GSA MAS eligibility: what GSA actually checks

The five tests

1. Your offering fits a SIN

   The MAS is built for routine, repeatable purchases. Your product or service has to map to an existing Special Item Number. Novel or one-off offerings, and categories excluded by law such as architecture and general building construction, will not fit.

2. Financial stability

   GSA reviews profitability, positive working capital (current assets above current liabilities), positive net worth, and access to capital such as a bank line of credit. A weak number in one area is not automatically fatal, but it draws questions that we prepare answers for in advance.

3. Commercial availability

   What you offer must already be sold commercially. GSA checks this against past invoices to confirm your government prices line up with your marketplace prices. As a rule of thumb, aim for several customers and at least $25,000 in sales in the relevant line over the previous two years.

4. Consistent pricing

   You must be able to hold stable published prices through the year. That is simple for most firms and hard for commodities that swing daily.

5. Responsibility

   The company and its principals must be free of recent federal debarment and of convictions tied to government contract performance.

Past performance

GSA wants evidence you have delivered what you sell. Commercial customers count, so you do not need prior government work. Expect to supply references who can speak to quality, timeliness, and business conduct, and remind them to respond promptly. Slow or lukewarm references are one of the most common avoidable delays.

Firms under two years old

GSA no longer requires two years in business. Its Springboard path exists for newer companies, but you should expect the review to lean harder on the founders' experience, the financial picture, and the quality of your references. If your company is young, tell us on the first call so we can build the package accordingly.

Registrations you need first

• SAM.gov registration. Every federal vendor is registered in the System for Award Management, which also issues your free Unique Entity ID (UEI).
• Trade Agreements Act (TAA) compliance for products. Goods must be made or substantially transformed in the U.S. or a designated country. See our TAA guide.
• Willingness to accept government purchase cards for small orders.

Common reasons applications stall

• Pricing that is far above the competition, discovered late in negotiation
• References who never answer the rating request
• Products from non-designated countries
• Financial statements with unexplained losses or negative net worth
• Missing or inconsistent documents in the eOffer package

Each of these can be planned around. Our competitor analysis catches pricing gaps before you file, and our documents checklist keeps the package complete.