by Dave Alexander, Lincoln Strategies, LLC
Abstract
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Are you planning to obtain a GSA Schedule contract for energy efficiency services? One of your first decisions will be to select which GSA Schedule to pursue. And due to recent changes in GSA policies, the choices just got a bit more complex. You have two basic options, each of which offers its own advantages.
Option #1: Pursue a Contract under the GSA Facilities Maintenance and Management Contract Schedule (03FAC).
In part, the Statement of Work (SOW) for this Schedule covers energy efficiency services. As with all GSA Schedules, each part of the SOW is called a “Special Item Number” (SIN). Under Schedule 03FAC, some of the SINs related to energy efficiency include:
- SIN 871, 202, Energy Management Planning and Strategies.
- SIN 871-205, Energy Program Support Services
- SIN 871-206, Building Commissioning Services
- SIN 871-207, Energy Audit Services.
- SIN 871-209, Innovations in Renewable Energy
- SIN 871-211, Energy Consulting Services.
So, if you are interested in offering energy efficiency services to the federal government, Schedule 03FAC certainly is a logical option to consider. This GSA Schedule also includes SINs in many other areas, including facilities maintenance and management, water conservation, and others. (For more details on Schedule 03FAC, click here for another article on this website.) If you also offer services in those areas or plan on doing so in the future, Schedule 03FAC becomes an even better choice.
Option #2: Pursue a Contract under the GSA Professional Services Schedule (00CORP).
If your firm provides energy efficiency services, under certain circumstances it might make sense to pursue a contract under GSA’s Professional Services Schedule instead. In my experience, this can be an excellent solution for multi-disciplinary firms.
In brief, several of GSA’s individual Schedules for professional services no longer exist as stand-alone Schedules. These include, for example, GSA’s former stand-alone Schedules for: Professional Engineering Services; Environmental Services; Management, Organizational, and Business Improvement Services (MOBIS); and several others.
All of the SINs in these former stand-alone Schedules are now included in the Professional Services Schedule. The scopes of the SINs have not changed.
In addition—and here is where things get complicated—the Professional Services Schedule “shares” four of its SINs with Schedule 03FAC. For example, SIN 871-202 (Energy Consulting Services) is included in Schedule 03FAC and also is included in the Professional Services Schedule.
So, if your firm offers services in one of the energy efficiency SINs that is shared by 03FAC and the Professional Services Schedule, would it make sense to pursue a contract under the latter Schedule?
Is your firm eligible to submit a proposal under the Professional Services Schedule?
If you want to offer energy efficiency services under one of the following SINs—871-202, 871-207, 871-208, 871-211—you are eligible to submit a proposal for a Professional Services Schedule contract if you satisfy both of the following criteria:
- You also are including in your proposal at least one non-shared SIN included in the Professional Services Schedule. For example, you might include SIN C899-1, Environmental Consulting Services.
AND
- You are not proposing the energy efficiency services under 871-202, 871-207, 871-208, or 871-211 as stand-alone services. You are offering them as an integral part of the overall solution you provide in delivering services under one or more of the other SINs in your proposal for a Professional Services Schedule contract.
If you satisfy both of these criteria, your firm is eligible to submit a proposal under the Professional Services Schedule.
Should your firm submit a proposal under the Professional Services Schedule rather than Schedule 03FAC?
If your firm is eligible to submit a proposal under both Schedules, which one should you choose? There is no single answer. Every firm I have counseled on this issue has had a unique set of priorities, and business objectives. Three of the key factors to take into consideration include: (1) the scope of services you want to include in your GSA contract as initially awarded and the types of services you might want to add to the contract in the future; (2) your timing requirements–some GSA contracts take longer to award than others; and (3) pricing.
About the author:
Dave Alexander, the Principal of Lincoln Strategies, LLC, helps service providers and manufacturers enter and thrive in the federal government market. He has helped dozens of firms obtain GSA Schedule contracts, under many Schedules, a few examples of which include: Professional Services (and the predecessor Schedules, such as MOBIS, Professional Engineering, Environmental); Facilities Maintenance and Management; Information Technology; Schedule 84 (Law Enforcement, Rescue, etc.); Buildings and Building Materials/Industrial Services and Supplies; Automotive; and many others. His clients include many leading providers of energy efficiency services and products. Mr. Alexander also helps firms win other types of government contracts. Mr. Alexander can be reached at (978) 369-1140 or dave.alexander@LincolnStrategies.com.
