Question 1

What are GSA labor ceiling rates?

Accepted Answer

They are not-to-exceed (NTE) fully burdened hourly rates awarded on GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contracts. They represent the maximum a vendor can charge under the master contract — not the price paid on a specific task order.

Question 2

How is this different from prices paid?

Accepted Answer

Task-order competition, geographic factors, and discounts often drive actual rates below the MAS ceiling. Use ceiling rates for market research and IGCE benchmarking, then negotiate below them.

Question 3

Where does the data come from?

Accepted Answer

Civic AI indexes GSA CALC+ Labor Ceiling Rates (the same public data behind buy.gsa.gov/pricing). Rates are refreshed weekly from the official CALC+ API.