GSA’s Readiness Assessment is a great way to begin your research to find out if a GSA contract is right for your company. A GSA contract comes with a number of requirements on your part, and there are a number of important regulations you need to understand before you make this decision. Remember, a GSA contract is no guarantee of sales, so this assessment could save you a lot of time and effort in the long run
Find The Appropriate GSA schedule and SIN
Go to GSA’s elibary. Click on ‘View Schedule Contracts” on the right of the page..Read through the list of schedules, and look at keywords for possible matches to the products/services you offer. Click on the appropriate Schedule number in the left hand column.
The schedule is now further sub-divided into Special Item Numbers, or SINS. Which SIN is the best match for the products or services you offer? Click on the SIN number in the left-hand column, and check out the list of current contractors offering those services. Do you recognize any of them as a competitor? Click on the Contractor name for more information about them. Click on the Terms icon to see the terms they offer GSA ( delivery times, minimum order etc) Click on the Advantage! Icon on the far right to see a listing of their products, descriptions, photos, pricing, delivery times and so on.
Research The Competition
How many contractors are listed in this Schedule/SIN ?
Are your products, pricing and terms competitive? What makes your offering better? Lower prices? faster delivery? Longer warranty? Upgrades? Experience?
Research The Market
All schedule contractors must report sales made via their GSA contract every quarter – even zero sales must be reported. GSA makes this information publicly available via their Schedule Sales Query site.
On the ‘Menu Items’ box on the left side of the page, click on Create Report. (No need to complete the company information on the next page, this is voluntary. Click ‘Proceed”)
Choose the appropriate report to find the following information about your Schedule and SIN:
How many contractors had zero sales? What were the sales for the top 3 contractors that fiscal year?
What was the average across all contractors?
Company Resources
Do you have adequate financial resources to perform under this federal contract? Do you have the resources to withstand a purchase cycle?
Do you understand the time and resources you will have to commit to submit a GSA contract proposal and to subsequently market your contract to agencies? Do you have the personnel and the resources to prepare, submit and administer this contract?
Do you understand that you are expected to make a minimum of $25,000 in sales in the first 2 years of the contract, and $25,000/year thereafter? (Many contractors fail to meet these criteria and run the risk of having their contract terminated).
Do you have the experience, accounting and operational controls, and technical skills to perform this contract? (including production control, quality assurance methods, safety programs, and an adequate accounting system)
Are the products you offer compliant with the Trade Agreement Act?
Do any of the products or services you offer help agencies meet sustainable acquisition requirements? (ie products designated ‘green’?)
Corporate Experience
Have you been conducting business for at least two years in the commercial market?
Can you demonstrate experience selling products or performing services which are similar in size and scope to those offered under your proposed GSA schedule and SIN?