As a small business contractor that has been awarded a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Contract, it is a major leap for your business, but do you know that government buyers and acquisition professionals identify businesses providing products and services using GSA eLibrary? Yes, you read that correctly. The official guide for the eLibrary website states, “GSA eLibrary was created to provide a centralized online resource to assist acquisition professionals in the research and identification of commercial businesses providing products and services offered under GSA and VA acquisition solutions”. Hence, it is incumbent upon GSA schedule-holders to update their contract’s most accurate contact, pricing, and contract information. In addition to that, you can keep an eye on the other contractors who are also on the schedule. By using GSA eLibrary effectively, you can look deeper at your competition, their products and services, their pricing catalogs, and their socio-economic categories. To fully maximize the potential of this portal, it’s crucial to understand how to navigate and utilize its features effectively.
In this blog, we will guide you through the entire process of using the GSA e-library to make the most of this resource.
What is GSA eLibrary?
GSA eLibrary is the official online contractor directory that houses all the latest GSA contract award information. With 24/7 availability, GSA eLibrary is updated every night, which assures unparalleled acquisition information which is accurate and up-to-date. The GSA eLibrary serves as a centralized online platform for acquisition professionals who seek to explore and locate businesses offering products and services through GSA and VA acquisition solutions. GSA eLibrary can provide support across the following services:
- Search and review the product/service categories
- Search GSA or VA Schedule Contract holding companies/competitors
- Review GSA/VA Schedule Contract award information
Some of the Useful Features and Benefits of GSA eLibrary:
GSA’s eLibrary homepage has a plethora of helpful information that can help contractors with the following services:
1. Finding SIN (Special Item Number) Descriptions and Relevant Contractors:
GSA eLibrary provides SIN Description of products and services under the Category Guide section present on the homepage:
You can click on any category to know about the SIN description as depicted below for the Facilities Category:
Having selected Facilities, we get the list of all the services available under the Facilities category as depicted above. To get the associated SIN description, we can click on the available services and land on the SIN Description Page:
Having landed on the SIN Description page, we can find businesses providing services under the category by clicking on the SIN number:
2. Finding a Teaming Partner and Researching Competitors:
When researching competitors with a GSA Schedule, you ought to begin by checking GSA eLibrary. It serves as a foundation for learning about other companies by utilizing the Contractor Directory and what they have to offer. The Contractor Directory on GSA eLibrary is a valuable tool for conducting market research that may be used to find out the names, numbers, and sizes of different sellers’ businesses according to schedule and SIN. It also provides information on prospective subcontracting opportunities. You can search by Special Item Number (SIN) to see who your competitors are in any SINs you already have or want to add, in addition to searching for specific competitors to see if they have a GSA contract. You can further filter the contractor list by using the Socio-Economic Set-aside Filter, which opens up new opportunities for partnering/subcontracting with different set-asides. This is extremely helpful for mid-sized firms or when pursuing agencies who prefer one set-aside over another. After selecting your set-aside, you should look through the contractors’ terms and conditions and price list for further research.
Finally, remember to sufficiently investigate the business in question before approaching them as potential business partners. You can check the homepage and any past contracts on the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS), to make sure they perform the work you need to have done.
3. Showcasing your GSA Contract and Finding your Contract Details on GSA eLibrary:
One of the major benefits of GSA eLibrary is provides you with a platform to showcase your price lists and allows procurement officials to view your prices. Hence, contractors must ensure that all the correct information is on the portal. Contractors can locate their contract information by simply typing the business name into the search box on the Home Page and choosing the appropriate link.
Benefits of GSA eLibrary
The eLibrary website is an excellent tool for looking up information regarding your contract and/or researching the competition. It is also used for analyzing market opportunities and prospective subcontracting opportunities. Since it offers every possible SIN and category listing your firm could potentially be interested in, this website is also quite valuable for companies seeking their own GSA Schedule. It is a potent instrument for conducting market research that may be used to determine the names, numbers, and sizes of competitors’ businesses according to GSA Schedule Contract listing, Schedules information, Special Item Numbers (SINs), and contract award information. Government clients can get in touch with you through the contact information, and you must ensure that all the information, such as contact, text files, and socioeconomic status, is up to date.
GSA eLibrary is a handy tool for small business contractors seeking more insights into the federal contracting domain. This tool will help you gain an overview of the competition, price lists, socioeconomic category details, and other relevant details of other contractors on the GSA Schedule. Our team at iQuasar is proficient in using tools like these, and we will guide you through the process, help you gain market intelligence, and improve your Proposal Development efforts.
Please feel free to set up a meeting with us to learn more about the wide array of Proposal Development services that we provide.
