There are many steps and protocols to follow in order to begin working for the federal government.
Following protocols, regulations, and being led in the right direction will help you win government contracts. The way to win government contracts is extensive and must be done with careful consideration and research. Getting your SAM Registration, SBA certifications, conducting market research on contracts and competitors, and proposal research can ensure that you are fit and ready to win your first federal contract.
The first and most important step to winning federal contracts is getting registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). This is the government portal to track where federal contracting dollars are going, to who, and for what. This registration also ensures that you are able to do business with the federal government by following its federal acquisition regulations (FARS) set up by GSA (General Services Administration).
The registration will go through two validation processes. First, it will enter IRS validation where your EIN (or SSN, depending if you registered as a Sole Proprietor) is validated. This is important to ensure everything on the IRS consent page is filled out correctly to avoid delays. Then, your registration will enter CAGE validation through the military’s DLA (Defense Logistics Agency). CAGE checks for any and all discrepancies, usually looking for duplicate CAGE codes and validation the business name and address is in good standing. Once you have your SAM Registration active and completed with your assigned UEI and CAGE Code, you are ready to begin your career in federal contracting.
To ensure you get the most out of your SAM Registration, you will also want to have your small business profiles filled out and completed. Completing those with your NAICS codes, PSC Codes, capability narrative, and keywords is essential. Of course, you will have to ensure that you meet the SBA (Small Business Administrations) size standards. Maximizing your profiles is key to winning contracts. This will give you a chance to stand out over other competitors,m putting you in a much smaller pool of competition for bidding and winning government contracts.
You are going to also want to conduct extensive market research. See what federal agencies are looking for by searching contracts via your NAICS code. Each agency needs something different for lots of goods and services. Doing research will ensure you are well prepared to win contracts by ensuring you meet requirements, but also staying on top of when the contract expires so you do not miss out on the opportunity. This research can also include looking up competition and seeing how their profiles are optimized. Another important aspect of market research can be using resources to find out how many contracts are awarded to those with the same primary NAICS as you. You can even narrow down the search to see contracts awarded to those in your state, county, and city. This will help you optimize your information in SAM and SBA to make sure you are winning the contracts you deserve.
Obtaining small business certifications is another way to easily win federal contracts. The SBA has developed programs to help small businesses win contracts by direct award and no bid contracts.
WOSB/EDWOSB Certification – This rogram was developed to assist women obtain federal contracts. Through direct award and no bid contracts, the WOSB Program will ensure that women get their fair share of contracting opportunities in a competitive market.
VOSB/SDVOSB Certification – Through the VA, veterans (including service-disabled veterans) will get contracts that are specifically required to be awarded to VOSB/SDVOSB recipients.
HUBZone Program – This certification assists businesses in disadvantaged areas (both socially and economically) created to help with obtaining contracts. Like WOSB and VOSB, there are contracts specifically set-aside for businesses with their HUBZone Certification.
8(a) Business Development Program – This nine-year program was developed to help anyone affected by social and economic hardship with getting contracts.
GSA Schedules are an extremely extensive process, but can boost your economic growth. Each year, the federal government through GSA produces an exclusive list of contractors the federal government is required to choose from when it comes to certain goods and services needed. Getting on the GSA Schedule is just like any other contract, it comes with competitiveness. Reach out to a contracting consultant to get more information on getting on the GSA Schedule.
The last and most important thing you want to do in order to win federal contracts is developing a winning bid proposal. You are going to want to carefully read the RFP (request for proposal) and find out what they are looking for, formatting your proposal for bidding to fit exactly what they need. Writing and rewriting a bid proposal is good practice for the future. You can also reach out to consulting agencies, where professional bid writers will do the work for you and take the weight off your back so you can focus on your business.
Following these protocols and tools will ensure that you win federal contracts. Conduct extensive research on all above mentioned to make sure that you are well adjusted to the process and what you will need for beginning your federal contracting career.