Federal Contracting Glossary
GSA Schedule (MAS)
A long-term, government-wide contract vehicle holding pre-negotiated prices and terms that agencies order from for commonly needed commercial products and services.
Definition
The GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS), often just called "the Schedule," is a government-wide contract vehicle administered by the General Services Administration. Approved contractors hold pre-negotiated pricing, terms and conditions, and any federal agency can place orders against the Schedule under FAR 8.4 without running a full open-market procurement. The MAS is organized into Large Categories and Special Item Numbers (SINs) covering IT, professional services, facilities, and more.
Unlike a one-time award, the MAS accepts new offers on a continuous basis — a company can submit an offer at any time and, if it meets the solicitation requirements, receive a Schedule contract. Agencies then issue orders or run limited competitions among Schedule holders whenever a specific need arises, which is why the MAS is one of the most heavily used vehicles in federal procurement.
How this affects your proposal
A GSA Schedule lowers the barrier to ordering — agencies can buy from you quickly without a full procurement. But a Schedule award is just step one; the real work is winning the order-level competitions and Requests for Quotation that agencies run among Schedule holders.
Common questions about gsa schedule (mas)
How is the GSA Schedule different from an IDIQ?
The MAS is a government-wide IDIQ administered by GSA that stays continuously open to new offers; agency-specific IDIQs and GWACs typically award a fixed pool of holders. Both then issue orders for specific needs.
How long does it take to get on the Schedule?
Preparing a competitive MAS offer commonly takes several months, and GSA review/negotiation can add more. Timelines vary widely with the category and the completeness of your offer.
Related terms
IDIQ Contract
An Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity contract that lets an agency place task or …
Fair Opportunity Competition
A streamlined competition run among the holders of an IDIQ or GSA Schedule to award a s…
Task / Delivery Order
An individual order placed against a parent IDIQ, GWAC, or GSA Schedule, issued by an a…
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