"Which GSA Schedule fits my company?" That's usually the first question vendors ask, and it's the million-dollar question. The products and services covered by each of the 53 or so Schedules are listed at gsa.gov. Follow the "GSA Schedules" links and review the product/service categories to determine which Schedule would be appropriate for your company. Sometimes it is clear, and sometimes it isn't. It will be clear for office supplies or office furniture, but not so clear for training and professional services.

In some cases the lists of products and services covered under the 53 GSA Schedules are ambiguous. Although GSA didn't set out to purposely frustrate companies, the resulting scopes of work for the 53 Schedules are confusing. For example:

Some products and services that might logically be categorized under a particular Schedule fall under a seemingly unrelated Schedule. For instance, if a company wanted to sell rifle scopes to improve a shooter's accuracy, it might need to get on a law enforcement Schedule to sell weapon accessories and an IT Schedule to sell the software that runs the scope. In other words, assignment of products and services to particular Schedules can be artificial and arbitrary.

GSA couldn't list every type of product and service, so some products and services have to be "read into" the listings. The MOBIS Schedule--Mission Oriented Business Integration Services--is essentially a management consulting contract, but a wide range of services are provided under its umbrella.

A particular product or service may be covered by more than one Schedule.

Some companies need more than one Schedule to cover their offerings. A company providing software for loan services and mortgage tracking might need to have two separate Schedules. A large federal contractor may have many schedules, ranging from training, advertising, and human resources to professional engineering services.