I received a call from a woman who told me she and her husband were starting a business and they would organize as a women owned small business (WOSB). I won’t say what line of business they were in, because they seemed to have a unique niche scoped out and they may enjoy a first mover advantage. I think they are on to something, but they were really in the very early stages of development.
Read MoreTopics: 1. GSA Schedule - All about
TurboGSA has been analyzing GSA sales information for some time now … trying to better understand which contractors are succeeding, and more importantly, what do differently from those who fail to generate contract revenues. We look for tactics and strategies that work for effective GSA contractors. This was originally published in 2014 however, the underlying findings remain valid.
Due to the vast diversity of industries, products, services and competitors, this is a challenge to say the least. Strategies and tactics that work for one schedule may not work for others. For example, sales and marketing tactics used to sell products under the Hardware Superstore are quite different than the approach business developers might take in selling management services under MOBIS Schedule 874.
While looking at the data, we wondered how many contractors actually understood how successful they are compared to their competitors. So for this whiteboard, we present GSA contract revenue data in tiers so you might better understand if you were doing well, or if there were opportunities to improve.
Read MoreTopics: 3. Federal Marketing
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.
Topics: GSA contract renewal, 2. Manage a GSA Contract, GSA 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.
Topics: Government Marketing, 3. Federal Marketing
Before you start the process to extend your GSA contract for another five years, you need to understand the renewal process and begin preparing well before the official 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 ___.”
Topics: GSA Audit, GSA Training, GSA Contract Modification
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.
Topics: 1. GSA Schedule - All about, Cooperative Purchasing, Disaster Recovery
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.
Topics: 1. GSA Schedule - All about, GSA Contract
This new infographic summarizes the process and benefits of getting a GSA contract. It contains:
Topics: 1. GSA Schedule - All about, GSA Contract
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."
Topics: 4. Selling Using your GSA Contract, 2. Manage a GSA Contract
