How were the GSA Sales Numbers for 2012?

The 2012 GSA sales statistics are not very surprising overall – a tight budget lead to a drop in GSA Sales, and the Demand Based Model cancelled many GSA Contracts. However, there are some interesting facts that surface when you look at them altogether. GSA Focus recently updated our GSA Schedules pages, which outline the details of each GSA Schedule, as well as important links, number of Contract Holders, and Sales data. This blogpost takes a sweeping look at some of the important GSA Sales statistics from 2012, as they relate to the prior year.

GSA Sales Changes in 2012

• The overall pattern for 2012 was a drop in sales along with a drop in the number of GSA Contract Holders. There were some exceptions (below).
• The following increased in both sales and contractors in 2012:
  • GSA Schedule 66 (Scientific Equipment)
  • GSA Schedule 76 (Publication Media)
  • GSA Schedule 520 (Financial/Business Solutions)
  • GSA Schedule 738 II (Language Services)
  • GSA Schedule 736 (Temp Staffing)
  • GSA Schedule 03FAC (Facilities Maintenance)
  • GSA Schedule 599 (Travel Solutions)
• The IT Schedule 70 was just slightly lower in GSA Sales (-2.2%), but lost a substantial number of Vendors since 2011 (357 total, or 3.5%).
• GSA Schedule 67 (Photographic Equipment) saw an 11% increase in GSA Sales.
• GSA Schedule 23V (Automotive Superstore) saw a 6.2% drop in sales, with a 3.7% increase in GSA Vendors.
• The MOBIS Schedule 874 saw a 5.6% drop in sales and a 24% drop in GSA Contractors (by far the largest).
• GSA Schedule 03FAC (Facilities Maintenance) saw a 6.3% increase in sales, and one of the highest increase in volume ($27.2 million).
• GSA Schedule 599 (Travel Solutions) saw an increase of $34 million in sales, which amounted to a 19.2% increase – The highest.

What to Make of This?

In the wake of the GSA scandal last year, the Demand Based Model set out to cancel unproductive GSA Contracts. And by all accounts, this did happen in 2012. The number of GSA Contracts went down, and this is poised to continue as more GSA Contracts come up for renewal in 2013 and the following years. Many have lost their GSA Contract, and many more will lose theirs in the coming years.

With tightening budgets, federal buyers are spending less – this is a reality we saw last year as well. However, there are some GSA Schedules that are actually increasing in a steady way. These GSA Schedules are good ones to participate in, and offer solutions in response to federal problems that need solved (employment, travel, language) or initiatives that are important to the executive and legislative branches (green, media/image, fiscal responsibility). Money is tight, but the fed is still spending in areas they feel are important.