Brief Outline of Sources of Information on Federal
Government Contracts
Compiled by: George Caldwell, Senior Specialist in U.S. Government
Documents Library of Congress, Serial and Government
Publications Division
December 6, 1988 (revised August 2, 1994)
AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS
- Federal Data Systems has huge govt. database of contracts awarded.
(Tel.: 202-401-1529)
- Business Service Center, General Services Administration (Tel.:
202-472-1298/1804)
- Office of Procurement and Technical Assistance, Small Business
Administration (Tel.: 202-658-6635)
- Director of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Office
of Secretary of Defense
(Tel.: 703-697-1151)
- Contract Policy & Administration, Defense Procurement (Tel.:
703-697-0895)
- Business Assistance Staff, Office of Business Liaison, Department
of Commerce August 2, 1994
(Tel.: 202-377-3176)
- Defense Logistics Studies Information Exchang, Fort Lee, VA
(Tel.: (804) 734-4255/734-3130).
(Database of over 60,000 logistics
documents and studies
- 5000-6000 documents on military procurement, including data
on such items as F-16, C-5, etc.
- Headquarters Library, Defense Logistics Agency, Cameron Station
(Tel.: 703-274-6055)
- Naval Supply Systems Command Library, Crystal Mall, Arlington,
VA (Tel.: 202-695-4707)
- National Contract Management Association, McLean, VA (Tel.:
703-442-0137) Library open by
appointment.
- Dialog, Inc. (Databases: Commerce Business Daily, Frost &
Sullivan, DMS. Dialog Information
Services Inc., Arlington, VA
(Tel.: 703-524-8004)
- United Communication Group, Bethesda, MD (Commerce Business
Daily online) (Tel.: 301-961-8700)
- Dun & Bradstreet, Rockville, MD ("Government Activity Reports"
- large database which displays federal government contracts
which each corporation or firm has)
(Tel.: 301-984-8500)
- Dunhill International List Co., Fort Lauderdale and New York
City (Mailing lists of government contractors)
(Tel. toll-free
800-223-1882)
- General Services Administration (GSA) Library. (Tel.: 202-501-
0788). Info on civilian contracts.
PUBLICATIONS
- Commerce Business Daily. (GPO subscription). Online databases
are offered by Dialog and United
Communication Group. The US Government
Printing Office is coming out with an electronic version
of Commerce
Business Daily, available at your local Depository Library.
- DIOR Reports. Directorate for Information Operations and Reports,
Department of Defense
(Tel.: 703-604-4569).
- Catalog of DIOR Reports. February 1984. 23 pages. (Aug.
1994: DIOR said that 1993 edition is
the latest. New edition
being prepared.) Lists over 50 serial titles. Examples: 100
Companies
Receiving the Largest Dollar Volume of Prime Contract
Awards (annual); 500 Contractors Receiving
the Largest Dollar
Volume of Prime Awards for RDT&E (annual); Prime Contract
Awards by Region
and State (annual); Companies Participating
in the DOD Subcontracting Programs (quarterly); Prime
Contract
Awards Over $25,000 by Federal Supply Classification and Service
Codes.
- Government Reports Annual Index. Lists DIOR reports under
subject heading, "Contracts." Can
purchase from NTIS (Example:
Dollar Summary of Contract Purchase Awards, NTIS no. AD-A176
979/3.
Science Division of the Library of Congress had AD-
reports on microfiche in its technical reports
collection).
- Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications. In recent
years, GPO got these out of DOD, distributed
to depository
libraries. SuDocs no.: D 1.57, and variations (Examples: 100
Companies...D 1.57: 500
Contractors...D 1.57/2: Alphabetical
List of DOD Prime Contractors...D1.57/3-3:) GPO does not get
all DIOR reports for depository libraries. GPO does sell DIOR
reports.
- American Statistics Index. Lists a limited number of DIOR
reports in sections 3542 and 3544.
Accompanying microfiche
set contains texts of reports.
- Requirements for Recurring Reports to Congress. GAO. Subject
index portion lists DIOR reports
under heading, "Military
Contacts."
- DMS information is available online: Dialog file 589; DMS Market
Intelligence Reports, and File 588;
DMS Contracors Records.
- Department of Defense, FY, Research and Development Programs.
Information Group.
- Government Prime Contracts Monthly (thin paper issues), Directory
of Governmnet Production Prime
Contractors, etc. Government Data
Publications, Washington, D.C.
- Aerospace Daily. Example of specialized trade publication that
contains some information on contracts,
with periodic reports
on "Pentagon Contracts Awarded.." and Top NASA Contractors." Another
example
is Defense Week. Wall Street Journal and New York Times
carry some information on big contracts awarded.
- D-U-N-S Contractor Identification file, Alphabetic Listing.
Federal Procurement Data Sysytem. Lists
contractors alphabetically.
(Depository libraries have been offered at least one copy of
this. (SuDocs
number; PrEx 2.2: P94).
- Small Business Subcontracting Directory. Small Business Administration,
Office of Procurement Assistance.
SuDocs number: SBA 1.2/10: .
- Federal Supply Classification;Cataloging Handbook (H-2 series).
Part 1, Groups and Classes. Part 2,
Numeric Index of Classes.
Defense Logistics Agency. (SuDoc number: 7.6/2:2-1,2-2).
- Federal Supply Code for Manufacturers... (H-4 series). Cataloging
Hanbook 4-1. (DLA publication listing
manufacturers which have
produced items used by the Federal government. Includes manufacturers'
addresses. (SuDoc number: 7.6/ 2-2:4-1).
- Federal Item Name Directory; Cataloging Handbook H-6. Section
A, Alphabetic Index of Names.
(SuDoc number: D 7.6/2:6).
- Selected Reference Works on...Government Contracting; an annotated
bibliography. 1978. General
Accounting Office Library.
- The Military in Your Backyard; how to determine the impact of
military spending in your community.
1984. 176 pages. Good detailed
information as of 1984 in sections on "Military Contracts," "Sources
of Information on Military Products," "More Information about
Contract Listings..." Center for Economic
Conversion, 222 View
Street, Suite C, Mountain View, CA 94041. Tel.: (415 968-8798).
In 1984 a copy
was $14.20 including postage and mailing.
- Doing Business with the Federal Goverment. (SuDocs number: GS
1.2: B96/2). Example of procurement
publications sold by the Government
Printing Office. Other examples:
- Selling to the U.S. Government (SuDoc number: SBA 1.2:Se4).
- Selling to the Military.
- A Guide to Doing Business with the Department of State (SuDoc
number: S1.40/2:B96).
(Similar guides are available for various
Executive Departments and agencies, as well as for
branches
of the armed services).
- How to Win Government Contracts. By Robert E. Greenly, 1983.
New commercial books of this
sort appear regularly. Other examples:
Government Contracts; proposalmanship and winning
strategies,
by Herman Holtz; Directory of Federal Purchasing Offices:
where,
what, how to sell to the U.S. Government, by Herman Holtz ("Government
Marketing Consultant,"
Silver Spring).
- Purchasing. Example of a periodical in the field. Others: Purchasing
Week, Communique, etc.
mb 8/94, C.Bean 2/95
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