Do Business With The Military
Find out how your business can search and compete for contracting opportunities within the military.
- Learn about opportunities to sell to the military by contacting the small business office within each branch of the armed forces and Department of Defense.
- Find military contracting opportunities using the Contract Opportunities Search Tool on beta.SAM.gov. Search using the name of the military branch youre interested in working with, or the location of a specific military installation.
- If you are a veteran, check out programs and information specific to military veterans.
Governmentwide Database Of Contracts
A Governmentwide database of contracts and other procurement instruments intended for use by multiple agencies is available via the Internet at . This searchable database is a tool that may be used to identify existing contracts and other procurement instruments that may be used to fulfill Government needs.
The contracting activity shall-
Enter the information specified at , in accordance with the instructions on that website, within ten days of award of a Governmentwide acquisition contract , multi-agency contract, Federal Supply Schedule contract, or any other procurement instrument intended for use by multiple agencies, including blanket purchase agreements under Federal Supply Schedule contracts.
Enter the information specified at in accordance with the instructions on that website by October 31, 2003, for all contracts and other procurement instruments intended for use by multiple agencies that were awarded before July 24, 2003.
Look For State County And City Contracts
One alternative to consider is looking for local contracts. You can often bid for contracts at the state, county, and city level. These contracts are separate from the government procurement process. Usually, they are also separate from each other. Many cities, counties, and states have their own individual procurement processes.
Each state is different however, finding the procurement office is relatively simple. Just search the Internet for procurement or .
Also Check: Government Rate Hotels Nashville Tn
Architecture And Engineering Government Contracts
Successful architecture and engineering firms are solution providers, advising government agencies on capital requirements and project considerations in the early planning stage. This often gives early-engagement companies an upper hand when projects enter the proposal stage, allowing these companies to sell directly to the government and build key partnerships.
Record Group 3: Records Of The Office Of The Secretary Of Defense
- Records of Prime Contracts Awarded by the Military Services and Agencies, FY1965-FY1975National Archives Identifier: 606901
- Online Access: Search
This series contains information from the Defense Contract Action Data System about contracts for goods and services between the private sector and the military services agencies of the Department of Defense, beginning with fiscal year 1976 through the current transfer of data. Up to fiscal year 1983, the records include contracts with a value of $10,000 or more. Beginning in fiscal year 1983, the records include contracts of $25,000 or larger. The DCADS is the successor to the Military Prime Contract Files. More recent Department of Defense procurement data and reports is available through the Federal Procurement Data System Next Generation website at and through .
You May Like: Government Websites For Health Information
How Do I Find Federal Government Contracts
Federal governments utilize various strategies to announce their intention to spend money, including set-aside programs and government official site such as SAM.gov. Industry days are another approach that some organizations use to promote upcoming solicitations.
If you are new to this field, keep in mind that it is not easy to access contract opportunities. But once you have successfully bid into one of the government agencies, a contracting officer will then provide you with all the details or data and guide you through the complicated process.
However, keep in mind that all the details given to you are sensitive information and must be enclosed to you and the procuring department.
Failure to keep the security of the contract may result in disciplinary action. Also, note that you may be filed for unauthorized activities if your company does something without noticing the federal department ahead of time.
Gsa Provides Free Access To Federal Contract Information
WASHINGTON Public access to federal contract information will be provided at no charge, under the new, Federal Procurement Data System – Next Generation , which will be accessible Oct. 1, the U.S. General Services Administration announced today.
In keeping with the Presidents vision to expand public access to government, GSA will provide free access to federal procurement reports as a citizen service. Free public access to real-time, contract information expands opportunities for vendors to provide products and services to agencies at greater value to the government, which, in turn, provides added value to tax dollars.
Private citizens, small and large businesses, non-profit organizations, Members of Congress and federal agencies, generally, will share equal access to standard reports, such as socio-economic reports showing which agencies have awarded contracts to small, minority-owned businesses, small veteran-owned businesses, etc. There may be delayed access to some data for security reasons.
For organizations, businesses and private citizens needing access to raw contract data, GSA will offer direct access to the entire FPDS-NG database, through Web services, at a fee to cover the cost of a permanent computer connection, approximately $2,500.
Last Reviewed: 2017-08-13
Also Check: How To Get Government Contracts For Trucking
How To Bid On A Federal Government Contract
Follow these steps to get your NAICS code and become eligible to bid on federal government contracts.
By: Emily Heaslip, Contributor
To compete for the often lucrative contracts with the U.S. government, you must complete several steps to make your business eligible.
The U.S. government is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world, awarding hundreds of billions of dollars in federal contracts each year. Contrary to popular belief, these contracts often go to small businesses. The government is not only legally required to consider bids by small businesses, but it also has set a goal to award at least 23% of all federal contracts to smaller ventures.
If youre interested in competing for some of these often lucrative contracts, follow these steps to prepare your business to bid on a government contract.
How To Bid On Government Contracts
Once you have identified the types of government contracting methods and vehicles that exist in the market, you should follow these steps and take action.
Read Also: Government Help For Senior Housing
Record Group 3: Records Of The Community Services Administration
- Records About Community Action Program Grants and Grantees, FY1965-FY1981National Archives Identifier: 604417
- Online Access:
This series contains data on the distribution of Federal Executive Branch dollar outlays by appropriation program. The Federal Outlays System Files is the predecessor to the series Consolidated Federal Funds Report .
Questions You Should Ask
This list of questions applies to discussions with the small business offices, PCRs, and contracting officers. While this list isnt exhaustive, it should give you a good start and help guide your discussions.
NOTE: Dont expect everyone you call to be willing to answer all or any of these questions. It may help to just ask a few, thank the person, and then call back with additional questions.
Heres a little trick that Ive found to getting help from just about any government representative. When you call, say the following: Hi there, Im with . I was wondering if you could help me with something? Im new to government contracting. Weve done a bit of research and it looks like your organization buys what we sell, but I have no clue where to start. Can you help me with a couple questions? They will most likely say yes and start providing the information you need to be more competitive.
Here are several questions you can start with:
Michael LeJeune is a Partner and Federal Access Program Manager at RSM Federal, a federal consulting and business-acceleration strategy firm that helps businesses in accelerating the education and processes necessary to winning government contracts. For more information, videos, and contact information, please visit www.rsmfederal.com
You May Like: Government Grants To Pay Back Student Loans
Record Group : Records Of The General Services Administration
- Records of Contracts Awarded by Federal Agencies, FY1978-FY1997National Archives Identifier: 573450Online Access: Search
This series contains records from the Federal Procurement Data System identifying individual Federal Government contracts valued at $25,000 or more for all civilian agencies and may also include contracts valued below $25,000. Additional information about the Federal Procurement Data System is also available on the Federal Procurement Data System – Next Generation website at .
Finding And Managing Federal Contracting Opportunities Is A Challenge
There are many government websites to learn when researching contracting opportunities and most are archaic and difficult to navigate. USFCR solves this issue with the Advanced Procurement Portal .
- Live feed of opportunities based on your NAICS codes and location
- Registered vendor organization and tracking
- Government contracting personnel listing
- Awarded contract data for prospecting and competition analysis
- Saved searches and email alerts
- Combines FPDS, FedBizOpps, FBO.gov, SAM.gov, and Contract Opportunities in the beta SAM site
- Simplifies federal contracting by providing all of the contracting information you need
Also Check: Salt Lake City Government Jobs
Find Your Naics Code And Business Size
Government contracts will ask that you submit your North American Industry Classification System code as part of your application. This code is used by the federal government to classify businesses for statistical purposes related to the U.S. business economy.
The NAICS Association website offers a free search tool that can help you figure out what NAICS codes apply to your business. Codes are categorized by what your business offers. For instance, the NAICS code 611430 applies to businesses that provide professional and management development training. It can take a little bit of work to find the right code for your business: some entrepreneurs prefer using the US Census Bureau code lookup tool to find the best code.
Once you have your code, check the SBA website to determine the small business size standard that applies to your specific NAICS code. Each industry has different standards for what qualifies as small. For instance, NAICS code 611430 shows that businesses must have sales below $7 million annually to be considered a small business. This will have relevance as you decide which contracts to bid on, as some contracts are only open to small businesses by the SBA/NAICS code definition.
There are a number of places to monitor for contract opportunities as the government releases requests for proposals.
Record Group : Records Of The Federal Transit Administration
- Grants Management Information System Files, compiled 1986 – 1996National Archives Identifier: 633605Data Files: 3Technical Documentation: 61 pages
This series contains records of fiscal budgets, grant awards , and post grant management activities for local transit agencies who are beneficiaries of agency grants.
Don’t Miss: Amazon Prime Government Assistance Discount
Websites To Research Government Contract Data Fpds And Usaspendinggov
The first tool I suggest you check out is FPDS. The Federal Procurement Data System is the most comprehensive free tool available to government contractors for determining who buys what you sell, how much they buy, and how often they buy it. You can break down buying history by NAICS, product service codes , place of performance, government agency, department, and hundreds of other data points. Government contract data helps you confirm who you should be targeting. You can also read an article for What is FPDS and 5 Ways it Can Help You Win Government Contracts.
However, FPDS is not a user-friendly tool. As a result, the government has another database for government contract data called USASpending.gov. This website is very user-friendly and easier to use than FPDS. In fact, USASpending.gov just underwent a massive upgrade that increased the number of data fields from 180 to 250. The government contract data in USASpending.gov is pulled from FPDS. FPDS is the master system for contract data. Because some contract data is not pulled into USASpending.gov, we show our clients how to use both.
Record Group : Records Of The National Science Foundation
- Proposal and Award System Files, 1967-9/30/2014National Archives Identifier: 631184Data Files: 87 Technical Documentation: Varies per year and supplemental documentation
This series contains data documenting individual grant proposals and the awarding of funded grants through the National Science Foundation. These are both comprehensive proposal and award data files as well as award only data files for some years.
Read Also: What Is The Government Mileage Reimbursement Rate
How To Search For Government Contracts
While government websites can be sources to search information on the basic elements of government contracting, like bids and RFPs, companies succeeding at selling to the government are taking proactive steps to go beyond the basics to find all of the information they need.
The best way to search for government contracts is to identify keywords and phrases that align to your business. Leveraging a market intelligence platform like GovWin IQ can help you quickly identify upcoming opportunities that truly match your teams capabilities, so that youre not wasting your time scouring hundreds of opportunities to find the ones that are perfect for your team.
Record Group : Records Of The Appalachian Regional Commission
- Records About Funded Projects in Appalachia, 1965-2001National Archives Identifier: 604225Online Access: Search
This series consists of records of all projects funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission with grants to state, county and local government agencies and nonprofit organizations in the Appalachian region.
Read Also: Sap Data Governance Best Practices
How To Find Federal Government Contracts
Federal government agencies use several methods of advertising their intent to spend money, including socioeconomic set-aside programs and government websites such as SAM.gov. Sometimes agencies also offer a preview of coming solicitations by hosting industry days. In order to find federal government contracts that best match your companys core competencies, youll want to determine which agencies have the most best-fit opportunities.
However, relying exclusively on government websites to find federal government contracts can be a time-consuming and lengthy process. Though most federal contracting opportunities appear on SAM.gov or other government websites, private companies like Deltek have tools such as GovWin IQ that track likely opportunities up to five years before a bid or a request for proposal is actually issued. The best way to find federal government contracts is to leverage these tools to identify federal spending areas well in advance, then prepare your companys go-to-market strategy for when those opportunities are released.
How To Find Government Contracts
Government contracts can be found on government websites and in market intelligence platforms that cover the government contracting market. You need to know how to find these opportunities to grow your public sector sales.
In order to find government contracts that fit your business you will need to identify your target market, be that federal or state, local and education, and search for government contracts that map to your industry and core competencies giving you the best chance to win more government business.
Also Check: How Do I Get A Government Business Loan
Nerships Or Llcs With Federal Government Contracts
A partnership or LLC that is negotiating a contract with the federal government or that has not completed performance of such a contract is prohibited from making contributions and expenditures. However, an individual partner in such a firm may make contributions and expenditures from personal funds .
Also, an individual, who is, in their own right or as a sole proprietor, a federal government contractor or negotiating a contract with the federal government may not make contributions or expenditures using any funds under their control. Note that the spouse of such an individual is not prohibited from making a personal contribution or expenditure in their own name .
Assess Your Business Readiness
Theres no question that competition for government contracts is quite steep. Before you get too far into the bidding process, make sure this is the right option for your business.
The General Services Administration has found that businesses with the following assets tend to have higher chances of winning a government contract:
- Businesses with two years of experience working with federal contracts, either as a prime or subcontractor.
- Businesses that have contacts and relationships within the federal contracting community.
- Business owners who work with a mentor who is a successful GSA contractor.
- Businesses that attend GSA seminars and workshops on contracting.
- Businesses that invest between $80K$130K to find and manage the initial government contract.
The GSA has a readiness assessment that can show you where your strengths and weaknesses lie before you spend time and money bidding on government contracts.
Don’t Miss: How Do Government Phones Work
