I thought it might be interesting to my readers to read an actual account of the process first hand from one of my clients. My client Outersports, LLC has graciously written the following about the process:
Outersports' GSA Schedule Application Process
The process, as always when dealing with the government, was long and tedious (it took about 10 months total). It began with filling out the appropriate application. There were a number of potential categories our goods fit under and a corresponding application for each category. If you have a question as to what category your goods or services fit under you should contact a GSA Contract Specialist. Outersports' Contract Specialist was Teresa Hill based in Fort Worth, Texas. At the time she was assigned to the southwestern United States region. She was able to help narrow down the category our goods fell under.
The particular application the goods fell under was about 60 pages long. It required extensive information about Outersports' suppliers (American made products are highly favored), our shipping practices, price lists, references and a background check. Once the application was completed it was submitted to GSA for approval. It is rare that an application is accepted by the GSA without revision. Outersports' application was no exception to the rule.
About two weeks after the application was submitted we received a request from the GSA for revisions to the contract. Do not be surprised if you are required to submit revisions to the application multiple times before it is finally accepted. GSA has several different individuals who review the applications and each individual has his or her own preferences about how a response should be worded. Do not get upset with the GSA specialists. This will most likely lead to your application being rejected as is their right to do if your application has an invalid response to a question. Instead, request that the GSA specialist allow you to just submit revisions to the specific pages of your application that are not completed correctly. This will save you time and money in the long run.
Remember, when the GSA sends you a written request for revisions they will put a deadline for responding to the request. Failure to meet the deadline can result in the application being deemed "Abandoned" and you may be required to start all over again. If you are unable to completely respond to the request within the timeframe set by the GSA contact them for an extension of time. If they agree to grant the extension make sure you confirm it in writing (i.e. "This confirms that you have agreed to grant an extension of time...).
Final Award
In February, 2006, GSA issued Outersports,LLC a final award. Out GSA Contract Number is GS07F9374S. We are now listed on the GSA Advantage website and do very well selling to the federal government.