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Installment
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Agency Uncovered
By
Eileen Kent
When I taught "Winning Government Business" and "Selling to the Government" this week, I found there was an interesting trend in the attendees. A majority of this weeks' attendees called on the same end users: facility managers, property managers and security.
Here is a list of the type of attendees: an architectural design firm, a filing and shelving manufacturer, a security guard service provider, an infrared imaging surveillance systems developer, an audio/video "conference room" developer, an IT player, a super strong security door manufacturer and reseller, an well-known office furniture manufacturer, a K-9 transport, lighting and surveillance vehicle solutions provider, and more.
One of the target agencies I believe would be great for these companies is GSA's Public Building Services organization.
The General Services Administration (GSA) is the property manager for the federal government, with 330 million square feet of space for a million federal employees in 2,000 American communities. That includes 1,600 federal buildings and the rest are privately-owned leased facilities. Their Public Building Services division is responsible for managing this space.
WHAT IS PBS - PUBLIC BUILDING SERVICES?
A description of Public Building Services(PBS) on the GSA website says, "GSA provides workspace and related services for over 100 federal client agencies serving more than one million workers through the Public Buildings Service (PBS). Whenever possible, client agencies are located in existing government-owned space. If suitable space in the government inventory is not available, PBS acquires leased space in privately owned buildings.GSA also provides related real estate services including the operation and maintenance of buildings and outleasing programs."
There are several levels to this organization. There are the actual Property Managers, who are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the buildings; Realty Specialists, who handle all of the lease transactions and the Project Integrators, Move Coordinators and Inhouse Architects, who coordinate all aspects of design, construction and relocation.
According to GSA's Design and Construction Delivery Process laid out step-by-step on their website, "Projects involve renovations, restorations, and modernizations, as well as the construction of new buildings. PBS delivers its construction program through eleven regions, managing projects within its geographic boundaries. The regional offices manage all design, construction, and buildout."
HOW DO I SELL TO PUBLIC BUILDING SERVICES?
The bottom line is that you should call on your closest GSA Public Building Services Regional Office to develop relationships with the Public Building Services(PBS) team. Find the Property Managers, Realty Specialists, Move Coordinators, Project Integrators, Customer Service Directors and see if you can get an early start on upcoming opportunties.
There are (11) Regional Offices for GSA and you can locate your local regional office by simply going to http://www.gsa.gov and in the middle of the page, you select your state. It will take you to your regional office. For example, if your business is in Michigan, your regional office is in Chicago, IL. There are realty specialists, project integrator and move coordinators in the Chicago office responsible for Michigan buildings. The property managers themselves will be in the buildings in Michigan.
You can also find a list of your realty specialists on the GSA website by digging around the "buildings" section and finding "real estate services." On the right hand side of the page, there is a contact list for real estate services. This is a great place to start making your first calls. They are listed by state and responsibility.
IS THERE A PLACE WHERE LEASE END-DATES FOR FEDERAL SPACE IS AVAILABLE?
On GSA's Website under eTools they also have an "Inventory of Owned and Leased Properties" section where you can click on any state on the map of the US and uncover the locations of the federally owned buildings and when the leases expire.
WHAT ABOUT SELLING SECURITY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FOR THE BUILDINGS?
If you want to touch base and sell to the security for the building, you can either personally visit the federal building and stop in the (PBS)Property Manager or the FPS (Federal Protective Services a.k.a. Security) office. Sometimes, the FPS is identified as Department of Homeland Security in the building. If you see this on their door, you need to remind yourself not to be intimidated by the sign on the door. They are the security for the building and they work under DHS. Stop in and see them and ask if they need your special security product or service. If they can't help you, ask if they'll point you in the right direction.
WHAT IS YOUR APPROACH?
While the web is great for uncovering opportunties, there is nothing like calling ahead to make an appointment and visiting the buildings themselves to see what is actually happening. Do you, as an expert, see ways they can improve security with your products? Does the building look like it really requires some updating? Does the furniture look old and outdated? If you say "yes" to some of these observations, you need to make it your mission to get in and find the right people who make decisions about those recommendations. You can make them look like heroes with your products and services.
Your approach is simple. When you walk around the building or call someone in PBS here's what you say: "I don't know if you're the right person, but maybe you can point me in the right direction. I'm looking for the person who handles................(pick one: design, property management, moves, security, construction, management.)
REMEMBER, WHEN YOU SELL TO GSA, YOU NEED TO HAVE A GSA SCHEDULE
Unless you are a construction company or an architect, your products and services need to be on a GSA schedule. If you are not on schedule, they will not speak with you. A GSA schedule is a pre-negotiated price list of your products and services.
You can learn more about GSA schedules and how to use them as a closing vehicle at any of our traveling "Winning Government Business," or "Selling to the Government" classes.
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