GSA FAQ's
This GSA Frequently Asked Questions website is a free service
provided by GSA Small Business Assistance located at
www.gsa-sba.com.
Table of Contents
Section 1.
Common GSA Contract Terms
Section 2. General
Questions
Section
3. GSA Contract Qualification Questions
Section
4. Pre-GSA Contract Submittal Questions
Section
5. Pre-GSA Contract Award Questions
Section
6. Post-GSA Contract Award Questions
Section 7. Important
Web Links
Section 1. Common GSA
Contract Terms
GSA – General Services Administration (for the purpose of this
website GSA is the contract manager for GSA Contracts or US Federal
Government Contracts)
GSA Schedule – An umbrella group of similar GSA contracts, for
example Schedule 70 includes all information technology contracts.
GSA Solicitation –a GSA solicitation means the same thing as a GSA
schedule. For each offered GSA schedule, there is a solicitation number.
GSA Advantage or a GSA Advantage upload-GSA Advantage works like
an online shopping cart. When a company is awarded a GSA contract is
required to upload their products or services to GSA Advantage.
GSA Offer-when a company completes a required GSA solicitation and
submits it to the GSA, This is referred to as a GSA offer.
GSA eOffer-when a company completes a required GSA solicitation
and submits it to the GSA in the GSA' s electronic submittal format.
GSA eMod-when a company completes a modification to their GSA
contract and submits it using the GSA' s electronic submittal format.
Open Ratings Report-a customer service survey required by the GSA
to be included their GSA offer. An Open Ratings Report costs $175 to
complete. An Open Ratings Report also requires 8 to 10 customer contacts
including their: name, company name, e-mail address and phone number.
CCR Registration-stands for Central Contractor Registration and is
required prior to the submittal of a GSA offer. The CCR registration
requires a Duns number to register. If you do not have a Duns number, one
can be obtained free of charge by calling phone number 1-866-705-5711.
ORCA Registration-stands for Online Registrations and
Certifications Application and is required prior to the submittal of a GSA
offer.
TPIN-stands for trading partner identification number. The TPIN
is assigned to someone who registers in the CCR database. The TPIN is only
sent out in a letter to the point of contact for the CCR registration.
MPIN-stands for my personal identification number. The MPIN can
be found by opening up your CCR registration, and looking through your
general information. The MPIN is used as a password to login on your ORCA
registration.
FAR – Federal Acquisition Regulations
IFF - industrial funding fee (currently .75%). This fee is added
to your GSA contract sales and then paid back to the GSA on a quarterly
basis. (This fee works like a sales tax you collect from federal government
customers and then pay back to the GSA)
FPR Letter – also referred to as a final proposal revision letter.
The FPR is a document containing final terms and conditions used to award a
GSA contract.
Section 2. General Questions
Who is the GSA? The GSA or General Services Administration
manages federal contracts referred to as GSA contracts.
What is GSA Contracting? GSA contracting pre-approves vendors to
supply products and services to the US Federal Government. A large
percentage of the federal contract dollars flow through GSA contracts. A
portion of federal contract dollars to flow through other vehicles outside
of GSA contracting, but it requires a competitive or sole source type
contract.
Why use GSA Contracting? Once pre-approved with a GSA contract,
it allows a vendor to sell directly to the federal government without
competitive bidding. A GSA contract is set up so that a purchasing agent
can purchase products or services on the spot.
How much time does it take to get a GSA contract award? There are
two phases to a GSA contract award. The first phase involves developing the
draft and preparing the submittal. The timing of the first phase varies,
but for most small companies, it takes an average of three to four weeks.
The second phase is from submittal to GSA contract award. This phase also
varies, but for most small companies, this phase takes two to four months.
Can I complete a GSA contract on my own? The GSA contract award
process is bureaucratic and cumbersome. For most small companies the task of
completing a GSA contract without expert assistance is very difficult. But
it is not impossible for someone to complete without expert assistance.
Expect a large learning curve and time-consuming process. Then the question
becomes, is it worth your time and effort to go through this complex
process, and possibly not getting the GSA contract awarded. Most small
companies do decide to use an outside expert for the contract award
process.
What Important things do I need to consider when selecting someone to
assist GSA contract preparation and GSA offer submittal to get a GSA
contract award? For most small companies price is an important factor,
but it should not be the only factor. Ask what the price includes:
Is it full service from start to award?
Does it include after award services? If so, what services?
How much experience does the company have?
Does the cost include the open ratings report?
What kind of guarantee of the GSA contract award, does the company offer?
For more information about using the GSA services of the company that
owns this website please contact us at:
www.gsa-sba.com
Section 3.
GSA Contract Qualification Questions
Do I qualify for a GSA contract award? The GSA awards the
contract to the company not an individual and in order to qualify for a GSA
contract award you must have been in business as a company for more than a
year.
What are the financial requirements of obtaining a GSA award? The
GSA requires one to two years of financial data. The GSA does not like a
high amount of liabilities, compared to sales for the company. Other
financial red flags include a company bankruptcy or a lien against the
company.
Section 4.
Pre-GSA Contract Submittal Questions
Generally, what are the requirements of a GSA submittal? The
submittal can be broken into four parts. The first requires that you
complete the CCR and orca
registrations. The second part is basic company information, including
contact information mailing address, phone numbers, e-mail, and Web
address. The third part includes contacts for the open ratings report. The
fourth part includes pricing information for products or services offered.
Are there any GSA requirements specific to a product submittal to
consider? If you are offering products, you have to have experience
selling those products. Also, if you are not a manufacturer of the product,
you must obtain a letter of supply from the manufacturer. A manufacturer
must be trade agreement act compliant, meaning you can't supply products
manufactured in countries like China that the United States does not have a
trade agreement with.
Are there any GSA requirements specific to a services (hourly rate)
submittal to consider? If you are selling services or labor rates, you
have to have experience offering those specific labor rates. GSA will last
for verification through invoices or other similar methods.
Should I use GSA eOffer or should I submit a GSA offer using a
hardcopy approach? Generally, if you have the option to submit an
eOffer, it is less cumbersome and easier to submit. And most times, it is
awarded more quickly. Some schedules do not yet offer this option. In this
case, you will have to use a hardcopy submittal.
Section 5.
GSA Contract Questions Before Award
How long does it take before the GSA contracting officer starts
reviewing our submittal? For most GSA submittals, it takes one to two
months for the contract officer to begin review.
Can I expect questions from the GSA contract officer after the
submittal and before the award? It is normal for the GSA contract
officer to have some questions during the review process. Most of the
questions will be asked in written form via a fax or an e-mail. A normal
range is 5 to 10 questions in the first round, with additional some
follow-up questions verbally or in writing.
What is meant by the term negotiations with the GSA contract officer?
A final negotiation call is a term GSA uses to ask for a best and final
offer. In most cases, the GSA will last for additional discounts during
this final conversation. They will also go through terms and conditions in
the final offer.
What is the process in completing a Final Proposal Revision (FPR)
letter? A FPR letter is given in draft form, by the GSA contract
officer and contains the final terms and conditions of a GSA contract
award. The FPR letter is then finalized on company letterhead and signed by
a company representative. Once the FPR is finalized and sent back to the
GSA contract officer the GSA contract is awarded.
When do I receive my GSA Contract number? After the GSA contract
officer has signed off on the FPR, either through the eOffer system, or for
a hardcopy submittal the contractor will notified by email, fax or mailed
copy of the award. Note: When the proposer signs the eOffer the GSA
contract # is immediately assigned on the upper left-hand corner of the Form
1449.
How long is my GSA contract number good for? The GSA contract is
awarded for a five year period and can be renewed for 3 additional 5-year
periods.
Section 6.
GSA Contract Questions After Award
When do am I required to upload information to GSA Advantage?
You have six months to upload your GSA award information to the GSA
Advantage website.
Is uploading GSA contract information something I can do myself?
If you only offered services or a few products the GSA Advantage upload is
straight forward. If you have many hundreds or thousands of products it
becomes very complex and difficult and you may want to hire someone to
assist you.
What is the IFF and how is paid? GSA vendors are required to
track all GSA sales under their GSA contract. Vendors are required to
charge the IFF rate of 0.75% for all sales under their GSA contract. For
example:
Your company makes a GSA sale of $100,000 to the US Air Force.
The total invoice to the US Air Force for this sale would be $100,000 + the
IFF of 0.75% ($750) or $100,750. If this was the only sale for your
company during the quarter, you would pay the $750 back to the GSA through
your Form 72A report.
If I need to modify my GSA contract is that something I can do myself?
For most modifications you can work directly with your GSA contract officer
to complete a modification without consulting assistance. You can either
submit your GSA modification to your contract officer in writing or if
available through a GSA eModification.
Am I required to have a minimum amount of sales under my GSA contract?
Vendors are required to have a minimum of $25,000 in sales under their GSA
contract, during the first two years of the GSA contract, and $25,000/year
of GSA sales for each year after that.
Do government purchasing agents find me for GSA Sales or do I have to
market my GSA Contract products and/or services to government purchasing
agents? A GSA contract is only the vehicle to easily execute federal
government sales. A vendor must market products or services to federal
government buyers, just like is done in the commercial arena. GSA will
assign an area compliance and marketing representative that will give tips
on how to best market your products/services, including uploading your
product/services information to the federal governments online shopping cart
at
www.gsaadvantage.gov. GSA-SBA does provide the option of GSA contract
marketing assistance for more information click on the following link:
General Products and Service Contracts.
Section 7. Important Web
Links
GSA Contract Award Assistance:
www.gsa-sba.com
General Service Administration or GSA:
www.gsa.gov
GSA Advantage:
www.gsaadvantage.gov
GSA Vendor Assistance Center:
http://vsc.gsa.gov
GSA Vendor Training:
http://vsc.gsa.gov/vsc/index_wo_js.cfm?level=8
GSA Schedule E-Library:
http://www.gsaelibrary.gsa.gov/ElibMain/ElibHome
GSA eOffer Site:
http://eoffer.gsa.gov/
Central Contractor Registration or CCR:
www.ccr.gov
Online
Representations and Certifications Application or ORCA:
https://orca.bpn.gov/
Small Business Administration or SBA:
www.sba.gov
Small Business Size Determinations:
http://www.sba.gov/services/contractingopportunities/sizestandardstopics/size/index.html
Federal Acquisition Regulations or FAR:
http://acquisition.gov/far/index.html
GSA-SBA.com and GSAFAQ are
owned by Green Leaf Corporation. Green Leaf Corporation is a small veteran
owned business and a member of the Better Business Bureau and the National
Contract Management Association. For more information concerning GSA
contract award assistance please request a quote at
www.gsa-sba.com
Additional
Questions may be submitted via email to
info@gsa-sba.com
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