FT. LAUDERDALE, FLA. – With a budget of more than $500 billion, the U.S. government is the largest consumer of products and services in the world.1 Federal, state and regional agencies represent a tremendous market for small businesses. Many businesses have learned that government contracting work can be a steady and reliable source of income since the government must continue business in both good times and bad.

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is the purchasing agent for the government with an annual procurement spend of tens of billions of dollars.The role of the agency is to simplify the buying process and to aggregate the government's buying power to achieve the best value for the hundreds of federal agencies, as well as state and local buyers who are eligible to participate.

Using the GSA Schedules Program, GSA establishes long-term government-wide contracts with commercial businesses to provide access to more than 11 million products and services. As a small business, you may be able to realize the benefits of government contracting by becoming an approved vendor on the GSA Schedule, which can lead to increased visibility and credibility for your business.

For more information, download GSA Schedule: A Tool to Help Win Government Contracts.