According to a report published in PC World yesterday, the large technology contractor CA was sued by the Department of Justice for failing to comply with the price reduction clause of its GSA Contract. According to DOJ, this violated the False Claims Act. CA has had a GSA Schedule contract since 2002 and last year sold $118,784,945 under its GSA IT Schedule 70 contract.

Have you ever thought this? You have a great solution to an agency’s problem, but the solicitation contains a few odd requirements.  And maybe the language suggests it is wired for someone else.  It’s not necessarily for any underhanded reason, such as an agency trying to steer the job to a particular vendor. Often, it is simply because the agency has already talked to another firm’s representatives and incorporated some of their ideas.  

Before you attempt to extend your GSA contract for another five years, your team needs to understand the renewal process and and begin preparing well before the official renewal process begins.

It usually starts off with an email from someone at GSA, that begins, “As part of your GSA schedule contract requirement, I would like to set up a Contractor Assistance Visit (CAV) review with you on ___.”

Increasingly, state, local and education institutions (SLED) have been taking advantage of buying products and services at preferred rates from favored vendors through the GSA schedule program.

We talk to many business developers who are responsible for government sales in their organization.  They often have a good understanding of GSA’s federal supply schedule program and know that  getting on the GSA list would help them gain more federal sales. They also know that getting a GSA contract represents an organizational commitment that will require some resources, discipline, and change.  It isn’t a silver bullet for getting quick sales, but pays enormous dividends in the long run.

This new infographic summarizes the process and benefits of getting a GSA contract.  It contains:

Expansion of the State and Local Disaster Recovery Purchasing Program

Section 4 of the Federal Supply Schedules Usage Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-263), stated that the Recovery Purchasing program be expanded to include the words "facilitate disaster preparedness or response."

What you may have missed if you were on Vacation

Hopefully you have been enjoying some time off this summer and if so, you probably missed some important news and stories.  Here is a recap of some of the more interesting items you may have missed.