FBBS.FediVAS International: Our Approach

How Long does it Take?

A. How long does it take to receive a GSA FSS or VA Schedule Contract on a NEW OFFER Proposal?

This is the most frequently asked question in our business.

The answer depends on which GSA FSS Schedule Contract Group you are applying to and the work ethic of the individual Contracting Officer/Specialist assigned to your proposal and subsequent contract.

A good general rule is that 90% of GSA employees lack a work ethic and GSA management could care less about you and your contract.

For most GSA schedule groups outside of the Group 70 IT division, like the MOBIS GSA Schedule (Group 874), or Engineering (PES-871) etc., the GSA QUICK ANSWER is it takes 90 to 120 days from submission of your NEW OFFER to award. The reality is more like eight to 15 months, and it is getting worse.

GSA officials say the time it takes depends on the workload of the Contracting Officer and the completeness of the offer submitted. Our opinion is it depends entirely on the Contracting Officer and their work ethic.

FOR FSC GROUP 70 IT GSA SCHEDULES

The following is our standard answer with regard to the GSA FSC Group 70 IT Acquisition Center in Crystal City, VA.

The answer depends on a variety of factors. The QUICK ANSWER ranges from five to 15 months or longer. If you have a product or service that GSA really needs or wants to use as a pilot offer for an emerging technology, it is possible to see an award within one year from the date of submission. If your product or service is more or less routine, eight to 15 months is more likely.

We divide the process of obtaining a GSA Schedule Contract into Phases.

PHASE ONE- Information Gathering and New Offer Submission to GSA.

We set our goal to complete PHASE ONE in three months from the date you hire us to assist you. This means that in three months from the date of hire, and with your help and input, we will be able to gather enough information, create enough documentation, and complete the preparation of the NEW OFFER Solicitation for submission to GSA.

PHASE ONE could take longer if your internal representatives take longer to collect and distribute the information required by the GSA Solicitation process.

PHASE TWO- Supplemental Submissions and Initial Negotiations with the GSA Contracting Officer/Specialist assigned to review and administer your NEW OFFER.

After your NEW OFFER is submitted to GSA, it goes into a holding pattern of usually a month or two before it is assigned. Once your NEW OFFER is assigned to a specific Contracting Officer/Specialist (CO/CS), his or her job is to review the proposal as we open the lines of communication with the CO/CS and submit any items previously omitted from the original NEW OFFER submission.

The time PHASE TWO can take depends on the working habits of the GSA Contracting Officer assigned to your NEW OFFER. It is also determined by the time your firm takes to respond to additional information requests and clarifications from the CO/CS once it has completed an initial OFFER review.

PHASE THREE- Responding to GSA Requests for Additional Information Documentation and Clarifications.

As noted above, when the GSA CO/CS requests more data, it is to our mutual benefit to respond ASAP to completely satisfy their requests. If your firm takes too long to supply the requested data, the CO/CS probably will turn instead to other NEW OFFERs and other contract management matters for existing contractors, thus relegating your OFFER to the "bottom of the pile."

PHASE FOUR- Administrative issues wrap-up, final product/services and Pricing Negotiations, the FPR and, finally, the AWARD.

Depending on the number of SINs and line items involved, whether you are a manufacturer, reseller or both, and whether you are offering IT Services; the administrative wrap-up and final negotiation phase can be lengthy or swift. Offers providing IT Services to GSA require more documentation and disclosures and tend to take longer to reach AWARD.

The time PHASE FOUR consumes usually depends on the working habits of the CO/CS. Sometimes the CO/CS will request additional clarifications that again hold up this process, the aggravation escalating when firms move too slowly in responding to such last-minute requests.

With regard to the negotiations, GSA may ask for much deeper discounts than the Offering party (you) are prepared to give, prompting a standoff that could/might take weeks to resolve.

Once the CO/CS and the company are in agreement on pricing, the CO/CS releases what is called the Final Proposal Revision (or FPR) letter format. We input the data agreed to in the final negotiations, submit the letter and usually receive an award within a day or two.

After AWARD, we distribute final paper and electronic copies of the Authorized GSA Schedule Contract Pricelist (GPL) to GSA and the Contractor, and we post the awarded line items on the GSA Advantage! website. We also publish your awarded GPL and specific line items onto the FBBS MyFederalShopper website and any other federal Electronic-shopper sites you request.

In Conclusion - How Long for New Offers to be Awarded?

To be safe, figure three months for PHASE ONE, TWO and THREE to gather information and prepare a NEW OFFER submission, then another four to eight to 12 months for PHASE FOUR and to receive CONTRACT AWARD. Total eight to 14 months.

B. How long does it take FBBS to get your company's products/services posted onto the GSA Advantage! system?

If you can supply us with complete and accurate data (in our format) and if your GSA CO/CS reviews the data in a timely fashion, we usually can do your initial upload in less than 14 days. If your data is not in our format, we need to migrate it for you and can still do an initial upload in less than 14 days.

Once we do the initial upload, GSA reviews and validates the data before sending it to their internal CORS systems for review, approval or rejection. After the contract data file passes GSA's Vendor Support Center validation process and scrutiny of the GSA internal systems, and providing the GSA computer systems are working properly; the awarded and uploaded line items should appear on the GSA Advantage! website. In almost all cases, when a posting is late in appearing on GSA Advantage!, the problem lies within the SIP program, the GSA Advantage! system or your CO.

C. How long does it take to receive approval from GSA for a contract action to change products or pricing on a current GSA schedule?

Anywhere from one day to six months and longer, depending on the Contracting Officer/Specialist assigned to your contract and the working relationship between that specific GSA official and your contract administrator.

Like every other question, It depends on the working habits and workload of the CO/CS, plus the completeness of the documentation package prepared and submitted. Most COs would rather push work back then actually do it so they come up with all kinds of reasons to delay doing their jobs.

When you provide enough information and data to the CO/CS, you minimize the actual work needed by the CO/CS and net much quicker results. Your GSA CO/CS still need to be prodded along the way.

D. How long does it take to get a Novation modification awarded?

A Novation is the name given to the documentation and process used to change the corporate name of a GSA schedule contract. A Novation is needed when a company is purchased or merged and the name of the contract holder changes. The actual Novation Agreement documentation must be prepared by your legal team and that can take some time. Once you have submitted a Novation for approval five months and longer has been our experience to get to award. In the past, we have completed one Novation and are currently working on a second that has so far taken five months.

To come: For specific time tables on how long different GSA actions have taken, click here.

Use the Contact US page to email any other questions or comments you may have about the GSA Schedule Contract process.