Other State Contracting Opportunities
While NJâs Department of Treasury leads many of the Stateâs contracts, most agencies share opportunities or release requests for proposals for work unique to their agencyâs mandate. The list below links directly to each agencyâs page on contracting opportunities.
âThe State currently has two “set-aside” programs for contractors. Set-aside programs direct a percentage of State contract purchases to specific segments of the business community:
Also note that the State offers minority and woman owned business certification services. Certification provides state-backed documentation of your business status, which can be beneficial in pursuing contracting opportunities at the local and federal level, as well as in the private sector.
Prohibition On Splitting Of Contracts
It must be emphasized that in alternative methods of government procurement, the most advantageous price for the government must still be secured. Moreover, splitting of Government Contracts is not allowed. This includes the division or breaking up of GoP contracts into smaller quantities and amounts, or dividing contract implementation into artificial phases or sub-contracts for the purpose of evading or circumventing the requirements of law and this IRR, particularly the necessity of competitive bidding and the requirements for the alternative methods of procurement .
Request For Standing Offer
This method is used to solicit standing offers to provide goods and services on an as-and-required basis, at firm prices, as per established terms and conditions. It clearly states the requirement, the evaluation method and selection criteria, the call-up procedures, the ranking methodologies, whenever applicable, to be used for making call-ups against the authorized standing offer, and all terms and conditions applicable to the contract that is brought into effect, as a result of any call-up.
For more information, please visit the Standing Offers Web page.
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Find The Best Option For Your Needs
First, we will look at how you can find the contracts that youre interested in. Then we will explain how to bid on a government contract with step-by-step instructions.
Federal government contracts are published on the FedBizOpps website. If you want to pursue contracts at the federal level, you can register your business with FedBizOpps to receive notifications about new opportunities that align well with your business.
Finding suitable contracts at the state, county, regional and municipal levels can be much more time-consuming for small and medium sized vendors. With thousands of Requests for Proposal , Requests for Quote and Invitations for Bid being published across the U.S. every day, it can be difficult to keep up with them all.
In order to find opportunities in these jurisdictions, you will need to visit state bidding portals, municipal administration websites, and county purchasing departments. Most of these portals require you to complete a registration process.
If your business employs a person dedicated solely to researching contract opportunities, the do-it-yourself method can work for you. Keep in mind, however, that the time required to evaluate if a contract is right for your business can lead to spending a lot of resources on research and evaluation, instead of bidding on contracts.
Using a Bid Service
Goods And Services Related Contracts

The Division of Purchase and Property , within the Department of the Treasury, serves as the State’s central procurement agency for goods and services contracts. To find and be notified of goods and services bidding opportunities administered through DPP, we suggest registering at NJSTART . NJSTART provides:
On NJSTART, vendors can:
- View their remittance and email addresses to ensure their accuracy and select their preferred form of payment
- See which certifications they need to do business with the State, which certifications they have, and which are missing or expired.
DPPâs goods and services procurement brochure provides guidance on the procurement process and may also offer information that is common to other State entities that issue contracting opportunities. New Jerseyâs Division of Enterprise and Revenue Services provides specific business registration information according to your legal structure.
Register with NJStart
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Advance Contract Award Notices
An ACAN is a public notice published on the Tenders minisite for 15 calendar days indicating to the supplier community that a department or agency intends to award a contract for goods, services or construction to a pre-identified supplier, thereby allowing other suppliers to signal their interest in bidding by submitting a statement of capabilities. If no supplier submits a statement of capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, on or before the closing date stated, the buyer will proceed with the contract award.
When a department or agency claims that there is only one source for a requirement, PWGSC scrutinizes the situation very carefully. If you feel your company can fulfill the requirement set out in an ACAN, you can submit a statement of capabilities for this requirement. If in fact your statement meets the requirements, the buyer will then proceed with the competitive process.
How Contracts Are Awarded
After evaluating bids, Procurement Services will issue a contract to the successful supplier.
The name of the successful supplier, award date, and the contracted prices will be available on the Alberta Purchasing Connection following the contract award.
Unsuccessful suppliers will be debriefed by Procurement Services, upon request.
The solicitation will specify if the award will be made to one or more suppliers.
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Preparing Your Contract Bid
Once you have identified potential contracts to bid on, you will want to create a bid.
If you need help with drafting contracts for bid, you can post your legal job on UpCounsel’s marketplace. UpCounsel accepts only the top 5 percent of lawyers to its site. Lawyers on UpCounsel come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law and average 14 years of legal experience, including work with or on behalf of companies like Google, Menlo Ventures, and Airbnb.
How To Find Out About Bid Opportunities
Many departments and agencies have the delegated authority to purchase their own goods valued at $25,000 or less and services or construction contracts valued at $40,000 or less without Public Works and Government Services Canada . Therefore, it is important to promote your goods and/or services to them.
You should also consult the Tenders minisite to keep track of requirements that departments and agencies publicly advertise.
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How To Write For Your Evaluator
Ensure answers leave cover all objections about your suitability, an example of this is:
Our market tested service solution works, and will deliver a step change in performance. 15 other local authorities already buy this service from us. Last year, we performed at 10% above national average benchmarks.
You should:
- be definitive, and write with conviction
- be positive, focus on benefits and advantages
- be substantive, giving evidence of success
- build trust, showing evidence of confidence from other customers
Use firm, positive language that clearly shows your commitment to your proposition. For example, use:
- we will instead of we could
- we know instead of we believe
- we have or we know instead of we aspire to
- we will meet instead of we aim to
Simplify your language. For example, use:
- enough instead of a sufficient amount of
- like instead of along the lines of
- as is true instead of as is the case
- when instead of at such time as
- now instead of at the present time
- is instead of has been proved to be
- if instead of in the event that
When using jargon or technical language, evaluators need context to understand why a feature may be beneficial.
Dont write:
Our hand-held petrol chainsaw has a 50cc engine, operating at 9000 RPMs, with an 18 inch bar, and a power output of 3.4kw.
Write:
Address all aspects of the specification, and convert areas of weaknesses into areas of strength.
Remember that:
Bid Evaluation And Award
Once the government buyer receives all the bids, the evaluation and award process begins. Here is an outline of what happens.
Non-Negotiated Bids : If the solicitation is an Invitation for Bid a non-negotiated, sealed bid situation where best valued bidder winsthe bid is opened and the information is recorded on what is referred to as a bid abstract. This will be used as the bid history database. The abstract contains, in order of opening, the names of the bidding companies, the items being bid, the prices quoted, and any other information that the bidding officer deems relevant.
This is important information that could prove to be very useful to you, whether you get the bid or not. And since the information contained in the bid abstract is considered public information, you can get it just by asking. The government buying office will send you a copy of the abstract if you enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope along with your bid. You should also include a letter stating that you are requesting the bid abstract under the Freedom of Information Act.
Tools to use
Among the Business Tools are Sample Information Requests from Government Officials.
With this information in hand, you can see where you stand in the bidding process. If your price quote is in the upper third of the price ranking, you are outside the competitive range. If you find yourself in the middle third, youre getting there. If you are in the lower third, you are in the right place.
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Bidding On Business Contracts
The process of bidding on business contracts differs a little from bidding on government contracts. The process of bidding on business contracts can be timely and complex. Fortunately, the result of winning a bid means an increase in work and profits for the contracted business. Bid contracts can last for many years, making them highly desirable to businesses.
The bid process itself is very competitive. One of the best ways to find potential contract bids is to reach out to local companies. Request that your business is added to the current procurement list for potential contractors. Most companies will require that you fill out a packet and provide supporting documentation including the following:
- Business history information
- Specific information about the product or service
Bid On Government Contracts: Step

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Advertising And Posting Of Invitation
Advertising in the newspaper and the posting requirement may be dispensed with for alternative methods of procurement. However, for limited source bidding, shopping for ordinary office supplies, two failed biddings, small value procurement and NGO participation, the BAC, through its Secretariat, shall post the invitation or request for submission of price quotations/proposals in the PhilGEPS website, the website of the Procuring Entity concerned, if available, and at any conspicuous place reserved for this purpose in the premises of the Procuring Entity for a period of at least three calendar days .
How To Get Government Contracts As A Consultant: 3 Steps
Have you ever wondered how to work with the government as an independent contractor? The federal government engages more contractors than any other organization in the world, which presents many opportunities for independents. Each year, billions of dollars in contracts are set aside for small businesses, women, minorities, and veterans.
Many independent consultants look to government contracting as another option for growing their business. Follow these three steps to understand the processes, requirements, and resources needed to get government contracts as a consultant.
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You Bid On Every Government Contract Available
If you are a small business owner who wants to enter the government contracting industry, sending out as many contract proposals as possible to secure your win seems like a viable option. But it isnt!
When sending out a contract bid, you say that you can confidently deliver the requested task. Your proposal should reflect your competence and willingness to commit to excellence. Anything less than what you have promised will only tarnish your reputation thus, killing any chance to win government contracts in the future.
Submitting contract proposals to projects you are underqualified for is like shooting yourself in the foot. Even if you want to step out of your comfort zone by bidding on a project that is different from what you usually do, you should still find a way to play it to your strengths. Winning government contracts isnt about sending contract proposals to all government buyers. Instead of wasting your precious resources, you should learn how to pick the best federal contract to bid on. Try to search for bidding opportunities that require your expertise!
Additional Conditions To The General Conditions
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Historically Underutilized Business Zones
The Historically Underutilized Business Zones program helps small businesses in urban and rural communities gain preferential access to federal procurement opportunities. These preferences go to small businesses that obtain HUBZone certification in part by employing staff who live in a HUBZone. The company business must also maintain a âprincipal officeâ in one of these specially designated areas. Here is a map of HUBZones in New Jersey.
How To Structure Your Answer
- if the question includes bullet points, adopt these as subheadings. With equal space allocated to each
- if there are no bullets, break down the different elements of the question to determine the best answer structure
- address each point in the same order as they appear within the question
- avoid extra subheadings which distract from the core wording of the question
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Request For Supply Arrangement
This method is used to solicit bids from a pool of pre-qualified suppliers for specific requirements. The intent is to establish a framework to permit expeditious processing individual bid solicitations which result in legal binding contracts for the goods and services described in those bid solicitations.
For more information, please visit the Supply Arrangements Web page.
Finding Government Contracts For Bid

There are a few different avenues for seeking out government contracts, including:
SAM.gov
SAM.gov, which stands for System for Award Management, is a government-wide database for vendors seeking out government contracts. This will be your go-to avenue for finding prime contracts to bid on, in which your business works directly with government agencies. Learn more about SAM registration here.
Subcontracting
One way you can get your foot in the door with government agencies is through subcontracting. As mentioned above, vendors who get contracts directly with agencies are known as prime contractors. Subcontractors, on the other hand, are brought on by the prime contractors to help complete a portion of the work designated by the prime contractor.
You can find available subcontracting opportunities via the SBAs searchable database, SUB-Net. If this is your first time working for a government agency and youre not familiar with the proposal process, this is a great place to get started.
Bid-matching services
If youre unsure about which government agencies your small business is best suited for, working with a bid-matching service can help you navigate contracting opportunities. Check out your local Procurement Technical Assistance Center to see if they offer free bid-matching services . This is especially useful for first-time contractors, as PTAC can connect you with experienced government contracting mentors who can support you through the proposal process.
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