IT Schedule 70 refers to the long-term governmentwide contract designed by the General Services Administration (GSA). Schedule 70 covers services surrounding commercial technology, including an array of products, solutions, and services. When products and services come from companies under the GSA IT Schedule 70, it ensures they went through tedious evaluation from the institution.
GSA ensures that all vendors provide procurement vehicles that are robust and efficient, without compromising the fair and reasonable pricing. On top of that, the GSA contractors closely monitor companies to ensure that they remain compliant with all the applicable regulations on their contract duration.
When federal agencies proceed with pre-vetted GSA contractors, they are not only getting quality goods. GSA can guarantee the acquisition process gets streamlined, offering pre-negotiated prices and procurement details. Although being on Schedule 70 is not required to address the public sector’s IT-related concerns, businesses can reach their target market faster. Before federal agencies acquire goods and services from contractors, they can send quotations or requests to three vendors. They can deliberate between the three and choose the Schedule 70 contractor to offer solutions to their problems at a low cost.
Like any other GSA Schedules, Schedule 70 contractors must undergo a rigorous application process before they can begin making a profit from the government market. GSA contracting officers will evaluate their proposal to check if their pricing is fair and reasonable.
Plus, they look into the products and services to ensure that they are on par with over 5,000 IT vendors in GSA. As one of the most extensive Schedules in GSA, the competition can be fierce, but the benefits are well worth the shot.
GSA contractors under Schedule 70 can have their contracts renewed thrice, which accounts for 20 years of business with GSA. However, Schedule 70 is one of GSA’s most extensive Schedules, federal agencies that need information technology solutions. Thus, the awarding of these schedules should increase over time. With the tremendous advancements in technology over recent years, the journey towards digital transformation is only getting started.
Moreover, federal agencies prefer to obtain IT products and services from GSA IT Schedule 70 to save time and money. Aside from the pre-existing, pre-negotiated contract terms and acquisition solutions, the time it takes for products to arrive is streamlined.
Besides the federal government, Schedule 70 is also accessible by the state, local, and tribal governments. They can streamline the procurement of products to jumpstart projects and leverage GSA’s suite of e-Tools. They can utilize readily available technology to facilitate market research and offer automated purchasing capabilities. Lastly, GSA IT Schedule 70 gives its customers all of the help they need when making complex purchases. Both online and in-person training is available to assist when they need further information about the product.
Benefits of GSA IT Schedule 70
Selling solutions, products, and services through the GSA IT Schedule 70 offers the following benefits:
Cost Savings
Federal agencies gain access to a myriad of Schedule 70 contractors that offer state-of-the-art IT solutions. As for the GSA contractors, they can minimize the costs of managing administrative work and negotiating with the pricing.
Before acquiring a GSA IT Schedule 70 contract, GSA officers ensure that the prices are at pre-negotiated ceiling prices. This negotiation implements a significant discount that is better than the prices in the commercial market. In turn, it serves as the starting point for head-to-head competition against 5,000 contractors. After all, agencies select vendors that can provide the best value for their dollar.
Scalability
The GSA platform features various tools that ensure the ease of online shopping and ordering. Federal agencies can discover thousands of Schedule 70 contractors and reach out to them. This resource allows them to obtain configurations according to their specific needs without buying a pre-set suite of solutions. They can scale up or down to acquire all the services they need without paying for unnecessary costs. However, there are also other IDIQ contracts that only display a fixed set of services.
Offers Efficiency
GSA Schedules together with Schedule 70 aims to streamline the procurement cycle for federal agencies. Over the years, GSA has reviewed more than 700 contracts, which revealed that the average procurement time for large-value IT contracts takes 25 months. This schedule is significantly faster than other contracting vehicles that exist today.
Access Small Businesses
The GSA IT Schedule 70 offers vast opportunities for small businesses. Small businesses comprise 80% of the federal government vendors in Schedule 70. This percentage is suitable for federal agencies that want to remain compliant and meet the required small business use goals. Additionally, GSA is the only contracting vehicle that allows GSA contractors to coordinate to accomplish tasks.
Small and large Schedule 70 contracts can team up to accelerate the procurement of IT products, services, and solutions. Small business subcontractors benefit from this arrangement, gaining experience in the government market despite its size.
Access a Plethora of Resources
GSA offers a nationwide network of resources, including complimentary e-Tools, extensive training opportunities, and responsive regional GSA representatives for both federal agencies and contractors. There are also Contractor Team Arrangements (CTAs) that enable industry partners to team up, offering a total solution to specific customer needs.
Conclusion
GSA IT Schedule 70 is lucrative in the federal government agencies providing advanced IT acquisitions that offer cost savings, time savings, selection, and built-in value. Leveraging Schedule 70 to procure IT products, services, and solutions can help agencies jumpstart their projects and resolve their problems. Being on Schedule 70 serves as a valuable asset to building a reputation and growing their company for businesses. When organizations are GSA-certified, customers can guarantee that their products are top-notch. As a result, this gives them a competitive edge over non-GSA competitors. GSA contractors are more visible within the government marketplace, which increases the chances of them winning contracts.
With this attractive business opportunity comes a whole new responsibility. It is important to note that this market is incomparable to commercial sectors. There are compliance and maintenance processes attached to pursue GSA services consistently. After all, its endless advantages can live up to the strict application and tedious contract maintenance that can last for several years.
