GSA Proposal

A GSA proposal is prepared when you are seeking to obtain a GSA Schedule contract.  GSA contracting officers review the proposal to ensure that you have provided all required information, and then evaluate it to make sure your firm is a "Responsible Vendor."
A GSA proposal provides information that proves to the GSA Contract Officer that:

• Your products or services fit scope of GSA Schedule you apply for.
• You have good client references based on the Open Ratings report that is generated prior to submitting your GSA application.
• Your finances indicate that your firm is financially sound.
• Your firm is operationally sound
• Your firm is ethical, without prior legal or government contract issues.
• Your firm is willing to give the government your best discounts under most circumstances. This means your GSA discount is higher than for any other customer.  In some cases, GSA may accept less of a discount, say, for manufacturers who sell through distributors, but that is a challenging negotiation for most firms.

GSA Proposal Outline

For most GSA proposals, the information required can be divided into three sections:

Section 1: Contract Data
Section 2: Technical Information
Section 3: Pricing

The following sections describe, in general terms, what documents should be included in each section. However, this varies depending on which GSA schedule you apply for.

GSA Contract Data

Usually, the GSA contract data section includes the following information:

• Contract data and company information
• Pathways to Success Certificate
• Agent Authorization Letter
• Proof of ORCA and CCR Registration
• Financial Statements – Past 1 (products firms) or 2 Years (service firms)

GSA Proposal Technical Section

Depending on whether you are offering GSA products or services, the following information is generally required to demonstrate your firm's technical ability:

• Past Performance Evaluation (Open Ratings)
• Product Brochure
• Production Point
  Letters of Supply
• Corporate Experience
• Relevant Project Experience (2 or 3 projects per SIN)
• Quality Control 
• Organization Chart
• Subcontract plan (for large businesses)

GSA Pricing

Depending on whether you are offering GSA products or services, the following information is generally required for the pricing section:

• Price list
• Discount disclosures
• Product Brochure
• Production Point Info
• Supporting Documentation (e.g., Invoices)
• Warranty
• Restocking Policy

Many of the more complex issues arise in preparing the GSA pricing section.

GSA Proposal Writing is Challenging

While the above outline is comprehensive, all companies are unique and what goes into each proposal is will vary by company.   There are many subtleties that GSA's solicitation does not adequately address and outside expertise is often the best way to go.