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WIPP is a national nonpartisan public policy organization, advocating on behalf of nearly 1 million women-owned businesses representing 68 business organizations. WIPP provides timely economic policy information and identifies important trends and opportunities to its membership. www.WIPP.org

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GSA Schedules: Reality vs. Myth January 30, 2013

Presented By: Hope Lane

© 2013 | All Rights Reserved | 805 King Farm Boulevard | Suite 300 | Rockville, Maryland 20850 | 301.231.6200 P | 301.231.7630 F | www.aronsonllc.com

Webinar Agenda GSA Schedules: Reality vs. Myth

• • • • • • • •

What is GSA? What are GSA Schedules? The Advantages of Using GSA Schedules Choosing the right GSA Schedule for Your Business “Getting on Schedule” – Eligibility, Proposal, Negotiations GSA Contract Compliance GSA Schedule Information Resources About Aronson

© 2013 | All Rights Reserved | Aronson LLC | www.aronsonllc.com

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What is GSA?

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General Services Administration (GSA) GSA is comprised of 3 Groups: Public Buildings Service (landlords) •Building Operations •Rental of Space •Property Disposal •Construction and Acquisition of Facilities •Repairs and Alterations

Federal Acquisition Service

PBS

FAS OGP

•Acquisition Management •Assisted Acquisition Services •General Supplies and Services •Customer Accounts and Research •Integrated Technology Services

Office of Governmentwide Policy •Personal and Real Property •Travel and Transportation •Regulatory Information © 2013 | All Rights Reserved | Aronson LLC | www.aronsonllc.com

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Which GSA Group Are We Talking About Today?

The Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) • GSA FAS – Offers 40 Different Schedules ─ 8 of the schedules are managed by Veterans Affairs (VA) • Multiple Award Schedules (MAS) are broken out by “scope-of-work” • Covers almost any type commercial product or service available in the marketplace © 2013 | All Rights Reserved | Aronson LLC | www.aronsonllc.com

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What are GSA Schedules?

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GSA Schedule Contracts Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Contracts

• Long-term, government-wide contracts with firms to provide commercial products and services at negotiated prices • Multiple Award, Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity, (MA/IDIQ) • Continuous open season • “Evergreen” - 5-year Base Period with up to three additional 5-year Option Periods (potential total of 20 years) • “Hunting” license; not a guarantee © 2013 | All Rights Reserved | Aronson LLC | www.aronsonllc.com

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The Advantages Of Using GSA Schedules

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You need a Contract Vehicle – • Even if your customer believes you walk on water, you will need a contract vehicle for them to do business with you. • The customer needs to be able to get to you, so make it easy for them.

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Why GSA? You Need A “Contract Vehicle“

• GSA Schedules are one of the largest procurement programs and are the preferred method of buying for many federal agencies • Obtaining a GSA Schedule contract allows companies to sell products and services throughout the federal government with ease • GSA Schedules are often an entry point for commercial companies new to Federal market GSA Schedules work for you and your customers © 2013 | All Rights Reserved | Aronson LLC | www.aronsonllc.com

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GSA Schedule Annual Sales Billions

$40 $35

$30 $25 $20 $15 $10 $5

$0 2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

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2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

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Billions

GSA Schedules – Billion $ Club 15,387,289,093

15.00

10.00

4,856,203,063

5.00

2,853,105,408

2,456,677,432 1,499,824,467

1,247,975,689

1,132,252,768

FABS

FURN

LOG

0.00 IT

MOBIS

PES

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LAW

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Advantages of GSA Schedules … for the customer (“Buying” or “Ordering Agency”)

• Save time - Streamlined and quick ordering process for your federal customers • Shorter lead-times and lower administrative costs • Easier access to a variety of commercial products and services • Flexibility, Ease of Use, and Choice • Easy to use Online Proposal and Procurement Tools • Cost-Savings due to the availability of pre-negotiated prices © 2013 | All Rights Reserved | Aronson LLC | www.aronsonllc.com

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Advantages of GSA Schedules …for you, the Schedule Contractor (or “Offeror”)

• Pre-negotiated contract with established rates • Easier government-wide access - can sell to any government agency from a single contract • Flexibility and Ease of Use • Facilitates teaming with other GSA Schedule holders in proposing a “Total Solutions Approach” • Competitive Advantage over non-Schedule holders • Shorter task order award time and lower administrative costs

© 2013 | All Rights Reserved | Aronson LLC | www.aronsonllc.com

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Choosing The Right GSA Schedule For Your Business

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What Can You Sell via GSA Schedules? Just about anything! • 14 million+ commercial supplies (products) and services • Decide which GSA Schedule is right for your Company • Easy access to important schedule information ─ ─ ─ ─

GSA Schedule Solicitations Service Area (Special Item Number (SIN) Descriptions) State and Local Program Details Contractor Information and Pricelists

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Who can buy from GSA Schedule Contracts? • GSA Directive ADM 4800.2G Eligibility to use GSA • Executive and other Federal agencies • Mixed-Ownership Government Corporations (FDIC, World Bank, IMF, American Red Cross, NATO, WTO) • The District of Columbia • Other government contractors on behalf of the government with specific rules (FAR Part 51) • State and Local Governments – Cooperative Purchasing (Schedules 70 and 84 only) – Disaster Recovery

© 2013 | All Rights Reserved | Aronson LLC | www.aronsonllc.com

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“Getting on Schedule” - GSA Schedule Eligibility Requirements - Proposal Process - Negotiation

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Eligibility and Evaluation Criteria • Corporate Experience – Do you have several years of commercial experience providing the proposed service or product? • Technical Experience, Performance History & Pricing Information – Do you have project experience and pricing /sales to demonstrate your experience and support your proposed GSA prices? – Do you have customers willing to vouch for your service or product? • Able to Demonstrate Financial Capability and Stability – GSA looks for: – Positive net income – Line of Credit with available credit – Have Retained Earnings (not Accumulated Deficit) – Positive Debt to Equity Ratio – Positive Duns & Bradstreet report © 2013 | All Rights Reserved | Aronson LLC | www.aronsonllc.com

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GSA Schedule Proposal Process Preparing and Submitting a GSA Offer •

Determine products/services to be offered – Identify appropriate GSA Schedule – Obtain and read Schedule Solicitation – Select product / service type (Special Item Numbers (SINs)) to be offered

•

Determine and complete all administrative requirements – – – – – –

•

Complete Basic on-line registrations (DUNS #, CCR, ORCA) Determine the NAICS code for your product or service Identify your company size status (large, small – sba.gov/size) Obtain digital certificates Complete Readiness Assessment Take Pathway to Success

Prepare Offer – Respond to all solicitation requirements – Develop pricing strategy – Complete Past Performance Evaluation (“Open Ratings”) – Corporate and Technical Experience Narratives, if required (services)

•

Submit, track, and negotiate

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Required Disclosures • Complete commercial sales history for the past 12 months: – Pricing history by class of customer – All standard and nonstandard discounting – Standard terms and conditions along with any concessions – Exceptions and deviations to standard practices

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• Copies of invoices to support proposed prices • Contract Statements of Work (SOW) to support technical proposal for services • Country of Origin data for products • Two years of financial statements Slide: 25

GSA Negotiation Objectives • GSA Seeks “Most Favored” Status – Not necessarily lowest price • “Comparable” Customers Based On: – Discounts – Terms & Conditions – Concessions • Negotiation “Hot Spots” – Prompt and complete responses to data requests – Financial Capability – Exceptions to sales practices – Escalation, discounts, and markups – Most Favored Customer (MFC) © 2013 | All Rights Reserved | Aronson LLC | www.aronsonllc.com

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GSA Contract Compliance

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Compliance Requirements • • • • • • •

Report and remit Industrial Funding Fee (IFF) Report Small Business Subcontracting (if applicable) Maintain $25,000 annual GSA sales level Monitor for price reductions Maintain GSA price list on GSA Advantage! Maintain a Code of Business Ethics and Conduct Update System for Award Management (SAM) on an annual basis • Maintain digital certificates • Comply with eVerify, executive compensation reporting © 2013 | All Rights Reserved | Aronson LLC | www.aronsonllc.com

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GSA Schedule Information Resources

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Vendor Support Center A Great Starting Point (http://vsc.gsa.gov)

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GSA eLibrary http://www.gsaelibrary.gsa.gov

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Use GSA Advantage to your Advantage! https://www.gsaadvantage.gov

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GSA eBuy www.ebuy.gsa.gov

• An interactive online Request for Quote (RFQ) tool for GSA Schedule holders ONLY – RFQ, RFI, Sources Sought • Buyers – Maximizes buying power – Allows for easy compliance with competition requirements • Sellers – Provides greater opportunities to reach new agencies, offer quotes, and increase business volume – Find out who has money and warrants!

© 2013 | All Rights Reserved | Aronson LLC | www.aronsonllc.com

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Resources for Market Research Find out who is buying, and what, when , and why they are buying FedBizOpps - Procurement information All types of federal sales opportunities, not just GSA

www.fedbizopps.gov

List of Agencies and organizations eligible to use GSA

http://www.gsa.gov/graphics/fas/GSAOrder ADM4800_2F.pdf

US Government web portal with agency links

www.usa.gov

Agency procurement forecasts

www.acquisition.gov/comp/procurement_fo recasts/index.html

Federal Procurement Data Systems (FPDS-NG)

https://www.fpds.gov/fpdsng_cms/

FPDS – online record of federal contract awards

Federal Acquisition Jump Site

prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/fedproc/home.html

NAICS - North American Industry Classification

http://www.census.gov/cgibin/sssd/naics/naicsrch?chart=2007

System © 2013 | All Rights Reserved | Aronson LLC | www.aronsonllc.com

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More Online Resources Aronson’s Fed Point blog: Current news, trends and insights government contractors

www.aronsonblogs.com/fedpoint

About GSA Schedules

www.gsa.gov/schedules www.gsa.gov/schedulesolicitations www.gsa.gov/gettingonschedule

GSA eOffer/eMod

www.eoffer.gsa.gov

GSA Schedules eLibrary: Search and view GSA /VA Schedules and participating vendors by keyword, alphabetical listings or number

GSA Advantage! Market research, and online customer ordering

www.gsaelibrary.gsa.gov www.gsaadvantage.gov

GSA eBuy: Interactive RFQ tool

www.ebuy.gsa.gov

GSA Vendor Support Center

vsc.gsa.gov

GSA State and Local Programs

www.gsa.gov/stateandlocal

GSA Office of Small Business Utilization (OSBU)

www.gsa.gov/smallbusiness

Small Business Administration (SBA)

www.sba.gov

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What Are You Waiting For? The Government is spending… … are you getting your share? •

If you don’t have a GSA Schedule Contract, you can’t respond to GSA Schedule Task Order Requests for Proposals or Quotes

Takeaways

• Be prepared for the process to take time • Make sure your company is financially sound • Be prepared to negotiate your company's best offer (price, discounts, terms) • Sales and Marketing – Let your Government Clients know that you are in the process of getting a GSA Schedule Contract – Start the training and selling process prior to contract award – Obtaining a GSA schedule does not guarantee new business will come to you. Successful businesses actively market their schedule to targeted agencies highlighting – the expediency of GSA task orders and qualification criterion for new business awards.

Start Today !! © 2013 | All Rights Reserved | Aronson LLC | www.aronsonllc.com

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Aronson LLC • •

•

• •

•

Multi-disciplined Professionals Focused On Government & Technology Services Team of Professionals Dedicated To GSA Schedules provides a one-stop solution for GSA Schedule contracting Lead you through the process of identifying, obtaining and maintaining a GSA Schedule contract that is best suited to achieve your specific goals Premier GSA Schedule Services advisor Proven track record helping companies achieve their government contracting goals Additional capabilities: one Of The Largest CPA Firms In The DC Metro Area

© 2013 | All Rights Reserved | Aronson LLC | www.aronsonllc.com

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Hope Lane, Partner Hope A. Lane, CPA leads Aronson LLC’s Government Contract Consulting Group with over 20 years of broad-based experience in the government contracting arena. She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and is responsible for assisting clients in all areas of government contracting-related financial compliance and contract administration. With an exclusive focus on government contracting, Ms. Lane possesses in-depth understanding and intensive hands-on experience. She has served in financial management positions with several regional federal contractors and has extensive experience in the management of all accounting and finance functions. Hope is actively involved in the National Contract Management Association, and the Professional Services Council. Ms. Lane is a guest speaker and lecturer for associations and industry trade groups and a featured speaker on GSA Schedules at Aronson LLC’s Executive Briefings. Additionally, her industry expertise is frequently sought out by GSA. © 2013 | All Rights Reserved | Aronson LLC | www.aronsonllc.com

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Aronson Government Focused Blog

www.aronsonblogs.com/fedpoint www.aronsonllc.com

© 2013 | All Rights Reserved | Aronson LLC | www.aronsonllc.com

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Contact Information Hope Lane Partner Aronson LLC 805 King Farm Boulevard, Suite 300 Rockville, MD 20850 [email protected] (301) 231-6266

Connect with me on

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