It is difficult to be a successful federal contractor without having a multi-vendor contract. The basic types of multi-vendor contracts are summarized below.
Multi-Vendor Contract Comparison
| Features/Type |
GSA Schedules (MAS Contracts) |
Government-wide
Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) |
Other Multi-vendor Contracts |
| Requirements are specified at time an order is placed |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Approved price lists |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Term of contract |
5 years plus 3, five-year options |
Usually 5 years |
3 to 5 years |
| When vendor proposals are accepted |
At any time |
Usually a 30-to 60-day window and then contract is no longer open |
Usually a 30-to 60-day window and then contract is no longer open |
| Number of vendors |
Unlimited (currently 10,000 plus)
Note - This makes them attractive to small businesses and, in many cases, is there only option. |
10 to 40 |
Varies across agencies |
| Open to small businesses |
Yes |
Some have small business components |
Varies |
| Number of contracts |
50 or more across most industries |
15 or more for information technology only |
Varies for commodities like office supplies, military material, & information technology |
| Who is approved to use them |
All federal agencies plus over 200 quasi-federal agencies
State and local agencies for the information technology schedule only (unless emergency situation exists) |
Any federal agency |
One or several federal agencies |
Multi-vendor contracts allow the federal government to use competitive procedures when purchasing products and services with public funds. The question becomes: "Is there enough competition when buying through multi-vendor contracts?" The answer to this basic question is not simple. It depends on the eye of the beholder and whether you are a Katrina victim needing a trailer quickly, a company holding a multi-vendor contract for trailers, or a company selling trailers looking in from the outside.
Fedmarket.com's GSA Proposal Preparation eLab has helped hundreds of companies obtain a GSA Schedule contract.
Seminars Teach You About GSA Schedules
Our Workshop Results in a Ready-to-Submit GSA Proposal
Are you ready to gain access to the government marketplace?
Without a GSA Schedule contract, your company is at a disadvantage. Why? Federal buyers love purchasing through Schedule contracts. A GSA Schedule contract is a quick, efficient buying mechanism. Buyers can stay out of trouble, reduce their workload, and make federal end users happy. Vendors who have done business with the government in the past are being urged by buyers to "get on a Schedule" if they want to continue to sell to the feds.
Where do you start?
To become a GSA Schedule contractor, a vendor must first submit an offer in response to the appropriate GSA Schedule solicitation. The GSA proposal document you must submit for approval is a lengthy and complicated document; you can see for yourself by visiting the GSA.gov site and downloading the solicitation for the Schedule program which fits your business.
Do you need past experience in contracting to complete the proposal offering?
No, upon completion of your GSA eLab workshop registration, Fedmarket.com will send each registrant explicit, detailed guidelines outlining the corporate data each registrant should gather in advance and bring to the GSA eLab sessions. Our instructors will contact each attendee to discuss the schedule and RFI prior to the eLab. When you arrive at the eLab, our instructors will walk attendees through the process.
The Result of the Event: A completed GSA schedule offer in an electronic format.
Register for our GSA Proposal Preparation eLab today!
Register Online - Click Here
If you have questions about the GSA eLab, please call 866-519-4482 Ext. 110 or write sales@thefederalmarketplace.com.
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Call Fedmarket's sales staff at (888) 661-4094 Ext. 8 with questions concerning these or any other products or services Fedmarket offers. E-mail inquires may be sent to the following: sales@thefederalmarketplace.com.
