The U.S. Government is the world’s largest buyers of goods and services. They spend about 23% on small businesses. What small business wouldn’t want to take advantage of an opportunity to increase revenue when the money is out there? The answer to that question can be shocking. There are many contractors that will not bid on Federal Government contracts. One of the reasons many contractors are not attracted to bidding on Federal contracts is because of the lengthy waiting period for an award to be made. The length of time it takes to award a contract can take up to three to six months for all contract types. According to Potter (2009), “One of the ways that a fix was sought for all this was the use of General Services Administration (GSA) schedules and omnibus contracts with separate Task Orders. These are similar in that a company gets its service or good on the schedule with proper price justification. For labor like with a SETA contract a set of rates are established for different labor categories. Government offices then can buy the labor or good from the schedule knowing that the price has already been reviewed, justified and approved” (Slowing Down Government Contracting, para. 2). A task order usually has a turn-around within several weeks rather than a period of three to six months, though the Government being the “Government” continues to review all contract types with scrutiny for fair and ethical practices.

The General Services Administration (GSA) offers products, services, and facilities that the Federal agencies require. Businesses registered with the GSA have the opportunity to sell billions of dollars worth of products and services to the Federal Government, because they are the centralized component for the Federal Government’s procurement. LESCO Restorations is currently in the process of registering for GSA’s “Facilities Maintenance and Management” schedule. $66 billion of procurement is managed by GSA annually. Where there is an opportunity, LESCO will not stop from any obstacles to pursue that opportunity. Working with GSA to gain long-term contracts will be an essential part of our Government Services Division.

http://www.bnet.com/blog/government/slowing-down-government-contracting/2300?tag=mantle_skin;content