Now that you've registered your business, you need to know how and where to find available contract opportunities. There are many resources to help you. However, it won’t be enough to just follow contract listings. You also need to get to know people within the agencies you want to sell to — long before you begin bidding on contracts.

  • One place to start is FedBizOpps. This link takes you directly to the FedBizOpps search page, and lets you browse opportunities by agency.
  • You might prefer to start with the SBA’s list of federal Buying Sources.
  • You can also sign up to receive procurement announcements by email. When registering for this service, remember that if you elect to receive all procurement notices, you will receive more than 600 email messages per month. You may want to narrow your interests when you register.
  • Business.gov provides a list of links to procurement opportunities.
  • The General Services Administration (GSA) Web site provides business information for contractors and vendors. You’ll find a variety of links and information here, including the GSA Schedule, which establishes long-term government-wide contracts with commercial firms to provide access to more than 6.8 million commercial supplies and services.
  • Learn more about getting on GSA Schedules—check the GSA and SBA Web sites. You can also search the Internet using the term “GSA Schedule” for listings of many Web sites, publications, and workshops to help you become a GSA Schedule contractor.
  • Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP) is a not-for-profit organization funded by the Defense Logistics Agency and George Mason University. PTAP exists to increase contracting activity between small businesses, prime government contractors, and the government.
  • More information on contracting with the Department of Defense is available in the Guide to DoD Contracting Opportunities -- A Step-by-Step Approach to the DoD Marketplace.
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Procurement Sites
  • The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, and was established to encourage the creation, growth, and expansion of minority-owned businesses in the United States. The site provides information and statistics on minority-owned businesses. Useful online tools include databases that can facilitate networking among companies. The site focuses on specific areas of business to aid minority entrepreneurs in finding technical, financial, business, and market assistance.
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture Procurement buys goods and services on a highly decentralized basis. Acquisition of goods and services needed to support USDA programs is accomplished through procurement offices managed by the various USDA agencies. Procurement of agricultural (food) commodities is a separate program and is accomplished by two (2) organizations - the Agricultural Marketing Service and the Kansas City Commodity Office of the Farm Service Agency.
  • The Department of Homeland Security Web site’s section, Open For Business, centralizes information to let businesses know how to work with the Department of Homeland Security.

Subcontracting—A Great Way To Build Your Business

Small businesses can do very well by becoming subcontractors to prime contractors. The SBA provides a searchable database of subcontracting opportunities with prime contractors and several other resources for small businesses.

DoD provides a list of all major DoD Prime Contractors by state and provides a point of contact within each firm.

The next step is to make key contacts.
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