How to Find Government Contracts

Doing business with the government can be a lucrative proposition. Each year, federal, city, county and state government agencies spend millions of dollars on goods and services that range from paper clips to janitorial service.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Day Planner Calendars
• Fax Machines
• Printers
• File Cabinets
• Internet Access
• Business Services
• File Folders
• Computers
• Office Software

1. Understand the context in which your product or service could be used and determine which government agency could use it.

2. Make contact with the purchasing agent of the agency or department you're interested in and get on its vendor list.

3. Stay in contact with the purchasing agent, and market your company to the department.

4. Keep track of current contracts. Check out Commerce Business Daily (cbdnet.gpo.gov) for federal contracts of $25,000 or more. This publication lists notices of proposed government procurement actions, contract awards, sales of government property and other procurement information.

5. Learn and follow the procedures of the agency you want to do business with. Some require formal bid proposals; others are less formal. Any deviation from the rules could lead to a delay or rejection of your bid.

Tips & Warnings

• Visit your local Procurement Technical Assistance Center (dla.mil/db/procurem.htm). Sponsored by the Department of Defense, these centers help small businesses get government contracts.

• Visit the Central Contractor Registration site (ccr.gov), the Web-based government procurement and access network developed for small businesses. The site offers valuable resources such as names of contracting officers and information on procurement opportunities. Women, disadvantaged or small-business owners can also enter information about their companies into a database for government agencies to tap into.

• Build your credentials by starting with a small contract with a local government agency.

• Try subcontracting with a primary contractor that already has a relationship with the government. You can get a piece of the government pie without the administrative headaches.

• Expect mounds of paperwork and red tape to wade through when working with the government.