Is your GSA or VA Schedule contract an important part of your federal business?  Does it help employee people at your company and sustain jobs for those who sell to you?  If the answer to these questions is “Yes”, make sure people know it.  Don’t assume the Multiple Award Schedules program will always be around or that “everyone” “knows” it’s a great program.  The Schedules program faces greater skepticism now than at any other time since the late 1980’s.  Back then, the program barely cracked the $2 billion mark in sales, and almost all of that was product.  OMB, other federal agencies, and even some Schedule contractors doubt the ability of the Schedules program to meet the needs of federal agencies.  Here’s the rub: many of these critics are looking at only one part of the program – IT and professional services – where ready-made alternatives to the Schedules exist.  That’s cold comfort to your firm if you sell furniture, office or lab equipment, hardware, non-professional services or other products.  For your company, and your customer, the Schedules are an important, perhaps even primary, way of doing business.

While today’s Schedules program has its faults, it is still better than having no program at all.  If contractors and other supporters don’t stand up for the program, it may either die from being over-burdened with rules or killed by people who have different agendas than ensuring sound acquisition.  Make sure those who need to know understand what the Schedules program means to your company.

Write your Congressman.  Write the Administrator of GSA.  Most of all, write to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget:  725 15^th Street, Washington, D.C.  20503.