Making the most of government procurement includes finding opportunities to make sales to the government, being able to act quickly when opportunities arise, and making the sale. Agencies at the federal, state and local level spend trillions of dollars each year on government contracts with private companies. Opportunities exist in electronics, information technology, financial services, engineering, construction and many other areas.

Selling to the government is lucrative, but there are some differences from selling to private companies. Preparation, including paperwork and other administrative tasks, is necessary. Some things to do to be successful in dealing with government sector procurement include:

1. Get registered with necessary agencies to get involved in United States government procurement.

2. Stay on top of upcoming opportunities by having them delivered to your inbox.

3. Get professional assistance in learning how to find opportunities and make the sale.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get registered to get involved with U.S. government procurement

The first step in U.S. government procurement procedures is registering with specific federal agencies. These agencies make it easy to make changes to your company information and provide everything you need to register. Registration is free, and completing it even before you're ready to find selling opportunities will help to get you prepared.

I recommend: Businesses interested in working with he federal government must be registered with Central Contractor Registration. Some agencies also require contractors to be registered with Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA). ORCA allows contractors to enter information once to be used for all contracts.

Use a subscription service for timely information about government procurement opportunities

Subscription services can keep your company informed of upcoming sales opportunities. Most offer free and paid subscriptions with different levels of services.

I recommend: GovDirections gathers information and forwards it to subscribers at a rate of approximately 2,000 new listings each day gathered from more than 20,000 sources. They offer free and paid subscriptions. StateandFederalBids offers free subscription services that include federal opportunities and paid services that include state and local opportunities. BidNet offers customized bid notification services and a dedicated consultant.

Get assistance with finding opportunities and dealing with government procurement agencies

Consultants have experience dealing with federal, state and local governments. They can assist with finding opportunities, doing research, marketing, public relations and sales techniques.

I recommend: Strategic Partnerships is a government relations procurement consulting firm that specializes in government bid, opportunity and procurement consulting. It also offers customized research, government sales training and other services. SM&A offers a team of industry experts who can assist with winning and delivering on competitive procurements within many government agencies.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When your company gets involved with federal government purchasing, your information must be kept up to date. Make changes to your online registration with ORCA whenever your company information changes.

If you read about big government contracts getting awarded to vendors, and want to get one of those contracts for your business, learn how to get involved in Federal government procurement. You can bid on government purchasing contracts if you know the steps involved.

The bad news is that there is some red tape involved when it comes to bidding on U.S. government procurement contracts. The good news is that the steps are easily navigated. Here are some pointers for the process of becoming eligible to participate in government procurement opportunities.

1. Fill out the necessary forms as required.

2. Thoroughly read each RFP (request for proposal) issued by the government sector procurement agencies as the exact specifications will be in the bid request.

3. Some RFPs state that bidders can meet with the Federal government procurement agency awarding the contract to answer questions about the bids. Take the opportunity to meet with the agency, as it will give you a leg up on the competition.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Register your business to become eligible for United States government procurement opportunities

Vendors who wish to provide goods and services for United States procurement must register their business with the Central Contractor Registration or CCR. In addition to the CCR registration, your business must also submit an online representations and certifications application or ORCA. ORCA in an online filing cabinet that holds your certifications so that you do not need to submit them with every bid your business makes.

I recommend: The bottom line is that without registering with CCR and ORCA, your business is not eligible to bid on or get awarded any Federal government procurement contracts. If anything about your business changes, you make the necessary change in one place, and then every federal government agency will have your current information. You must also have a D-U-N-S number that can be obtained from D&B, if you want to do business with the federal government.

Locate government procurement opportunities

Now that you are registered to respond to RFPs, how do you find the bid opportunities? Luckily there are some websites out there to help you in your endeavor to sell to the federal government.

I recommend: FBO.gov is a website that lists federal government procurement opportunities over $25,000. Sign up for a free account with State & Federal Bids. Complete access to Federal bids is free, but there is a subscription fee if you want to sign up for state bid searches.

Subscribe to government procurement services

It is quite time consuming to read every newspaper looking for the government RFPs that you might like to bid on. To save yourself some time, consider subscribing to a service that will send you the RFPs that fit your business niche. Just landing one government contract can recoup your subscription fee.

I recommend: INPUT is a subscription service designed specifically for vendors of computer technology products. BidNet allows each vendor to customize the list of RFPs to be delivered directly to your desktop. Onvia delivers daily leads on purchasing by government procurement agencies.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Vendors must renew their CCR registration once a year to maintain an active status for Federal government purchasing bids.

Government procurement education and training is highly recommended for business consultants whose clients are vendors that want to secure government procurement opportunities. Even if you know nothing about the processing of bidding for government contracts, some background reading and a little online searching through readily accessible government data bases can help you understand the benefits of government contracts and how to register your clients to bid for them.

Perhaps your client is a vendor who can provide prison inmates' healthcare, is in the wastewater treatment industry or is a construction company specializing in road maintenance and repair. He may have heard that government contracts are lucrative. When he asks whether bidding for these contracts is worth his while, your government procurement education and training will help you respond.

1. Learn the basics of the federal government procurement system.

2. Take advantage of courses offered through the U.S. General Services Administration to learn more about government procurement programs.

3. Search through training and education offerings from the Small Business Administration for training in United States government procurement contracts, to get a sense for how they are awarded and to whom.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Obtain training on the value of government procurement contracts

Find out why government contracts are lucrative and why most vendors consider them a reliable source of income, and then register to bid on government purchasing contracts.

I recommend: Sign up for a comprehensive course on the basics of government procurement contracts with the Federal Publications Seminars. Their website displays the course syllabus in detail. The University of Houston Small Business Development Center offers training through their Procurement Technical Assistance Center. Download the CCR Handbook to learn about the online registration process for securing government procurement contracts.

Use education from the GSA to learn about government procurement

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) oversees the business of the U.S. Federal Government. Because they are so deeply involved in the process, GSA offers valuable tips to help you help your clients secure the government contracts they want.

I recommend: Check out GSA training and education opportunities For Vendors Seeking Government Contracts and For Vendors with Government Contracts. The GSA Center for Acquisition Excellence offers educational information for vendors that need help to become scheduled contractors.

Use the SBA for information about US government procurement procedures

The Small Business Administration encourages growth opportunities for small businesses, including government procurement opportunities. That's why they offer training classes vital to small businesses across the United States.

I recommend: Examine the Contracting Opportunities information available through the SBA website to help your clients win federal government procurement contracts. The SBA also offers Free Online Courses to help you gain an understanding of government sector procurement contracts.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When registering your client for government sector procurement, you should have available the DUNS number and the company's tax ID number.

Agencies at the local, state and federal levels spend trillions of dollars annually on products and services so if you are a small, medium, or large business you will want to find a way to do business with government procurement departments. The opportunities for businesses that sell electronics, information technology, construction and engineering abound. If you want to find out what the bid process is comprised of or what bids are currently available there is also a plethora of firms that are available to consult with you on these processes. To get started you will want to become familiar with some of the terms you will find as you do your research.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

B2G

B2G or business-to-government refers to selling or marketing products and services to government agencies. Public sector organizations typically post RFPs (Requests for Proposals) that outline in detail what the agency is looking for. Government procurement departments are responsible for developing the RFP, reviewing the bids from various businesses and then making a selection on which one is most qualified.

I recommend: PCMAG explains this term.

RFP

An RFP or request for proposal is a complete, thorough description which invites suppliers through a bidding process to submit a proposal on how they would supply a commodity or service. Government procurement departments use the RFP process to bring structure to their decision that is objective and fair to respondents.

I recommend: Go to TechTarget for a concise definition.

FedBizOpps

FedBizOpps is the website for the federal government and which posts all the business opportunities available for bids. Federal government procurement agencies use FedBizOpps to disseminate information on the types of projects, products or services currently needed.

I recommend: FBO.gov is the official website for opportunities.

GAO

The GAO or Government Accountability Office is an investigative agency of the U.S. Congress and is responsible for auditing, evaluating and investigating anything related to the receipt, disbursement or application of public funds. It is also responsible for making sure that public funds are spent economically and efficiently. Federal government procurement agencies are monitored by GAO.

I recommend: GAO is the official website for the agency.

Performance bond

A performance bond is often included by a government procurement department in an RFP and is a surety bond (agreement to uphold a contractual promise) that is issued by an insurance company or bank in order to guarantee satisfactory completion of the contract.

I recommend: See BusinessDictionary.com for more information on this subject.

No-bid contract

No-bid contract is also referred to as a 'sole source contract' and usually implies that there is only one person or company capable of providing the services or products that are needed by a business procurement department. Urgency is often the rationale used for allowing these types of contracts. There is often a great deal of suspicion associated with these types of contracts because they exclude competitors from the process.

I recommend: Slippery Rock University provides an excellent description overview of what should be included in this type of contract.