GSA needs a new crop of federal IT customers

Federal IT managers are looking the other way when it comes to shopping at the General Services Administration's Schedule 70 offerings. The competition is so intense that GSA recorded a 4 percent decline last year for Schedule 70--from $16.4 billion in fiscal 2007 to $15.8 billion in fiscal 2008, according to an article in the Federal Times this week.

Instead of upgrading their offices' computer technology at the government store, IT managers can shop at Office Depot, or from another agency's contract that may offer a better deal. Because of this, GSA is putting up a sign in neon lights to get federal IT business back.

For example, Alliant, GSA's new governmentwide contract for IT services, is one place to shop. There are other GSA schedules that offer IT products, too, at a deal worth taking.

"Many things bought on other schedules are actually IT," said Ray Bjorklund, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer for FedSources Inc., a McLean, VA, market research firm. "There is still a lot of IT being purchased beyond Schedule 70."

Experts, however, agree that GSA has to modernize how agencies sign up for contracts, not to mention make it easier for agencies across government to buy IT products and services without the cumbersome process that currently exists. And the price, of course, must be right.

For more on buying IT products and services from GSA:
- check out this Federal Times article