It's not just size of market that drives a company to pursue a GSA Schedule. Companies attending the Fedmarket GSA eLab tell us that they decided to pursue a Schedule contract for the following reasons:

• The company currently does business with the federal government, and their contracting officer told them to get a Schedule to make it easier to transact purchases. In some cases, contracting officers go as far as to say you have to get a Schedule contract if you want to continue doing business with us.
• The company worked as a subcontractor to a federal prime contractor. The agency is now getting tired of paying prime contractor mark-ups and has recommended that the subcontracting company obtain their own Schedule contract. Alternatively, the company tired of the yoke of a prime contractor and wants to work with the customer directly to increase the probability--and profitability--of new business.
• The company has studied the federal market and decided that a Schedule is the best way to close deals.

Fedmarket sells GSA Schedule services and has a built-in bias for Schedules. But obtaining a GSA Schedule contract for your company involves money, intense staff involvement in writing the proposal, and a lot of red tape. Obviously, you would make the investment only if you thought the GSA Schedule would increase your revenue. The question is much bigger than "Should we get a Schedule contract?" The critical question is "Are we serious about the federal market and are we willing to do what it takes to win federal business?"