The GSA Schedule Cautionary Tale

Small Businesswoman

My organization has been within the GSA MOBIS Schedule for 9 months, along with simply no success. Why? The solution is very easy and i also am glad to talk about this with you, within the wish that my unfortunate story will save another person using this expensive as well as time-consuming agony.

This is what We have learned:

If you want to offer smooth abilities coaching or even course development solutions to the government, you need to have:

(1) a big organization quite a few coaches as well as assistance staff;

(2) offices within the Buenos aires, M. C. area;

(3) offices within the west coastline;

(4) supplied similar program solutions to the government a short while ago; as well as

(5) dedicated personnel to watch for relevant RFPs as well as create the actual extended as well as complex proposals.

In other words, in case you are the one-person procedure located in the actual Midwest, if you lack the actual requisite person power, if you have to estimation as well as cost all journey expenses, and if you have not had any current federal agreements, FORGET IT!!!

Possibly the actual agreements tend to be for millions of dollars over the multi-year name or even they may be for a one or two day program, as well as both types of agreements usually have to be supplied somewhere to which you will have to journey (and even remain for very long periods of time). Because the federal government states it will take the cheapest price as well as since I usually need to element in journey expenses, I'm sunk. We don't have an opportunity. Not a plea.

And, guess what? I could possess avoided all of this had I thought to research my chances within the GSA website, instead of asking the actual GSA preparing as well as marketing organization (who wanted my money) when they thought my organization might be a good candidate.

Lately, I recently found that there is the "Readiness Evaluation for Prospective Offerors" within the GSA Web site. Basically had just taken this evaluation, I would possess realized the actual GSA Schedule had not been a good suit for me personally.

Here are the key questions that would have made this glaringly apparent:

Does your company know how long as well as cash successful firms spend to market to the Government? (Research implies that successful firms spend among $80-$130K annually to generate their first order).
Does your company possess the committed personnel or even sources to write proposals as well as administer the MAS contract?
Does your company know that like a MAS contractor you need to sell minimal $25, 000 within the first couple of years subsequent contract award and they are likely to exceed $25, 000 in product sales every 12-monthperiod thereafter?
Does your company understand that 60% from the GSA Schedule companies usually do not meet the minimum product sales specifications because defined through I-FSS-639?
Perhaps you have developed human relationships along with possible federal customers? (GSA investigation signifies that it must be important to possess a relationship using the company you are targeting to purchase your service or product. )

These were "Yes" or even "No" questions as well as my answer to every one of them would have been a resounding "NO! inch

So , what possess We learned using this ill fated as well as totally preventable misadventure? I will inform you inside my article: My GSA Misadventure.