Top 3 Reasons You Want to Be on GSA Advantage!

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GSA Advantage! is the Government’s premier online shopping superstore maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) for use by all Government agencies to buy commercial products and services at contracted pricing, terms, and conditions negotiated by GSA and VA (healthcare related equipment, supplies, pharmaceuticals, and services). All VA Schedule holders, save those whose products require a prescription, are required to have their products on GSA Advantage!.

 So, clearly GSA is a useful tool for federal customers, but we all know it is a pain to get your file published to GSA Advantage! quickly – especially if you’re using SIP – and that it falls to the bottom of the to-do list on a regular basis. But we’ve researched the top 3 reasons you want to be on GSA Advantage! as soon as your contract is awarded:

 

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  1. You are contractually obligated to participate in GSA Advantage!

    Per I-FSS-600 Contract Price Lists (July 2004, Tailored), VA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contractors are required to publish their electronic files to GSA Advantage! no later than 6-months after contract award. Further, the contractor must update their GSA Advantage! file no later than 30-days after award of a contract modification.

    If your CO finds that you are not on GSA Advantage! or that your Advantage! file is not current, accurate, and complete they may terminate your contract for cause – and we don’t want that!

  2.  It is a strategic contracting, marketing + purchasing tool

    Government buyers are now able to make purchases with a purchase card up to $10,000 (the current simplified acquisition threshold) without research – this means that a lot of Government acquisitions take place without even being posted to FedBizOpps. Agencies also use GSA Advantage! to conduct market research before making an opportunity public.

    GSA Advantage! gives you a unique opportunity to market directly to federal buyers. Just as in the commercial marketplace, product photos and detailed product descriptions may help influence federal purchasing decisions.

    Increase your sales opportunity by becoming more aware of new business opportunities through GSA eBuy (only available to contractors on GSA Advantage!). eBuy makes it super easy for you to find opportunities under your awarded SIN category(ies) – submitting a request for quote (RFQ) is as simple as filling in an online form and clicking submit! No complicated paperwork, no months of work to develop a proposal package. You can set your account notification preferences to email you when new RFQs are available and if you’ve won a bid. Additionally, build your marketing list of federal purchasers using the contact information available on each RFQ.

  3. The field of competition is limited to other Schedule contract holders

    Competition in the federal market place is fierce – getting the contract is easy, differentiating yourself from the competition after award is the hard part. GSA Advantage! limits your competition to only other Schedule holders – maximizing the effectiveness of your marketing dollars. Additionally, GSA Advantage! is a great way to see what pricing, terms, and conditions your competitors are offering for same/similar products. We always recommend that our clients review the current product offering prior to submitting a new proposal, product addition, or price change to the VA.

    So, if GSA Advantage! is so great, why do so many contractors fail to make publishing their information a priority? The answer…the Schedules Input Program (SIP). SIP was developed over 10-years ago and it is not intuitive or user friendly, making for a very steep learning curve. Many contractors don’t have the resources to understand SIP or get their products uploaded. While there are many companies out there that offer SIP upload services, Orlaithe does so at competitive rates and with the individualized attention you need to get your products uploaded with minimal hassle. Our experience as former VA FSS contracting officers means that we are intimately familiar with what your CO looks for to approve your file the first time.

Call us today to schedule your free GSA Advantage! SIP file consultation! We’ll work with you to make you compliant with your contractual obligations and maximize your marketing + selling potential.

 Hannah Zerphey | Managing Member - (708) 870-2332 | hannah@orlaitheconsulting.com

Bloghannah zerpheyGSA Advantage!, FSS, VA, GSA, Compliance