GSA’s advantage is the Government’s premier online electronic ordering and shopping system, offering access to thousands of contractors under the GSA schedule. The portal also offers access to thousands of products and services, fostering agencies all over the world to place orders electronically. These agencies are not individual buyers but federal, state, and local government agencies. These agencies will be able to browse for products from local businesses by searching through keywords, contract numbers, stock numbers, vendor names, etc. These agencies or buyers will also be able to compare the features and the prices of the products, choose the delivery option, and place orders from the small businesses directly.
What is a GSA advantage, and what is available on it?
The GSA Advantage is a government purchasing program that the General Services Administration runs. This is the premier online shopping superstore of the Federal Government that offers tremendous opportunities for federal agencies looking forward to buying services and products. The site lists the products of small businesses and includes detailed information about the product, including photos, product descriptions, and the GSA-approved price for each of the items.
This virtual marketplace has over one million customers visit the week. More than 30,000 orders are getting placed within that time frame. On the website, millions of commercial products and services can be searched by category, supplier, or by making use of descriptions.
Advantages of the GSA program for small businesses
Small businesses will have tremendous advantage of the GSA program by the small business administration. By being on the GSA schedule, they can get direct access to the US Federal Government, which is the largest buyer of goods and services in the world. With the GSA advantage, Government agencies can post opportunities that are available only for the GSA schedule contractors. The awarding times are also increased to many fold, helping with new business opportunities.
Government agencies prefer to buy predominantly from the GSA schedule program for the main reasons that the contractors are pre-screened and will be offering only the best value. The orders under the GSA Advantage program are being issued through open competition, and thus, it holds a significant advantage over the acquisition of commercial items. There is also an advantage of long-term partnership as the GSA schedule contracts generally last up to twenty years, with no ceiling on the sales.
Finally, the GSA schedule program makes the entire procurement process simple for both the Government buyer and also the contractor. The GSA contract is a pre-competed government-wide acquisition contract that offers fair and reasonable pricing and can be used by any of the deferral entities. Any order that is placed against the GSA contract schedule offers the best value for the contractors, resulting in a low overall cost.
Advantages of GSA Contractors
GSA schedule contractors also have special advantages from the Federal Government. They serve as an asset for understanding the process of government procurement. Prospective government contractors should take note of the GSA Advantage website to understand the process involved in selling to the Government. This portal can be of great help to check the competitor prices as well, to learn if one is a competitive seller.
Unlocking Opportunities
The GSA Advantage program is a valuable purchasing tool for prospective government buyers. It also serves as a valuable purchasing tool for Government buyers and as a marketing platform for contractors. The general public can pursue the GSA advantage, but only the approved Government buyers will be able to make the purchases.