Sex Work And The Pandemic
The United Nations Population Fund recently reported that apart from income-loss, the pandemic has increased pre-existing inequalities for sex workers.
In a survey conducted in Eastern and Southern Africa, the UNFPA found that during the pandemic, 49 per cent of sex workers experienced police violence while 36 per cent reported arbitrary arrests. The same survey reported that more than 50 per cent of respondents experienced food and housing crises.
Read more:Sex workers are criminalized and left without government support during the coronavirus pandemic
In the Asia Pacific, sex workers reported having limited access to contraceptives and lubricants along with reduced access to harm reduction resources. Lockdowns also disrupted STI or HIV testing services, limiting sex workers access to necessary healthcare.
In North America, sex workers have been excluded from the governments recovery response. And many began offering online services to sustain themselves.
Free Help With Sam Registration And Other Government Contracting Issues
System for Award Management registrationis FREE, and your PTAC can help you with this and everything else you need to sell to federal, state and local government agencies at little or no charge
- Workshops and Matchmaking Events teach you what you need to know and connect you with other businesses and agency buyers.
- One-on-One Counseling tailored to your specific needs always free of charge!
Market Entry For Service Exports
Unlike goods, service exports tend to be intangibles such as scientific knowledge, technical expertise or intellectual property. Nevertheless, the major methods of delivering services fall into categories that are quite similar to those for delivering goods. For example, exporters of goods and exporters of services can both benefit from direct selling in fact, if you are a service company with a unique skill or knowledge, you might consider contracting your service directly to American clients.
Alternatively, you might market your service indirectly through an intermediary who negotiates a service contract for you with the client. Or you might establish a partnership with a firm whose services dovetails with yours, to the advantage of both companies.
The method you choose will depend on the nature of your service, the resources available to you and the particular U.S. market you are entering. No matter which approach you select, however, you must focus on establishing an awareness of your firm in the target market and on demonstrating the credibility, competence and professionalism of the service it offers. And, as always, you will have to ensure that your management and staff are sensitive to the culture, values and business practices of your American clients and/or business partners.
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Identify The Current Green Purchasing Goals For Each Federal Agency Or Department
President Biden set a goal of net-zero emissions for federal procurement by 2050 as part of Executive Order 14057 on Catalyzing American Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability and accompanying Federal Sustainability Plan. The plan directs the federal government to maximize procurement of sustainable products and services, including ENERGY STAR-rated equipment products that are bio-based, made from recycled content, water-efficient, fuel-efficient, made with safer chemical ingredients, and non-ozone-depleting and products that have earned third-party ecolabels reviewed and recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Wall Street Muted On Mixed Inflation Messages
A trader works on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., August 8, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
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- U.S. stocks flat following Friday sell-off
- Treasury yields tick down
- Oil up nearly 2%, off multi-month lows
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose just 0.09% on the day, while the S& P 500 lost 0.12% and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.1% read more
Of note was Nvidia Corp , whose stock declined around 6% after the chip designer warned on Monday that its second-quarter revenue would drop by 19% from the prior quarter on weakness in its gaming business. read more
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The broad Euro STOXX 600 finished up around 0.75% on Monday, led by cyclical and growth stocks, helping it recover losses from Friday. But the MSCI world equity index , which tracks shares in 47 countries, added just 0.15%. read more
“With labor market strength, the threat of a recession seems remote, but concerns over how aggressive the Federal Reserve could be hovers over the market,” Quincy Krosby, chief global strategist for LPL Financial, said in an email.
Indeed, higher interest rates remained in focus for investors.
Unexpectedly strong U.S. jobs data last week raised the stakes for the July U.S. consumer prices report due on Wednesday, which could see a further acceleration in inflation — and more aggressive Federal Reserve interest rate hikes.
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Working With Your Intermediary
No matter whether you use a distributor, trading house or manufacturers representative, the usual principles of good business relationships apply. In the case of a representative, you will get the best service if you pay attention to:
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providing suitable product literature, case studies, application information and promotion
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giving speedy attention to the representative’s questions and requests
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supplying accurate information about company policies, competitive factors and product development and
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paying commissions promptly and at competitive levels for your industry.
We Dont Get Paid Until You Do
Prime Investments believes that by aligning our interests with you, the client, we can build a process based on shared goals and trust. Unlike other advisors, we charge no up-front fees or retainers, no appraisal fees and, in fact, no fees of any kind until and unless we sell your business. Our Success Fee is based entirely on the price your business actually sells for our only motivation is the same as yours – to sell your government contracting business to the strongest buyer at the highest possible price.
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Ptacs Across The Country Were Surveyed As To Their Top Tips For Selling To State And Local Governments Here Is What Their Procurement Experts Recommend:
Do your research. Determine to which agency or agencies you want to sell, visit their website and find out how they do their purchasing. Do they have a purchasing department, or can each department do its own purchasing? Are there certifications or preference designations you should pursue ? Do they use DUNS numbers, NAICS or NIGP codes? There is a huge variance in purchasing practices among states, and even among counties or cities within the same state. Learn how your target market operates.
Create a one page Capability Statement which lists your capabilities, tailored to match the mission of the agency you are targeting. It should also include information such as your DUNS number, CAGE code, NAICS codes and any certifications your business holds if your target agency uses such data, as well as the size of your business and a few pictures of what you do. Keep the language simple and straightforward and be specific about what you do. NEVER show too many capabilities. Make a separate capability statement for each of your specialties. If you provide both plumbing and carpentry services, then have one capability statement for each of those. Keep it simple and to the point.
More about Procurement Technical Assistance Centers
Visit APTACs:
Assistance topics include :
- Determining Suitability for Contracting
- Securing Necessary Registrations
- SDB, 8, HUBzone and other certifications
Build Your Online Presence And Government Marketing Strategy
You have established what contract vehicle is right for your company, now what? The next step, which is extremely important, is to build your government marketing strategy. This is done through a variety of ways such as building out your companys website to include a government section, case studies and whitepapers, and increased presence on LinkedIn. Your website is the face of your company and is often a big investment, so make sure to include a section geared for your government and public sector offerings as it can greatly increase your brand awareness in the government marketplace. It’s a good idea to include case studies and whitepapers on your website, as well as trade shows and other government events when things return to normal. They help present your company as a subject matter expert and bring great value to the government when deciding how your product offering will help support their mission. The main goal for your website, content, and materials is to make it easy for government buyers to make a case for why youre the best supplier!
All social media channels can be valuable to utilize while looking to increase your government sales, however, LinkedIn generally seems to be the main outlet for government customers. Utilizing LinkedIn as a way to build your online presence will help you and your organization to connect and network with government officials, helping your company stand out from the crowd.
Also Check: What Is A Short Term Government Bond
Finding Business Opportunities With Samgov
Generally speaking, federal contractors and businesses interested in providing goods and services to the government must:
Businesses should first visit SAM.gov and register there to be notified of newly posted opportunities in their industries. SAM.gov provides a comprehensive database of all major government solicitations, contract awards, subcontracting opportunities, surplus property sales, and foreign business opportunities with the federal government.
Anyone Can Sell To The Federal Government
Small businesses looking to increase their revenues might want to consider taking on a new type of customer, the federal government.
The federal government is the worlds largest purchaser of goods and services. However, in working with small-business owners, I find many who think government contracts are mostly about military and construction related products and services.
But the federal government purchases pretty much any product or service you could imagine and spends more than $425 billion a year, so dont count yourself out until you have done some research. And small businesses are particularly encouraged to bid on contracts, with federal agencies having contracting goals concerning selling to smaller companies.
One step you will need to take as you seek to sell to the government is to register your business in the governments System for Award Management at www.sam.gov. But you cant just list your business there and sit back and watch the money roll in.
Just as you should be working hard to develop profitable relationships with your other customers, you will have to actively pursue a profitable relationship with your new customer, the federal government.
Before you start bidding on contracts, you need to be sure that your business has the ability to fulfill the governments needs and can financially support the performance of the contract.
The Small Business Administration lists the following tips on their Web site concerning selling to the federal government:
Also Check: Work At Home Government Jobs Data Entry
Ways You Can Sell To Government
Contracts, contract vehicles, commercial platforms and small business set-asides are how the government obtains many of the products and services it needs. When existing options don’t meet the needs of federal agencies, we’ll award a new contract or contract vehicle through our Multiple Award Schedule or a solicitation on SAM.gov.
A contract is how the U.S. Government purchases or procures products or services that are for the direct benefit and use of a government agency. A contract is a legally binding agreement that is governed by the Federal Acquisition Regulation .
The Federal Acquisition Regulation contains the policies and procedures that must be followed by all executive federal agencies when acquiring products or services.
There are two types of contract awards:
- A single award contract is a contract awarded to a single vendor. Any task orders issued against the single award contract go to the single vendor to be completed.
- A multiple award contract is a contract awarded to multiple vendors. Any task orders issued against a multiple award contract are competed for amongst the pool of vendors awarded the contract.
The contract arrangement details how your business will be paid. The two most common types of arrangements are:
Learn more about contract arrangements in Section 16 of the FAR.
Types of contract vehicles
India Likely To Ban Chinese Companies From Selling Smartphones Under Rs 12000
In another blow to Chinese companies, the Indian government is reportedly considering restricting Chinese smartphone manufacturers from selling phones under Rs 12,000 or $150. The idea is possibly to push homegrown companies like Lava, Micromax, among others. Chinese smartphone manufacturers currently dominate the budget smartphone segment or the under Rs 15,000 price segment with some share garnered by Samsung and a few other non-Chinese companies.
As per the report coming from Bloomberg, the government of India is planning to push Indian smartphone makers. If the move comes into effect, it is clearly going to impact sales for brands like Xiaomi, Poco, Realme, among others — companies that have been dominating the affordable smartphone segment for the last several years now. As per a Counterpoint report, smartphones under Rs 12,000 contributed to a third of India’s sales volume for the quarter through June 2022 with Chinese companies accounting for up to 80 per cent of those shipments.
It should be noted that the Indian government is yet to announce official details on whether they actually plan to ban Chinese phone makers from selling phones under Rs 12,000 and if yes, how do they plan to initiate the move?
Read Also: Us Government Real Estate For Sale
Sell Your Government Contracting Business With Confidence
Whether your company provides IT services, program support, logistical management, or even classified work, with Prime Investments on your side as your government contracting business broker, you will embark on a proven process to confidentially sell your business, without risk, to the best buyer at the highest price. Contact your Prime Advisor today to learn more.
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.
Recommended Reading: Federal Government Rental Car Rates
Finding And Checking Out An Intermediary
No matter how you find potential intermediaries, it is essential to check them out before choosing one.
Contacts at U.S.-oriented trade fairs, on either side of the border, can often introduce you to potential intermediaries. The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, trade associations and local chambers of commerce can be very helpful as well, and you can ask other companies in your sector about their experiences with intermediaries.
There are also online sources of information about U.S. intermediaries. For manufacturers’ representatives, a good place to begin is with the Directory of Manufacturers’ Sales Agents it is a subscription-based service that allows you to search its listings by state, territory or sector.
No matter how you find potential intermediaries, it is essential to carry out your due diligence before choosing one. Do not sign up with the first candidate who looks suitable, even if he or she has a good track record and reputation. You will make better choices if you know what the competition has to offer.
To evaluate a prospective intermediary in detail, you can use the checklist in the “Choosing an Intermediary” section in the Step-by-Step Guide to Exporting.
How Is Selling To The Government Different From Selling To Commercial
A company looking to do business with the government has to be aware that there are some considerable differences between government purchasing practices and the purchasing practices of commercial businesses. The government has a certain authority and rights that commercial enterprises do not have. Thats why contractors should be aware of what to expect when doing business with the government.
Commercial purchasing is governed by the Uniform Commercial Code , whereas federal government purchasing is governed by the Federal Acquisition Regulation and pertinent agency supplements, which seek to make procurement decisions fair, transparent, and a good value for taxpayers. In doing business with a commercial entity, the terms of the contract are determined by mutual agreement between the parties. If a contractor is not agreeable to a certain provision of the contract, he or she could negotiate with the entity to make changes. A company may wish to negotiate their company terms and conditions that they have developed over the years. The government sets up the terms of its purchases and the contractor may decide whether to take the contract such as it is or leave it.
Before a business can be eligible to receive a contract award, they must register in a mandatory federal government owned and operated free database called the System for Award Management . Registering allows a company to receive electronic payment from the government. The SAM website is at www.SAM.gov.
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Entering Your Chosen Us Market
Your research may suggest several ways of entering your new market. Depending on your product, service and resources, you might establish a United States business presence to sell directly to your buyers. Or you might use a manufacturers representative or set up a partnership with an American business.
These are just two of several possible approaches. In the sections that follow, we will examine these and other methods of entering the U.S., and what they might offer you. For more background information on market entry, you can consult the Step-by-Step Guide to Exporting.
