SINs are organized under the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS), which is divided into 12 large categories and subcategories for each large category for a total of 315 SINs. If the scope and technical reviews are deemed acceptable and all points of clarification and negotiation are successfully resolved, your mod should be approved. Once the mod is awarded, you will now officially have the new SIN on your GSA Schedule and should add it to your pricelist and GSA Advantage! The SINs are further organized into subcategories to help you find which SIN works best for your company. One new subgroup includes “Incident Handling and Event Management” which will fall under the “Highly Adaptive Cybersecurity Services” subcategory.

  • It’s important to only select SINs for products or services you actually intend to offer on the GSA—don’t add SINs simply because they relate to your business.
  • Ultimately, the interplay between GSA SINs and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes is pivotal for businesses vying for government contracts.
  • By specifying which subgroup a company falls under, it becomes easier for potential buyers to research and find suppliers that meet their specific needs.
  • This update has led to a more efficient procurement process, ultimately benefiting both businesses and government buyers.

How Do I Determine My Special Item Number (SINs)?

It’s important to keep in mind that adding a NAICS Code to your SAM.gov account does not have any effect by itself. Only once the SIN is awarded can you begin selling those products or services on your GSA Schedule. A NAICS Code (short for North American Industry Classification System) is a six-digit numeric code that describes the core of a company’s business. These digits indicate the economic sector, subsector, industry group, NAICS industry, and national industry that best describe your business.

Federal Drive Team

Accessing SIN descriptions is an important step in understanding the market and gaining insights into the competition. By using this information, you can better position your business to succeed in the federal marketplace. By specifying which subgroup a company falls under, it becomes easier for potential buyers to research and find suppliers that meet their specific needs. Koses and Lee said GSA launched a pilot last August reviewing 30 schedule holders across eight factors, including regulatory compliance, timely delivery and meeting other various requirements. The agency has promoted vendors to view the schedules as the first step to get into the federal market.

Several types of modifications can be made to your GSA Schedule, two of which include adding or deleting products/services to your contract. Our team of Winvale consultants are more than able to assist your business in the modification process. The GSA Schedule is a detailed catalog of products and services offered by contractors to government buyers.

You can find most of the required documents on GSA’s Modifications and Mass Modification Guidance webpage. If you are adding new products or services under the new SIN, you will also need to provide all information required for adding products or services, which you can find in the MAS Modification Guide. The best practice is to always check the most recent MAS Modification Guide and use it as a checklist.

As we move through the 3rd quarter of Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, the government is gearing up for the Q4 spending spree, so it’s important to take note of agencies’ procurement habits and how your business can prepare. Generally, the process to add a SIN to your GSA Schedule contract, or include it within your original proposal, is fairly consistent. However, certain SINs do have certain specific requirements that contractors need to look into prior to submitting an offer or SIN addition modification. Professional services, electrical supplies, cloud solutions, power tools – if your company is selling it, GSA (probably) has a Special Item Number (SIN) for it. All contractors part of the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program have the ability to add any of the 315 SINs available to their contract at any given time or include any assortment of them in a MAS contract proposal.

Related to this, SINs only describe products being offered on the GSA Schedule, not all products offered by a company. Having a complementary SIN on your MAS Schedule allows you to offer government agencies a total package. Agencies can easily come to your schedule for a product or service and all the other miscellaneous parts of the offering. One thing that remains constant for contractors throughout the life of their GSA MAS contract when it comes to growing sales and capturing new business is visibility. Ensuring that your company and contract are as visible as possible to buyers goes a very long way toward contracting success.

  • At GSA Focus, we can help you navigate the intricacies of the GSA Schedule and SINs to maximize your chances of securing government contracts.
  • There are 315 SINs available to GSA Schedule contractors, which range from grounds maintenance, to travel, to consulting services.
  • GSA gives contractors the opportunity to self-certify themselves, allowing them to place themselves under certain subgroups, given they meet another layer of qualifications.
  • We are leveraging our “tech savvy” junior personnel to get our capabilities in front of 150% more Government opportunities.
  • Let’s discuss choosing the right SIN for your contract and how you can avoid rejection.
  • They also detailed three long-term efforts to expand a contractor compliance pilot project started last year.

Company

If you are looking to get a GSA Schedule and don’t know where to start, whether it’s determining NAICS Codes, SINs, or crafting the GSA Schedule proposal itself, our consultants are here to help. While NAICS Codes and SINs ultimately serve different purposes, they are closely related to one another, which can make it difficult to differentiate them. For example, in order to pursue a SIN, you must have that SIN’s corresponding NAICS Code active on your SAM.gov account. However, adding a SIN to your proposal or contract is not as easy as simply adding the NAICS Code to your SAM.gov account.

They have extensive experience in product classification and can help determine which SIN would be most appropriate for an offering. They may also advise on whether it’s possible or advisable to list a product under multiple SINs and why. Aside from providing a categorization system for products and services, SINs also simplify the purchasing process for federal agencies. By referring to the SIN, an agency can readily identify the appropriate vendors offering the required goods or services. This eliminates the need for prolonged market research, saving valuable time and resources. In addition to general marketing purposes, it becomes easier for GSA to keep track of different businesses and items offered within their system.

Procurement Sciences

Jason Miller is executive editor of Federal News Network and directs news coverage on the people, policy and programs of the federal government. Jeff Koses, GSA’s senior procurement executive, and Mark Lee, the assistant commissioner in the Office of Policy and Compliance, outlined four short terms plans for the next 45 days. They also detailed three long-term efforts to expand a contractor compliance pilot project started last year. These are companies who have either not met their sales quota in the last year or have performance or compliance issues. These SINs are for target systems and range accessories, sporting goods equipment, and playground equipment respectively.

All contractors that are looking to add a SIN to their GSA Schedule must be able to show past performance that is similar in scope to the SIN. Contractors will need a fully executed Statement of Work (SOW) to show that your business has completed the work and show the contract details. Additionally, you’ll want to ensure that the contract has been completed within the last two years. If the project is still ongoing, you’ll want to ensure that the base period of performance has been completed. Depending on the category, some SINs have certain requirements that need to be met in order to be approved and sell in the government market.

While this can help you identify which SIN to pursue, it’s also a source of confusion for many contractors. Next, we’ll talk about some of the most common what are special item numbers sins sources of confusion when it comes to NAICS Codes and SINs. In conclusion, the art of effective SIN selection plays a pivotal role in achieving GSA contract success.

These supplies or services are purchased with supplies or services offered on schedule. They are an integral part of the offerings and allow the company to offer a total package of their services or products. The pricing for these items or services is determined when the schedule or modification is negotiated. The choice of SIN requires a solid understanding of not just the product itself, but also the government procurement landscape and the intricacies of the GSA system.

Contractors will need to be aware of the Price Reductions Clause (if you are opted into Commercial Sales Practices) and ensure that none of the GSA-offered prices are higher than what is sold to commercial customers. However, as appealing as this sounds, you need to ensure that you’re eligible to add a SIN to your contract. While you could be missing out on SINs, you may not have the right capabilities and past performance to add a SIN quite yet. Determining your SINs is important in understanding the market and the potential customers you may have. Given the sheer number of options and ranges, navigating through SINs can be a difficult process. If you have more questions about your GSA contract, our team at Winvale is here to help.

SINs are integral to General Services Administration (GSA) in maintaining a structured and organized system, which ensures clarity and ease in the procurement process. To ensure they receive notifications of RFQs and RFPs, government buyers must reference a specific SIN number. GSA contract holders with the corresponding SIN listed on their contract will receive email notifications of these opportunities.

This coding system helps categorize hundreds of industry-based subcategories (products and services) for the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program. These subcategories are grouped under Large and Small Categories, each organized into unique industry-based SINs for easy identification. The SINs slated for retirement include 11 in the professional services category and seven in the office management areas. Along with cutting 31 SINs, FAS also plans on changing the specifics in four of the categories, including professional services and IT. As part of efforts to right-size the schedules program, GSA is reviewing vendors who don’t meet the sales quota or are having performance and compliance issues.