U.S. General Services Administration
Marketing your Schedule contract
Marketing your contract effectively is imperative to your success. We cannot market your contract for you, but here are some tips we recommend.
The Vendor Support Center is also full of helpful resources and information about a wide range of topics including market research, exposure, and bidding opportunities.
Ask yourself the following questions to decide where to focus your efforts and resources:
- Where are the government customers?
- What is a successful marketing strategy?
- How can companies partner with GSA and be a better provider to federal customers?
- What resources are available to help me become a successful marketer?
To succeed, you need to learn about your Schedule contract, its unique requirements, and the federal contracting process. Here are some suggestions on how to get started:
Educate your sales department
They need to know about the contract, who can order from it, pricing details, ordering terms and conditions, and so on. If they don’t know these elements, your company may unknowingly violate contractual requirements.
Get your marketing department involved
We do not market your contract for you, so be ready to learn, seek out opportunities, and promote your company.
Work with accounting
Your accounting department may need to set up a tracking system to separate our orders from all other orders. They’ll need to know about the reporting requirements and prompt payment discounts.
Review your subcontracting plan
If you are a large business with a small business subcontracting plan, you'll be required to track subcontracting costs and subcontractor business type or size. Requirements vary based on subcontracting plan type. Your purchasing department will need to know what costs need to be tracked and will want to start funneling as many subcontracts to small businesses as possible. Small businesses do not have this requirement.
Whether you are a seasoned government contractor or just getting started, networking is essential to building relationships to grow your business. Getting to know more about government agencies, upcoming contract opportunities, acquisition strategies, and procurement timelines will help your company better prepare for potential opportunities.
Attend industry days
Agency buyers often conduct industry days for their requirements to provide details on what, when, and how the government is seeking contractor support and specific mission needs contractors can address. Industry days also offer opportunities to meet one on one with program personnel. Some include question-and-answer sessions with valuable information on the procurement and upcoming opportunities.
Consider teaming opportunities
Our Schedule contractors can team with other Schedule contractors through contractor team arrangements. These CTAs can help you fill competency or experience gaps or share the burden of a larger project.
Connect with agency small business offices
Every federal agency has an office assigned to help small businesses access procurements that are reserved exclusively for small businesses participation. For example, we have national and regional small business representatives, and most military bases have local offices to assist small businesses with procurements.
You should reach out to these offices if you would like to do business with that agency. Ask about upcoming industry days, small business outreach events, procurement pipeline information, and the best ways to stay apprised of their business opportunities.
As a GSA Schedule contractor, your firm will be listed in GSA eLibrary, our online source for the latest contract award information. After you upload your catalog to GSA Advantage! (products) or eLibrary (services) your product and services offerings will be available through these tools.
If you're a current Schedule contract holder, you can use certain logos on commercial materials if you follow the rules governing use of the GSA logo.
You still must comply with GSAR 552.203-71, Restriction on Advertising. Your commercial advertising or similar promotions cannot state or imply that the supplies, products, or services are endorsed or preferred by the government.
Use the USASpending.gov and Schedule Sales Query Plus tools to start your market research. These tools help you survey potential customers' spending habits and identify the types of products and services they are buying.