Last updated: October 2026 · By Josh Ladick, GSA Focus · Sources: GSA.gov, Acquisition.gov
Short answer: To get on the GSA Schedule (the Multiple Award Schedule, or MAS), register your business in SAM.gov, complete GSA’s mandatory Pathways to Success training and readiness assessment, choose the Special Item Numbers (SINs) that match what you already sell, and submit an offer in eOffer with two years of financials, past performance and commercial pricing. With GSA Focus, most clients are awarded in about 6 months.
GSA Schedule at a glance
| Doing it yourself | With GSA Focus | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to award | Often 2+ years of back-and-forth | About 6 months |
| Your time | Hundreds of hours reading GSA rules | About 3 hours in total |
| Fees | No consultant fee | $12,000 flat, no award, no fee |
| Contract length | Up to 20 years (a base period plus option periods) | |
| Who can buy from you | All federal agencies, plus eligible state and local governments through GSA’s Cooperative and Disaster Purchasing programs | |
Who qualifies for a GSA Schedule?
GSA lists these requirements on its official roadmap to a MAS contract:
- Active SAM.gov registration with a Unique Entity ID (UEI).
- Two years of corporate experience providing the products or services you want to offer. Newer companies may qualify through GSA’s Startup Springboard.
- Two years of financial statements that show financial responsibility. Startup Springboard allows other documentation if you don’t have them.
- Past performance selling what you plan to offer, within one or more SINs.
- Commercial pricing you can document, entered in GSA’s required pricing templates.
- TAA-compliant products: each product must be made or substantially transformed in the U.S. or a TAA designated country.
- Pathways to Success training (3 to 4 hours), completed within the past year.
- Readiness assessment, completed by an Authorized Negotiator who is an employee of your company.
How to get on the GSA Schedule, step by step
- Decide if a MAS contract fits your business. Take GSA’s mandatory Pathways to Success training. You’ll confirm in eOffer that you completed it.
- Do the readiness assessment. Your Authorized Negotiator completes it before you submit.
- Read the MAS solicitation. It lists what your offer must include, how GSA evaluates it, and the terms you’ll have to follow.
- Review GSA’s new offeror checklist for your category.
- Complete your registrations: SAM.gov (UEI) and a FAS ID to log in to eOffer.
- Build your offer: pick your SINs, fill in GSA’s templates, and gather your financials, past performance and pricing. A typical offer runs 25 to 30 documents.
- Submit in eOffer. GSA assigns a contracting specialist, sends clarification requests, negotiates pricing with you, and issues the award after your Final Proposal Revision (FPR).
How long does it take to get on the GSA Schedule?
Most of the time is GSA’s review, not paperwork. A typical timeline with GSA Focus:
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Getting started | You complete a one-page checklist (about a dozen items). We build the full offer. |
| Submission | We upload your offer to eOffer and GSA assigns a contracting specialist. |
| About 3 months in | GSA sends its first round of clarification questions. We answer everything we can and send you a short list of what we can’t. |
| Negotiation | GSA negotiates discounts and terms. We coach you; you make every decision. |
| About 6 months | Final Proposal Revision, then award. We handle post-award setup. |
Doing it alone usually takes longer. Each rejection or missing document restarts part of the review, which is why many companies take two years or more.
How much does it cost to get on the GSA Schedule?
GSA does not charge a fee to submit an offer. Your costs are your own time or a consultant’s fee. After award, you pay GSA’s Industrial Funding Fee: 0.75% of your schedule sales, built into your prices.
| GSA Focus package | Who it’s for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Most businesses | $12,000 one-time |
| Simplified | Companies whose 20-year contract is ending and need a re-award | $9,000 |
| Specialized | International companies, joint ventures or large catalogs | $15,000 |
| Maintenance after award | Reporting, modifications and strategy (first 3 months included) | $1,500 per year |
Every package is no award, no fee, with payment plans available. See full pricing or what GSA consultants typically charge.
What you commit to after award
- Minimum sales: $100,000 in the first five years and $125,000 in each five-year period after that, or GSA can cancel the contract (GSAR 552.238-79).
- Sales reporting: report sales and pay the IFF within 30 days after each reporting period.
- Keep your catalog current on GSA Advantage and watch for buyer requests on GSA eBuy.
A GSA Schedule is a sales channel, not a guaranteed order. Across the 1,000+ businesses GSA Focus has placed on the Schedule, average first-year GSA sales are $917K. Your number depends on what you sell.
Getting on the GSA Schedule: FAQs
How do I get my company on the GSA Schedule?
Register in SAM.gov, complete GSA’s Pathways to Success training and readiness assessment, choose the SINs that match what you already sell, assemble two years of financials, pricing and past performance, then submit your offer in eOffer. GSA reviews it, sends clarification requests, negotiates, and awards once everything reconciles.
How long does it take to get on the GSA Schedule?
With GSA Focus, most clients are awarded in about 6 months. Companies that do it alone often take two years or more, because each rejection restarts part of the review.
How much does it cost to get a GSA Schedule?
GSA charges nothing to submit an offer. GSA Focus charges a flat $12,000 for most businesses, with no fee if you aren’t awarded. After award, GSA collects a 0.75% Industrial Funding Fee on your schedule sales.
How hard is it to get a GSA Schedule?
The difficulty is administrative, not technical. The documents must match exactly across every form, and a single mismatch can restart the review. With GSA Focus, your part is about 3 hours in total.
Can a startup get on the GSA Schedule?
GSA usually asks for two years of experience and financials. Through Startup Springboard, newer companies can substitute executives’ experience and other financial documentation.
Who can buy from the GSA Schedule?
All federal agencies, plus certain state and local governments through GSA’s Cooperative Purchasing and Disaster Purchasing programs.
What does it mean to be on the GSA Schedule?
GSA has pre-negotiated your prices and terms, so agencies can buy from you without running a full open-market competition. You become eligible to be bought from; orders still have to be won.
Find out if you qualify
Check your GSA eligibility in a few minutes, or book a free 20-minute call to get your exact tier, timeline and a realistic first-year sales estimate.