200 major technology systems. In this unique position, NITIN met hundreds of federal suppliers and contractors each year - from the largest to the smallest who pitched to him for federal business. Some of them did very well in federal sales and growth. Others not so much.
The question was -- why were some performing much better than others? Was it the company, the product, the service, the price, or the training that made the difference? Nitin realized then that while the first four components made an impact, it was ultimately the federally focused training, the deep insights, and best practices in the federal government that made all the difference in selling more. Most entrepreneurs, businesses, and their employees especially beyond the Washington DC metro region have little understanding of the significant federal opportunities or how to sell and manage projects/programs for the federal government via GSA Advantage or other means. They learned by trial and error, making mistakes all along at the employers’ cost and muddling their way into and out of the federal opportunities. There had to be a better way.
NITIN, therefore, took two actions.
> First, his fedpreneur-focused initiative ScaleUP USA created the nation’s first digital, online, Federal Business Acceleration Program that companies can join to learn to win more business from the Federal Government to help individuals and employees get trained to join and work with federal government contractors, suppliers, and the government itself. These programs train your executives and employees on the best practices, processes, procedures, and methods for how to do business with the federal government including GSA Advantage! Here are the areas ScaleUP USA aims to cover in these most comprehensive programs. Make sure to check out this bundled program which contains these 10+ courses plus practicums for building a successful federal practice.
- Start to Exit Roadmap (Foundational Program)
- Federal Research Tools (Foundational Program)
- Winning Federal Teaming (Premium)
- Federal Market and Business Development (Premium)
- Federal Sales Strategy (Premium)
- Winning Federal Proposal Writing (Premium)
- Building Federally Focused Careers (Premium)
- Federal Program and Project Management (Premium)
- Federal Legal Overview (Add-on)
- Establish Federal Business Incubator (Add-on)
> Second, NITIN created this valuable, free, introductory GSA Advantage Accelerator and Guide for companies to understand the basic steps required to set up and successfully grow a federal contracting or supplier company in the USA. Make sure to bookmark and link to this guide from your website and make it available to your employees and contractors.
UNDERSTANDING THE BIG FEDERAL OPPORTUNITY:
The US federal government is the world’s largest marketplace. In FY 2021, The US federal government spent around $7.5 trillion on grants and fixed charges and an additional $1.1 trillion on contracts and supplies. The federal government also directly or indirectly employs over 9 million federal employees, contractors, and others. Just to compare the entire venture capital industry in the US invested approximately $320B in the US in 2021.
In ScaleUP USA’s experience, you can build a very successful business in the federal government if you strategize, train hard, learn the best practices, persist, have patience, and work systematically. So let us get started by locating all your team members and asking them to follow this guide and join the online Federal Accelerator program. Remember, while you can train alone it is better to have an ecosystem of partners to win more business in the federal sector, so invite your team to work together on this GSA Advantage Guide.
GET INVOLVED IN THE FEDERAL BUSINESS!
According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), there are approximately 30.2 million businesses in the USA. Of these, by our estimate, 98% don’t even try to work with the Federal Government. So, if you decide to attempt to work with the Federal Government you are already in the top 2%. This step is entirely in your hands! You must get mentally prepared to work with the Federal Government and on the GSA Advantage Accelerator Program if you are eligible. Working with the federal government is complex, time-consuming, and very different from working in the commercial sector. In ScaleUP USA’s opinion, once you learn the best practices, tips and tricks, and time-tested formulas you should do well. Plus, the complexity of the federal government acts as a barrier to entry for other businesses. Remember, the federal government spends in good times and in bad times. Therefore, once you learn to win federal business you should be good even if the economy tanks. Remember, this is one of the best hedges you can have for your business, therefore put in the effort, and create a great federal practice now while you can. Here is how you get started.
CHECK OUT THE FEDERAL OPPORTUNITIES:
The Federal Government seeks products or services through multiple different mechanisms including grants and contracts. Before you dive full fledge into working with the government, which is a little complicated, ScaleUP USA recommends that you first check out what the government is buying in your areas of expertise and make sure you like the buying patterns. The Government makes this very easy. For federal grants, you can search the “Grants.Gov” website and for federal contracts, you can search the new “SAM.gov” site as well as past contracts and awards data. You can also go to GSA Advantage and see what products and services are being sold to the government and see if you can compete with any of them successfully. More information on how to do this is included in the accelerator program. You can also check this free workshop we have.
IDENTIFY YOUR NAICS AND FCS CODES:
As you may have realized during your research in the earlier steps the Federal Government typically lists/identifies its procurement activities by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and the Federal Supply Classification (FSC) codes. You must, therefore, know the relevant codes for the products and services you are planning to sell to the government so you can seek the right buying opportunities. Do this now.
UNIQUE ENTITY IDENTIFIER (UEI):
Once you have your above steps planned out, in the past, it was time to register for your DUNS number. This business identification number was required if you wanted to work with the Federal Government. This number was provided free of charge to companies who wanted to do business with the Federal Government. On April 4, 2022, the federal government stopped using DUNS numbers. The DUNS Number was replaced by a new, non-proprietary identifier that is provided by the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). This new identifier is called the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), or the Entity ID.
REGISTER IN SAM.GOV:
The Federal Government requires you to have an active registration in SAM to do business with it. To register in SAM, at a minimum, you will need the following information:
- Your Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) and Taxpayer Name associated with your TIN.
- Your bank’s routing number, your bank account number, and your bank account type, i.e., checking or savings, to set up an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).
The System for Award Management (SAM.gov) is the official website of the U.S. Government. There is no cost to use SAM.gov. According to the SAM website, you can use this site to:
- Register to do business with the U.S. Government
- Update, renew, or check the status of your entity registration
- Search for entity registration and exclusion records
- Search for assistance listings (formerly CFDA.gov), wage determinations (formerly WDOL.gov), contract opportunities (formerly FBO.gov), and contract data reports (formerly part of FPDS.gov)
- View and submit Bio Preferred and Service Contract Reports
- Access publicly available award data via data extracts and system accounts
This again is a free, mechanical but required step. SAM registrations may have to be updated regularly to continue working with the government.
PLAN A FEDERAL BUSINESS STRATEGY:
This is a very critical step in ScaleUP USA’s opinion. The Federal government is large. Very large. It has around 20 large agencies and 80+ smaller agencies, with over 2.1 million employees. Unless you have a proven strategy to pursue Federal Government opportunities, you will get lost in selling and lose valuable time, effort, and a lot of money! Without the proper business strategy, you are a “rudderless ship on a shoreless sea.” Therefore, ScaleUP USA devotes substantial time to this area in the Federal Business Accelerator Program. This is a very critical step.
INVESTIGATE SET-ASIDE CERTIFICATIONS:
According to SBA, the current government-wide procurement goal stipulates that at least 23% of all federal government contracting dollars should be awarded to small businesses. The Biden-Harris administration is looking at increasing this percentage. There are currently four categories under which your small business can be certified:
Women-Owned Small Business — 5%
Small Disadvantaged Business — 5%
Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business — 3%
HUBZone — 3%
According to ScaleUP USA’s past research, many times Small Businesses pursue set-aside certifications at the wrong time, in the wrong category, and as a stand-alone strategy — wasting substantial financial resources and time. ScaleUP USA suggests that these certifications should be pursued when you have a credible federal team, a quality federally-focused product or service, and the ability to go after federal opportunities. If you try and get a certification earlier when some of these capabilities are not in place you will be just wasting time, effort, and money. Again, the Federal Business Accelerator program provides in-depth advice on how to build your team and win opportunities.
BUILDING A CAPABLE FEDERAL ECOSYSTEM:
There was a time in the past when individual business owners would compete and win big in the Federal Government. This aspect is no longer true due to the priority the Federal Government places on IDIQs, BPAs, GSA Advantage, and other very large contracting vehicles for purchasing. ScaleUP USA recommends that today’s federal contractors and suppliers must build a strong federal team and “ecosystem” including internal leadership, external partners, mentors, and subcontractors. This issue requires detailed planning. To understand more about federal teaming strategies, check out the Federal Teaming Program and Federal Partnership Marketplace.
UNDERSTAND FEDERAL ACQUISITIONS:
Federal Acquisitions are a beast that needs to be tamed. Once understood, the acquisition process is mostly standardized across the civilian, Intel, and defense agencies unlike the state and local government rules and regulations — which differ. Check out the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation (DFAR). The government is aggressively moving towards contract vehicles that focus on procuring an indefinite quantity of supplies or services during a fixed period. Therefore, ScaleUP USA recommends that your company establishes and implements a strategy to win business through GSA schedules, IDIQs, BPA’s, GSA Advantage, and other varieties of mass, discount purchase programs. More information about these types of contracts is included in the guide below.
OFFER INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES:
The government is not interested in buying outdated products and services. Offering innovative and transformative products and services is important to create clear vectors of differentiation and beat the competition in the federal marketplace. The question is how do you consistently innovate and transform efficiently and effectively in areas the government wants with the limited resources you have? Then, once you have such an innovative product or service, how do you effectively develop markets for it and build a sizable sales revenue? These are complex questions. ScaleUP USA’s research indicates that there are strategic ways to achieve this objective by working with a “transformation as a service” program from us or others, as well as seeking the government to fund your innovation! If you have established an innovative service or product to help the Federal Government or need help in driving innovation in your products or services, check out the Sales Acceleration Program. Once you have an innovative and or needed product or service for the federal government, it is worth the time to get involved with the GSA and its various schedules and programs including the GSA Advantage Program.
WHAT IS THE GSA?
The U. S. General Services Administration (GSA) is composed of the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), the Public Buildings Service (PBS), 12 Staff Offices, and 2 independent offices and serves and supports more than 60 Federal departments and agencies. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., GSA delivers goods and services to its federal customers through 11 regional offices.
Federal Acquisition Service (FAS): According to the GSA website, each year, FAS supplies over $75 billion in information technology (IT) products, services, and solutions; telecommunications services; assisted acquisition services; travel and transportation management solutions; motor vehicles and fleet services; and charge card services. FAS has more than 225,000 leased vehicles in its fleet, issues 5.1 million charge cards on average, and provides personal property disposal services for the reuse of $1 billion in surplus property annually. FAS is also America's only source solely dedicated to procuring goods and services for government in the areas of:
- Products and Services
- Technology
- Motor Vehicle Management
- Transportation
- Travel
- Procurement and Online Acquisition Tools
Public Buildings Service (PBS): As per the GSA website, PBS’s activities fall into two broad areas: workspace acquisition and property management. PBS acquires space on behalf of the Federal Government through new construction and leasing, while acting as a caretaker for federal properties across the country. They own or lease an inventory of more than 8,800 assets, maintain more than 370 million square feet of workspace for 1.1 million federal employees, and preserve more than 500 historic properties. Most businesses do not realize this, but the federal government is one of the largest property owners and managers in the world. So, if you have products and services to offer in the real estate arena the federal government is one of the largest consumers of such products and GSA is the right vehicle to go through.
UNDERSTANDING GSA SCHEDULE TERMINOLOGY:
If you’re planning to work with GSA or with the GSA Advantage program, you must understand some of the basic terminology prevalent in this GSA marketplace:
- GSA Schedule also known as the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) and Federal Supply Schedule is a long-term governmentwide contract with commercial firms providing federal, state, and local government buyers access to more than 11 million commercial supplies (products) and services at volume discount pricing. Getting on GSA schedules is a good thing. It is a license to hunt for government business and it eliminates much of the general competition. However, strong market development and sales component are needed after being on the schedule to win government business. More on this later.
- Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPA): A GSA Schedule BPA is an agreement established by a government buyer with a schedule contractor to fill repetitive needs for supplies or services. BPAs make it easier for the contractor and buyer to fill recurring needs with the customer’s specific requirements in mind, while using the buyer’s full buying power by taking advantage of quantity discounts, saving administrative time, and reducing paperwork.
- Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts provide for an indefinite quantity of services for a fixed time. They are used when GSA can’t determine, above a specified minimum, the precise quantities of supplies or services that the government will require during the contract period. IDIQs help streamline the contract process and speed service delivery.
- Task Orders: The government typically first issues a Schedule, BPA, or IDIQ. These are contract vehicles or “hunting licenses” to do business with the government. Once a contract vehicle is in place, task orders are written to access the resources of the supplier covered by the contract vehicle. Task orders are actual mini-contracts that define a specific project's scope, cost, schedule, and funding. They explain exactly how and where the money is to be spent by the government as well as the selection criteria. The task order is a component of a contract vehicle, and the task order's scope, cost, and schedule must conform to the terms of the contract vehicle.
- Maximum Order Threshold is meant to protect small contractors from very large orders that they may not be able to support. A small company has 3 days to reject a government order (because the size is unreasonable for the company). Professional services are procured with a quote system and contractors will not quote if they do not want to win the award.
- Industrial Funding Fee (IFF) is a fee paid by contractors to GSA to cover the cost of operating the GSA Schedule Program. The fee is 0.75% of sales (75 cents for every $100) generated because of being on the Schedule and is paid by each contractor to GSA quarterly. Government customers pay this fee when they purchase items from a Federal Supply Schedule contractor. The fee is included in the price of the item and is not a separate line item. Therefore, the award prices or discounts that appear in contractors’ GSA price lists already include this fee.
- Special Item Number (SIN): Each GSA Schedule is broken down into categories (Special Item Numbers) of specific scope. Search GSA eLibrary by Special Item Number (SIN), Contractor, Contract Number, Schedule Number, or Keywords. Once a Schedule is selected, a list of SINs will appear. Clicking on a SIN will then display the definition of the SIN. The scope of the SIN must fit the scope of the task order. More than one Schedule and/or SIN may be used for one task order.
GSA ADVANTAGE PROGRAM:
GSA Advantage is the Amazon.com of government. According to the GSA website “it is the premium online shopping and ordering system that provides access to thousands of contractors and millions of supplies, products, and services. Anyone may browse on GSA Advantage! ® to view and compare the variety of products and services offered. Federal government employees can make purchases on GSA Advantage!® using:
- A governmentwide commercial purchase card (GSA Smart Pay®)
- A GSA Activity Address Code (AAC) or
- A Department of Defense Activity Address Code (DoDAAC) (limited to purchases of GSA Global Supply items).
State and local government entities can also now use GSA Advantage!® to purchase products and services under both the Cooperative Purchasing Program and the Disaster Recovery Purchasing Program. Payments for state and local government purchases on GSA Advantage! ® are limited to credit card payments using a state or local government-issued credit card.”
IMPORTANT GSA ADVANTAGE TOOLS:
GSA has several tools that are relevant to commercial products and service suppliers. Recently GSA has been on a drive to consolidate many of these tools, so keep track of the changes that happen here:
- GSA E-Buy: GSA eBuy is an online RFQ tool, which enables federal buyers and schedule contractors to exchange RFQs and quotes electronically. Federal agencies can use eBuy to prepare and distribute RFQs. The agency will be able to review quotes submitted by scheduled contractors. The actual award of a task order must be completed outside of eBuy unless the total dollar value of the task order is less than $2.5K. According to the GSA eBuy website the major advantages of eBuy are:
- Reduces the cost of finding government business opportunities
- Increases sales potential by becoming more aware of new business opportunities
- Expands customer bases by securing valuable information from the Federal, State, and Local government marketplace
- Provides the ability to communicate requirements and quotations via web and email
- Saves time since business opportunities and quotations are sent electronically
- Helps establish new business relationships
- GSA eLibrary:GSA eLibrary was created to provide a centralized online resource to assist acquisition professionals in the research and identification of commercial businesses providing products and services offered under GSA and VA acquisition solutions. Information on GSA eLibrary is updated every night, so you can be assured that what you are seeing is accurate and up to date with reputable information. GSA eLibrary is an excellent source to research the government contractor directory, schedule contracts, technology contracts, cooperative purchase agreements, and disaster purchasing arrangements.
- GSA eMod:GSA eMod is a web-based application that allows Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contractors to electronically prepare and submit contract modification requests to the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS). Currently, there are eight types of modification requests including Additions, Administrative Changes, Cancellations, Deletions, Legal, Pricing, Technical, Terms, and Conditions. You can choose multiple modification types for a single eMod request. The purpose of eMod is to streamline and expedite the modification process and to create an electronic modification for the contract file.
WHY PARTICIPATE IN GSA ADVANTAGE?
There are several reasons why companies may choose to participate in the GSA Advantage! program:
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Access to a large customer base: The GSA Advantage program allows companies to sell their products and services to federal agencies, which can be a significant source of revenue.
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Streamlined procurement process: The GSA Advantage program provides a centralized platform for federal agencies to purchase products and services, which can make it easier for companies to do business with the government.
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Pre-negotiated prices: Companies that participate in the GSA Advantage program can offer their products and services to federal agencies at discounted prices, which can make them more competitive in the bidding process.
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Reputation and credibility: Participating in the GSA Advantage program can enhance a company's reputation and credibility, as it demonstrates the company's commitment to meeting the high standards set by the federal government.
- Networking opportunities: The GSA Advantage program can provide companies with opportunities to network with other businesses and government agencies, which can lead to new business opportunities.
Overall, participating in the GSA Advantage program can be a valuable way for companies to increase their revenue and expand their customer base.
GSA SCHEDULE ELIGIBILITY:
Now if you are wondering how you become a GSA schedule holder, here are some basics. Most GSA contracts require a company to be in business for at least two years (except IT solutions) and show an annual revenue of at least $25,000 and have a healthy financial status. Some contracts require specific skills and experience, especially in technical and service contracts. In addition, typically products or services need to fit under one of the GSA MAS schedule categories. All products need to be TAA-compliant. This means that all products must be either manufactured or "substantially transformed" in the United States or a TAA-compliant country. Refer to the FAR clause dealing with this important section. Some of the major non-compliant TAA countries include China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, and Sri Lanka. Finally, the past performance of the companies offering services is also evaluated.
Please note that GSA schedules are often called by different names including GSA Multiple Award Schedule, GSA Contract, GSA Number, GSA Listing, Federal Supply Schedule (FSS), etc., please do not get confused by all this terminology. Each GSA schedule typically has three unique qualities:
- Multiple Award Schedule: Typically, more than one company can have a particular GSA schedule, any company can apply for a GSA schedule at any time and there is no restriction to the number of companies that can be added to the GSA schedule!
- Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity: The US federal government has come up with this unique IDIQ concept where they contract out with companies for a set number of years (fixed term), a minimal number of guaranteed orders under the contract but open-ended to increase the number of orders that the government can procure under this particular contract.
- Government-Wide: All federal agencies including civilians and defense can use these contracts to procure products and services. Many state and local governments can also procure products under these contracts. These contracts serve as an excellent vehicle for government organizations to buy commercial products quickly.
TOP GSA ADVANTAGE SCHEDULES:
The General Services Administration (GSA) offers several schedules, also known as Multiple Award Schedules (MAS), through the GSA Advantage program. These schedules are pre-negotiated contracts with the federal government that allow companies to offer their products and services to federal agencies at discounted prices. Some of the most popular GSA schedules include:
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Professional Services Schedule (PSS): This schedule covers a wide range of professional services, including consulting, engineering, and financial services.
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Information Technology Schedule (IT Schedule 70): This schedule offers a wide range of IT products and services, including hardware, software, and telecommunications.
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Schedule 84: Total Solutions for Law Enforcement, Security, Facility Management Systems, Fire, Rescue, Clothing, Marine Craft and Emergency/Disaster Response: This schedule covers a variety of products and services related to law enforcement, security, and emergency response.
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Schedule 51V: Hardware Superstore: This schedule covers a wide range of hardware products, including hand tools, power tools, and construction equipment.
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Schedule 71: Furniture: This schedule covers a variety of furniture products, including office furniture, residential furniture, and outdoor furniture.
These are just a few examples of the many GSA schedules that are available. For a complete list of GSA schedules, you can visit the GSA website.
SECURING A GSA ADVANTAGE SCHEDULE:
So, what are the mechanics of securing the GSA schedule? Typically, you will have to submit a proposal to the government with all the necessary documentation that covers three aspects -- administrative, technical, and pricing. If the government likes what it sees it will set up an appointment to negotiate with you. Once the negotiations are completed the government will issue you a GSA schedule typically up to 5-year validity and with the term extendable up to 20 years. With the GSA schedule at hand and all the terms and conditions pre-defined, it is now much easier and faster to win government (federal, state, and local) task orders. Of course, as we have been saying all along, having the GSA schedule does nothing to get you the actual orders. Your work begins now, and you need to develop expertise on how to develop federal markets, conduct strategic selling, write winning proposals, create winning teams, develop acceptable pricing, and ultimately win the business. Join the Federal Business Accelerator program to understand these steps in detail and execute them.
FEDERAL MARKET AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM:
The GSA is a very large entity, the federal government is even larger. It is impossible to adequately cover this organization for sales, especially if you are a micro, small, or mid-size organization. So how do you compete with the larger companies and the incumbents who have a large business development staff or insider information? You can use a program ScaleUP USA developed and implemented called “Federal Market Development” which focuses on creating opportunities, internal champions, and a community of interest of government employees and helping your company become a trusted advisor.
INDUSTRY-POWERED LEARNING PROGRAM:
This is an industry-led "master program" developed in partnership with ScaleUP USA and other partners on ScaleUP's, neutral, microlearning-based, purpose-built platform to inform and educate buyers in federal, state, and local, governments, corporations, and startups on YOUR new technologies, business models, and disruptive innovations happening as a result of the industry partner’s transformative products and services. The focus of this program is on three areas:
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New Technologies: Help the government and government contractors learn about your new production techniques that offer significant improvements in terms of increased output or savings in costs over the established technology.
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New Business Models: Help the government and government contractors learn about your new designs or processes for the successful operation of a business for increasing revenues, customer base, and product or service offerings.
- Disruptive Innovations: Help the government and government contractors learn about your new transformative processes of transforming an idea or invention into a good or service that creates substantially more value or for which customers will pay more.
FEDERAL SALES ACCELERATION PROGRAM:
Covid has transformed the business world. What worked in the pre-Covid world is no longer effective today. Are you continuing with the costly, traditional business development and sales techniques of yesterday or do you want to migrate to the digital sales development world of the future?
- Are you still learning to sell from the seller instead of the buyer?
- Are your sales pitch pretty much a manual activity yet or have you gone digital?
- Have you figured out an ecosystem approach to selling or are you doing it alone?
- Is your sales training integrated across the entire company?
- How do your sales folks integrate with the rest of the company?
- Is everyone in your company focused on growth or is that the job of the salesperson?
These types of questions are fundamental to your growth in the federal sector. You have three choices. Lead, follow, or get out of the way. Stop the traditional outdated sales training and focus on buyer-driven sales acceleration programs designed by buyers for the sellers.
CREATE WINNING FEDERAL PROPOSALS:
If you don’t know how to write winning proposals and provide competitive pricing, you can forget winning Federal Government business! The price is too high, and you lose. Price too low and you are out of business. ScaleUP USA spent considerable time documenting some of the best practices in these areas and has built a module for what it takes to build a winning proposal with smart pricing and an impactful business capture process. If you need help, then check out this Winning Proposal Writing Program.
LEARN TO DELIVER PEAK PERFORMANCE:
The way to grow a business in the Federal Government is to first create and understand the opportunity, then conclude the mechanical steps to register for the business, learn to win business, and finally masterfully implement the federal contracts and grants successfully. If you don’t know the last step — that is to implement successfully, then your first win will be your last win! We at ScaleUP USA call this successful implementation “Peak Performance” and we have developed a simple formula that allows you to come under budget and on time each time. Either develop your methodology or use ours — but do make sure you master the art and science of successful implementation.
CREATE STRONG PAST PERFORMANCE:
The final act of becoming successful is standing on top of a table and shouting out to the world how good you are! How do you do it? When you have a strong “past” performance, ScaleUP USA recommends that it may be worthwhile or in some cases required to get your information updated in the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS). CPARS performance evaluations contain both government and contractor comments to provide a balanced view of performance, allowing source selection officials to look beyond contractor references. More information on the system and past performance enhancement are available in the Federal Accelerator.
IN SUMMARY:
This guide is a very short summary of ScaleUP USA’s comprehensive Federal Business Accelerator Program for building a strong GSA Advantage Practice. The federal government is the world’s largest customer. If you want to grow your business, join the federal government marketplace!
Use the above “GSA Advantage Guide” along with the Federal Business Accelerator program bundle by ScaleUP USA for maximum benefit. Train your executives and employees on best practices to do business with the federal government! All the best in building your federal practice!
STEP 1: Join Federal Business Accelerator (Foundational Program)
Includes Federal Business Accelerator Program
with 10+ Bundled Courses.
Founders, entrepreneurs, startups, home businesses, micro-businesses, small businesses, and government contractors or suppliers -- join our ever-growing collection of self-paced, digital courses and workshops to learn how to win and execute government contracts and grants. This bundled program includes 10+ courses.
In this program, you can access strategies, roadmaps, templates, best practices, valuable resources, tips and tricks, workshops, practicums, and much more that seasoned professionals use to win, administer, and execute government contracts and grants!
This program was planned, designed, and executed by a former SES-level Federal CIO with executive-level experience in US federal, state, and local governments as well as private industry.
Everyone can join this program immediately by clicking the link below and paying a small fee. Most participants get sufficient knowledge and expertise to start building their federal practice by completing this foundational program.
STEP 2: Apply for Federal Partnerships Marketplace (Intermediate Program)
Includes Federal Business Accelerator
+ Federal Partnerships Marketplace Programs
Educate government and partners, 24 x 7, digitally, via curated videos of your transformative products or services; create awareness, trust, influence, champions, and a community of interest for your company with a limited sales team.
This program includes the Federal Business Accelerator (Foundational) bundled program of 10+ courses.
Joining this program is by invitation only. You can apply for selection into this program by completing the F6S application form. Click the link below for more information. This program is for funded and/or revenue-generating companies in excess of $1M annually.
STEP 3: Apply for Industry Powered Learning (Advanced Program)
Includes Federal Business Accelerator
+ Industry Powered Learning Programs
Build a sophisticated educational pitch for the government and contractors by creating an industry-powered learning program on our platform, with our help, to educate government markets, reduce the cost of sales, and improve the scale of sales. This program includes the Federal Business Accelerator (Foundational) bundled program of 10+ courses.
Joining this program is by invitation only. You can apply for selection into this program by completing the F6S application form. Click the link below for more information. This program is for funded and/or revenue-generating companies in excess of $5M annually.