In our previous installment, we discussed how the General Service Administration (GSA) is becoming more stringent and rigid with respect to its review or evaluation of GSA Schedule offers. As a result of this recent development, vendors submitting proposals to GSA must be particularly cautious in preparing their submittals. Specifically, a vendor preparing a submittal should adhere to the following set of rules:

* Verify that you have responded to the most recent version of the GSA solicitation. There has been an increase in the number of changes or updates made to the various solicitations and, in certain instances, offers submitted on older versions of the appropriate solicitation may be rejected.

* Pay particular attention to the fact that your offer must provide each and every item requested in the solicitation. Failure to submit a requested item may result in a rejection of your offer.

* Spend extra time drafting the information requested in "corporate experience" or "technical" volumes. Including "other services performed" narratives in a project description for a particular service can also result in a proposal rejection. Including superfluous or unrelated information can raise a red "out of scope" flag. For example, adding information technology terms like "systems development" in a management consulting (MOBIS) offer can result in a rejection or a request for a proposal revision.

* Make sure that your products or services are covered under the schedule you are seeking or that you have chosen the most appropriate schedule for your products or services. The specific schedule that covers a particular type of product or service can be ambiguous and a product or service can be sold under more than one schedule.

* Pay particular attention to language in a solicitation such as "This schedule does not cover _________." Don't try to force fit your product or service into a schedule. Although this may have been possible in the past, it is highly unlikely that you will be successful in doing so now.

All of this can be very confusing to vendors new to federal contracting. When confused, call the contracting officer listed as the point of contact in the solicitation. Don't hesitate to ask questions as it will be time well spent in the long run. If this approach doesn't work, call Matt Hankes, our GSA Services Manager, at 301.652.9507. Ask for assistance in selecting the right schedule. If necessary, Matt will direct you to our GSA specialists if you have particular questions about proposal writing and GSA pricing.

Fedmarket.com also offers a monthly seminar covering all aspects of GSA sales,proposal writing, and contract administration.

GSA Schedules Seminar - This one-day course will educate you on the pros and cons of becoming a GSA Schedule holder. You will gain an understanding of GSA's pricing and negotiating process and will learn other nuances of the Schedules program. In addition, attendees learn how a GSA Schedule can help their business win sole-source opportunities.

To learn more visit: http://new.fedmarket.com/seminars/gsa-schedules.shtml

     ------------- ** Become a GSA Approved Vendor ** ----------------

Fedmarket.com offers a variety of ways for your company to tackle a GSA Schedule offer:

Full-service GSA Consulting - We offer professional services to companies interested in obtaining a GSA schedule contract. Fedmarket's specialists prepare everything for you. We handle the entire process - - from GSA proposal preparation through contract negotiation and award. Call 1-888-661-4094 ext.26 for a quote.

GSA Proposal Preparation - A cost-sensitive alternative to our full-service option. We prepare the offer for you using corporate data and information you provide to us. We return an electronic copy of the completed proposal for you to submit and negotiate on your own.

GSA Schedule eLab - Develop your GSA Proposal in 3 days at our eLab. Fedmarket provides you with a Request for Information (RFI) prior to your arrival at our eLab. You are instructed to bring the requested corporate data with you to the course. Attendees should, with the assistance of our GSA staff, complete their GSA offer prior to the end of the eLab's third day. Participants also take home a working knowledge of the Schedules program and, perhaps more importantly, negotiating strategies to use when dealing with GSA.

Electronic GSA Wizard - GSA Wizard is a proprietary software product, developed by Fedmarket.com, which assists individuals and companies in preparing GSA schedule proposals. The product was designed specifically for companies that decide to prepare proposals on their own. The Wizard customer should be able to prepare an offer without having a working knowledge of GSA Schedules. The GSA Wizard systematically walks the customer through GSA's solicitation and, through detailed instructions, templates, and illustrated examples, assists the customer in responding to the requests for information found in the GSA solicitation.

To learn more call 888.661.4094 EXT. 8