To keep up with the increasing demands of the public sectors, the General Services Administration (GSA) established a comprehensive schedule program. One of these programs includes the Professional Services Schedule (PSS) contract.

This schedule provides a centralized contract solution for all federal agencies while streamlining the acquisition process. Simply put, it consolidates the professional services schedules into a single contracting vehicle for efficiency and convenience.

The public sector can still access all eight professional schedule services. However, the only difference is the centralized contracting environment across all PSS. As a result, this program eliminates multiple duplicate contracts and workloads for both the business and federal GSA. Instead of handling administrative works, auditing, and negotiating contracts, businesses can go straight to acquiring complex, fixed-priced products and labor-hour professional services.

Benefits from the GSA PSS Contract

As an extension to the Multiple Award Schedule program, the Professional Services Schedule provides a streamlined approach to the procurement of numerous federal supply schedules. The GSA PSS contract’s main objective is to provide a unified, government-wide solution to use various GSA competencies. In other words, businesses can receive a single agreement to offer a scope of services and products.

Here are the services that the GSA PSS contract cover:

• Businesses that are on the federal supply schedule can incorporate other SINs from the Schedules they consolidate. This SIN minimizes the workload of managing service offers, for they don’t need to craft separate GSA contracts.
• Instead of implementing a set of different terms and conditions for all 8 Schedules, businesses can apply one set of t&C for most service needs.
• Modify terms in the T&C for task orders or Blanket Purchase Agreements to meet your specific requirements.
• Allows you to make sure that the terms and conditions implemented by the FAR get followed.
• Issuing a Request for Quotation (RFQ) has been made easier with PSS. You can do it in two ways:
  • Request for a quote through the GSA solicitation system (eBuy)
  • Issue the request to the GSA contractors based on the procedures set by the federal agency
• Different sectors of the government look into different federal supply schedules for one or more of their needs. Without further research about the market, they can gain information about the scopes of businesses’ offerings.
• Utilize the procurement procedures stated on the FAR Subpart 8.4 to save time.

Why use the PSS?

The federal GSA established the Professional Services Schedule (PSS) contract to introduce a centralized procurement vehicle for all professional services. The Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program offers an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) to federal agencies.

GSA contractors who offer Professional Services can pursue the PSS federal supply schedule to expand their reach. Apart from their usual prospects, this opens vast opportunities as one of the most extensive GSA Schedules Program to date. With revenue grossing over $2.0 million per year, applying for this is definitely worth the shot.

Although the GSA Professional Services category allows federal agencies to access innovative and efficient service solutions, other sectors can still opt for other programs. For instance, the state, municipal, and local government agencies would prefer to go through the Disaster Recovery program. More often than not, the Professional Services Schedule allows agencies to value what they pay for at the shortest lead time available.

How do you get a GSA PSS Contract?

Acquiring a GSA PSS contract can get overwhelming if you proceed while unprepared. It involves complex procedures that require someone with experience in the program to attain the best results. Overall, the key to success is developing a proposal that includes exceptional terms, conditions, and pricing that the contracting officer cannot deny.

First, you need to proceed to your GSA Contract application for approval. It is important to note that your proposal’s submission cannot guarantee your business with the government. You would have to wait for a couple of months before opportunities can come knocking on your door. Simply put, as soon as you’re approved, the sooner you can begin marketing your products and services to federal agencies.

It would be best if you also carried out exceptional marketing strategies to reach your target market successfully. The competition can be challenging, but you can become a cut above the rest with proper management and strategy.

Here’s what you need to do to obtain a GSA PSS Contract.

Preparation

Before submitting an offer, you need to prepare for the years of commitment to come. You must complete two training courses to gain a clear understanding of the GSA Schedule. The first is called Pathways to Success, and the second is a Readiness Assessment. Both of these programs are web-based and free of charge.

Pathways to success provide an in-depth explanation of how GSA schedules work. This pathway demonstrates the requirements to become eligible, the offer process, and the contracting opportunities to explore. By the end of this training, you will determine what it takes to be a thriving industry partner.

The Readiness Assessment Training helps you apply to the right offerings for you. The program discusses the appropriate Special Item Numbers (SINs) applicable for your offering. They will also hone your skills in utilizing GSA data sources that can help you develop leads.

Part of the preparation involves company registration across relevant places. Here they are:

Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number

Your DUNS number is a unique code that helps you identify your business from the rest.

System for Award Management (SAM)

Being active in the SAM system allows you to perform business transactions with the government. It is important to note that registration for SAM requires an existing DUNS number.

Digital Certificate

A digital certificate is essential to access the GSA e-offer system. The e-offer system is where you will make modification requests for your GSA contracts in the future. Digital certificates ensure your data is secured and inaccessible to others. It can also contribute to the authentication of your profile when you complete an offer. You can purchase the certificate through reputable third-party providers.

Making an Offer

Putting together an elaborate proposal takes a significant amount of time and effort. You need to gather the required documents to qualify. These documents involve information about your company’s financial situation, products, services you offer, experience level, and business dealings. You will also encounter forms that you need to accomplish.

Here they are:

• Letter of Supply
• Agent Authorization Letter
• Price Proposal
• Sample Labor Category Matrix

The documents that you have to submit are the following:

• Financial Statements
• Subcontracting Plan
• Technical Proposal
• Professional Compensation Plan
• Previous Notification of Determination to Not Exercise an Option Letters
• EULAs or TOS
• Commercial Sales Practice-1
• Commercial Pricelist
• Pricing Support Documentation
• Price Narrative

Make sure all the information you provided is correct. Otherwise, a single inconsistency can cost you your GSA contract.

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Submission

Offer and GSA systems are involved in completing your offer and submitting it. The completion of each data doesn’t need to get completed in one sitting. You can save your initial session and return at a later time. Additionally, you can ensure that your data is secured and no one can access it while you’re away.

After the submission, your offer gets reviewed by a GSA representative. They will check whether your business can succeed in supplying products and services. You can also expect them to study whether your offer is at the best price. The evaluation takes a couple of months, but you can begin selling right then and there when you receive your contract.

Conclusion

The federal GSA recognizes the need for an integrated approach to solving the growing needs and demands of federal agencies. In conjunction with the traditional contracting vehicle, the Professional Services Schedule (PSS) unifies the services segregated by disciplines and industries. The consolidation of Professional Services makes it easier for federal agencies to approach businesses and solve all of their problems at once. They can explore additional contract areas suitable for their needs and implement the added services through a contract modification.