A good reason to pursue GSA contracting is the tremendous number of opportunities to sell to the government, regardless of your product line or service. The government procures just about any and every product and service. When you are approved for a GSA Schedule, your company inventory or list of service offerings is uploaded to the GSA Advantage website, making your products and services accessible from the online catalog of the government. GSA Advantage is frequented by government purchasing agents, who regularly make purchases and search to locate new suppliers. The GSA claims that the GSA Advantage web portal receives over 1 million visitors per week, with over 30,000 orders being placed per week. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that GSA Advantage offers fantastic market exposure for businesses selling goods and services to Federal, state and local buyers through GSA Schedule Contracts.
Second, with respect to marketing, generally, being a GSA Schedule Holder often improves the perceptions of a company. To be sure, a company that can show that it is certified to supply a product to or perform a service for the government is likely to be seen as more reputable. To supplement current marketing activities to non-government buyers, signification of a GSA Schedule Award designates that a business has been certified to do business with the government. A GSA Schedule Award can be used for marketing purposes, that is, to promote a business directly with clients through websites, brochures and company literature. Let your certifications with the government serve to help expand your customer base with more work contracts. Let potential customers know that your company has essentially been vetted by the Federal government and is considered to be both a legitimate and a competent business. Again, offering proof that your company is approved to do business with the Federal government is a selling point.
In a market where various sectors of the economy are suppressed, specific types of businesses are underperforming and many infrastructure-related projects are warranted, the government is increasing spending in order to counter balance negative economic pressures. In fact for fiscal 2009, federal spending is expected to account for nearly $1 out of every $4 in the US economy. From a business standpoint, it only makes sense that government expenditures be viewed as an additional revenue stream to get through the current down times and emerge even stronger or else secure greater overall revenues from the added income streams of these government contracts.
Another reason to pursue a GSA Schedule Contract is to earn some of the total government expenditures reserved for small businesses. Government spending, for better or worse, is on the rise as the government undertakes many projects that represent growth opportunities for many businesses. Given “set asides” for small businesses, which are mandated at 23% of total federal contracting dollars, now is the time to learn more about the advantages of the GSA Schedule Contract Program. Federal buyers are in search of small businesses that can reliably supply the products and services that they need to acquire, ranging from Information Technology and Medical Equipment to Office Furniture and Environmental Services. If your company can deliver, many Federal buyers would appreciate the opportunity to spend government funds appropriately with your small business.
Needless to say, it is quite likely that government procurement officials at all levels of government will come to rely more and more on GSA Schedule Contracts for making purchases to lessen the time and effort associated with locating reliable suppliers and negotiating deals more favorable to the taxpayers. This trend of the future is foreseeable, and it is understandable simply in light of the advantages government procurement officials have come to appreciate, knowing that their suppliers, in fact, are GSA Schedule Holders.