Work with Small Businesses
Federal agencies can meet their small business contracting goals while also meeting their needs for state of the art IT support through GSA’s trusted small business industry partners, including:
- Small businesses
- Women-owned small businesses
- 8(a) small disadvantaged businesses
- HUBZone small businesses
- Service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs)
The small businesses on our contracts have undergone a stringent, multidimensional selection process and have demonstrated performance.
Some of our contract vehicles are set-asides with only small businesses, while others include small businesses as part of a wider pool of highly qualified industry partners. Learn how to target small businesses through contracting.
COMMERCIAL IT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
IT Schedule 70
IT Schedule 70 features commercial IT products and services from over 5,000 industry partners, around 80 percent of which are small businesses.
- Go to GSA Advantage! to filter for small businesses
- Go to eLibrary and select a SIN to narrow down to small businesses
How to order from IT Schedule 70
Risk Management Framework (RMF) services
The Risk Management Framework (RMF) services blanket purchase agreement (BPA) helps agencies implement a common information security framework for the federal government and its contractors.
SmartBUY software and services
The SmartBUY blanket purchase agreements (BPAs) allow agencies to purchase common commercial software and services at deep discounts.
Cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
The Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) blanket purchase agreement (BPA) allows agencies to get IaaS for lower prices.
State, local, and tribal governments
State, local, and tribal governments can use the Cooperative Purchasing Program to buy from IT Schedule 70, the Risk Management Framework BPAs, certain SmartBUY agreements, and the Infrastructure as a Service BPA.
SHARED SERVICES
Manage wireless expenses
Telecommunications Expense Management Services (TEMS) provides wireless service inventory management, invoice management and audit, and rate plan optimization.
END-TO-END IT SOLUTIONS
IT solutions
Three set-aside Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) offer federal agencies total IT solutions from a large pool of highly qualified small businesses:
- 8(a) STARS II - 8(a) small, disadvantaged businesses
- Alliant Small Business - small businesses
- VETS - service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs)
Satellite communications
The Future COMSATCOM Services Acquisition (FCSA) provides satellite bandwidth and subscription services through IT Schedule 70, including many small businesses.
It also provides end-to-end satellite solutions though Custom SATCOM Solutions – Small Business (CS2-SB).
How to order Satellite Communications
SATCOM-II allows federal agencies to buy satellite as an end-to-end solution, including bandwidth, equipment, operations, and maintenance. It expires in May 2012.
Telecommunications infrastructure
Connections II offers telecommunications equipment, labor, services, and solutions for federal infrastructure, buildings, and campuses.
How to order from Connections II
HOW TO CONTRACT WITH SMALL BUSINESSES
You can use many contracts to work with small businesses if you specifically target them in your request for quotes (RFQ). Depending on the contract vehicle, you can:
- Use set-aside language
- Designate socioeconomic status as a primary evaluation factor
- Designate subcontracting to small businesses as a primary evaluation factor
See the ordering guides for any GSA contract above to learn more about how to use small businesses.
Visit the Small Business Utilization page for templates and processes to contract with small businesses.
The shortcut to this page is www.gsa.gov/smallbusinessit.
