MANAGING A GSA CONTRACT

How to Succeed with a GSA MAS Contract: Marketing, Pricing, and Compliance

To succeed with a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract, treat it as a sales channel that needs a plan: keep your catalog and pricing current, watch eBuy and SAM.gov, target a short list of agencies, respond quickly, and stay compliant with reporting and clauses. The contract is the vehicle. The results come from the work you put into it.

What are the strategies that work?

Keep your catalog accurate and searchable

Buyers search GSA Advantage and eLibrary. Use the FAS Catalog Platform where it applies, publish offerings within the timeframe your contract states, and write descriptions with the terms buyers actually use. Product listings benefit from complete data and clear images. Accurate offerings also reduce order errors.

Use eBuy and SAM.gov as an intake system

Set up eBuy for your SINs, and monitor SAM.gov for opportunities. Assign an owner, and set response targets. Buyers on short timelines remember contractors who reply quickly and completely.

Build a target list

Choose a small number of agencies where your offering fits. Use GSA sales data, USAspending.gov, and forecasts to see who buys what. Learn their buying patterns, and reach out to program officials and small business specialists before requirements are posted.

Price to win and to stay compliant

Review your prices against competitors on GSA Advantage and in eLibrary. If you need to change prices, use eMod. Under the TDR version of the price reductions clause, reductions you make voluntarily or that GSA requests on the contract have obligations. Coordinate pricing decisions between sales and contract administration. See GSA Pricing Disclosures and Price Support.

Use small business status thoughtfully

If you are small or hold a certification such as WOSB, SDVOSB, or HUBZone, keep your profiles current. Agencies may consider small business preferences at the order level, but the availability of set-asides depends on the agency and the requirement. See Federal Small Business Certifications.

Be easy to buy from

Respond to RFQs on time, include what the buyer asked for, and be clear on delivery and terms. Quote discounts below schedule prices when your business can support them.

Stay compliant

Report sales monthly through the FAS Sales Reporting Portal, remit the 0.75 percent IFF at least quarterly, accept mass modifications, and keep TAA documentation current. A lapse can jeopardize the contract you worked to win. See GSA MAS Contract Administration and Compliance Checklist.

Track sales against the minimum

The solicitation sets minimum sales criteria, generally $100,000 in the first five years and $125,000 in each later five-year period. Set a higher internal goal.