Many GSA Schedule holders have overcome the first part of the battle in beginning to do business with the federal government by successfully obtaining a schedule and achieving contract award. The second stage of the battle is figuring out how to properly market your products and services to win federal sales, which is where GSA Advantage comes in.
First off, you may be asking, “What is GSA Advantage?” GSA Advantage is the government’s online catalog for products and services to meet government buyer’s needs. The GSA Advantage catalog contains information about the products and services listed, as well as an ordering system where Federal customers can complete an order and purchase products all in one place. Last but not least, GSA Advantage allows government buyers to request quotes via the “e-Buy” system, where offerors can compete for projects and orders by submitting their customized order estimate.
Needless to say, having your products and services listed on GSA Advantage can provide quite a bit of market exposure and earning potential, if you are seeking sales in the federal market. But first, you need to know how to get your products and services onto GSA Advantage and in front of the eyes of government buyers.
There are two avenues you can take here. One, go it alone. This will require you familiarize yourself with Schedule clause I-FSS-597, which requires participation in GSA Advantage. Additionally, see clause I-FSS-600, “Contract Price List” of your Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract which addresses the submission of electronic catalogs. This must be completed, and received by the GSA no later than 6 months after your contract award. Catalogs must be submitted electronically via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) or via the Schedule Input Program (SIP) software. This manner can be time consuming and often not a cost-effective approach unless a company is highly equipped and familiar with this type of maintenance work.
Are you still wondering “What is GSA Advantage?” The second manner in getting your products and services listed with GSA Advantage is to consult with a GSA Schedule specialist, who can prepare and submit all of the data for you. Often, companies find this to be cost-effective and time efficient, as a company can resume their business as normal, while enlisting in a trained contract specialist to ensure all products and services are listed on GSA Advantage, so the federal sales can start pouring in.
