Sales people take note. You are free to meet with and sell federal end users. Federal purchasing rules not only allow it but encourage it. How else could end users asses the value of your product or service? Your competitors are also free to make sales call to the same end users you are calling on. This is where the real competition does take place; or ideally does not if you are the only one doing the selling. Does this sound like the commercial sector?

It is but here's the rub; they are not free to buy from you even after the end user has determined that you offer the best value. After all, public money is being spent and we need not waste it. Now you are in the red tape soup. The end user and the contracting officer (from the official contracting office) have to find a way to buy from you under the "rules" governing competition.

Federal purchasing rules require more competition (and documentation showing competition) as the size of procurements increase. Starting with micro-purchases (under $3,000) the rules allow sole source buys made directly by end users using a government credit card. The $3,000 limit can be increased to $15,000 or even larger under emergency or special circumstances. Credit card purchases do not have to go through the official contracting office so the market segment is identical to the commercial market.

All other federal purchases (besides credit card purchases) must be transacted by official contracting officers. Purchases up to $25,000 can be made with simplified purchasing procedures, e.g., three verbal, fax, or emails quotes. Purchases over $25,000 require a full and open competition (public bid) or use of a multi-vendor contract.

Guidelines for Companies New to the Federal Market

We want federal dollars; how do we start?

Click here to download the full-length version of "Guidelines for Companies New to the Federal Market" by Richard White.

Fedmarket.com's GSA Proposal Preparation eLab has helped hundreds of companies obtain GSA approval.

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 your company is at a disadvantage to sell to the government. Why? Buyers prefer to purchase through GSA. The GSA schedule purchase system 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 become GSA Schedule holders if they want to continue to sell to the government.

Where do you start?
To become a GSA Schedule contractor, a vendor must first submit an offer in response to the applicable 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 schedule that 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 offer preparation process.

The Result of the Event: A completed GSA schedule offer in an electronic format.

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