 |
 |
|
 Print Friendly
 Email to Friend
|
|
How To Sell To The Feds
|
|
|
Article 3: How To Find a Federal Contract
If a product or service is sold, it’s a good bet the government buys it. Federal contracts run the gamut, from commercial items like office supplies and furniture to computers and laboratory equipment. The Feds even buy services like accounting and landscaping.
The challenge is connecting buyers with sellers. Once connected, detailed and complex instructions can be obtained from agencies on their particular requirements.
First, identify the agency to work with. Find a niche. The federal government is a behemoth. Most small businesses don’t have the resources to master the intricacies of each department, agency and office’s forms, rules and procedures. Once you target agencies you want to work with, find their Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization contacts. These folks’ job it is to serve you.
Get help from the SBA, which operates more than 1,100 Small Business Development Centers. The Department of Defense also administers Procurement Technical Assistant Centers to help businesses market their products and services, not just to the federal government, but also to state and local governments.
A point-of-entry for federal government contracting is the federal business opportunities (FBO) or FedBizOpps.gov, www.fedbizopps.gov. Government buyers post opportunities on FedBizOpps’ Web site for contracts exceeding $25,000. Commercial vendors seeking federal markets for products and services can search, monitor and retrieve opportunities across the entire federal government. FBO connects you by computer to each agency’s procurement system. It’s a virtual one-stop shop. Get started at the FedBizOpps home page by clicking on “Vendor Notification Service.”
Smaller companies incapable of filling contracts of more than $25,000 may find the PRO-Net Procurement Marketing and Access Network a better opportunity. This service is a creation of the SBA, and a one-stop procurement shop at http://pronet.sba.gov. It features an electronic search engine for locating contracting officers. It also serves as a marketing tool and a link to procurement opportunities. The site includes links to information sources for assistance and training.
You also can use PRO-Net to fill out and update your own profile. Your profile is made available to federal and state agencies and contractors seeking small businesses as subcontractors or partners. It’s a powerful marketing and procurement tool integrated with the Department of Defense’s Central Contractor Registration database.
Another SBA service is SUB-Net, which allows prime contractors to post subcontracting opportunities, including those reserved for small business. You can review opportunities in particular areas of expertise. The site is used for federal, state and local government agencies, nonprofit organizations, colleges and universities and even foreign governments. After identifying opportunities, small businesses can bid on them. Find SUB-Net at: http://web.sba.gov/subnet/.
There also is Tech-Net, for technology information and resources concerning small, high-tech businesses. Its search engine is for researchers, scientists, state, federal and local government officials and serves as a marketing tool for small firms. Moreover, Tech-Net is a potential connection for investors and other sources of capital. The site http://tech-net.sba.gov/ features an Internet-based database of free information for anyone seeking partners, contractors and subcontractors, leading-edge technology research and manufacturing centers.
TIP:
If you’re not ready to bid competitively for prime contracts, subcontracting can gain you experience and a piece of larger contracts. The law requires prime contractors in some cases to provide subcontracting opportunities to small HUBZone businesses, disadvantaged businesses and women-owned businesses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Print Friendly
Email to Friend
|
|
|
 |
|
|
How To Sell To The Feds
|
 |
|
|
 |
| Select an online seminar from the Success Skills Archives:
|
|
|
 |
|
|
If you liked
this seminar, check out these related topics:
|
|
