Costco Connection - April 2011

small business

Working

Uncle Sam with

Federal contracts are out there for small business By Harvey Meyer

trade association that helps small firms do business with the federal government and prime contractors.

and patience. It took an average of 1. 7 years for

APRIL 2011 ;e Costco Connection 23 business outreach offices (see www.osdbu. gov/ offices.html). Another key source is the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), which offers reams of information and free online training courses on how to do contracting work. (See page 24 for more resources.) Small companies may find the following recommendations valuable in attempts to secure government contracts.

Know thyself. Understand your core competencies. Offer products and services you’re capable of delivering.

MEDIA BAKERY

Register your interests. Any firm doing business with the government has to follow certain set procedures. The company should first obtain an “identifier,” such as a Data Universal Numbering System, or DUNS, number, a unique nine-character number that the government uses to identify the organization, says Mark Mills, president of the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) in Gallatin, Tennessee. Companies must also be registered in the Central Contractor Registration ( www.ccr.gov) database. That online portal creates a formal record for companies while also enabling federal agencies and prime contractors to find small-business contractors.

Know Uncle Sam. Research what types of goods and services are purchased by the hundreds of federal agencies at www.usa spending.gov. Initially, select one or two agencies and study their operations and needs.

“The federal government is so big it’s like
drinking from a fire hose,” says Turczyn. “I tell
our people we need to focus.”
One quick way to learn about buying
opportunities at targeted—and all—federal
agencies is to check FedBizOpps ( www.fbo.
gov). All planned purchases of more than
$25,000 must be listed at that site.

Agencies periodically ask small companies to respond to bid solicita-tions, also at FedBizOpps, says NASBC’s Dorfman. Even if you don’t win a bid, responding to these “Sources Sought” notifications is a good way to market your goods/ser-vices, she notes.

“Through ‘Sources Sought,’ you get your name out there to decision makers,” agrees

Linder. “I definitely plan to respond to more of them.”

Start small. Successful contractors, according to the American Express survey, advise starting with smaller contracts, which may lead to larger opportunities. Perhaps test the waters with so-called “micro-purchases”—for