Selling to the Federal Government
1. Make an appointment with your local PTAC
2. Identify your product or service
Determine the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes http://www.census.gov/epcd/naics02/naicod02.htm
And the Federal Supply Classification (FSC) codes: http://www.sider.com/fsc.htm for your product or service.
Note: Most Federal government product/service listings and procurements are identified by NAICS and/or FSC codes.
3. Confirm your small business size standards
Contact the Small Business Administration to determine whether the NAICS industry codes for your business falls within the established table of small business size standards. http://www.sba.gov/size/
4. Determine if your business qualifies for the following certifications:
Small Business 8(a); Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB); Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone)
The Federal government sometimes sets aside procurements or offers preferences to service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses or 8(a), SDB, or HUBZone certified business concerns.
Please refer to the following link for definitions and detailed instructions to certify for 8(a), SDB or HUBZone:
SBA's Small Business Certification
5. Obtain a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number.
The D-U-N-S Number® was also incorporated into the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) in April 1998 as the Federal government's contractor identification code for all procurement-related activities . This is a business identification number used similar to a personal social security number.
To obtain a number please contact Dun & Bradstreet at
(866) 705-5711, Monday – Friday between the hours of 7am to 8 pm CST, or via the Web site: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do
You will need to provide the following information:
- Legal Name - Contact Name
- Tradestyle, Doing Business As (DBA), etc. - SIC Code (Line of Business)
- Physical Address, City, State and Zip Code - Number of Employees at location
- Mailing Address (if separate) -Telephone Number
- Headquarters name and address - Is this a home-based business?
6. Register in the Vendor Information Pages (VIP) database.
The VIP database is for all veteran-owned small businesses. This database is available to everyone who wants to "Buy Veteran." You do not need to be in Federal contracting to participate in this online information source.
7. Register in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) System.
CCR is the primary registrant database for the U.S. Federal Government. CCR collects, validates, stores and disseminates data in support of agency acquisition missions.
To be awarded a contract, you must be registered in CCR (there are very few exceptions). http://www.ccr.gov to provide EFT payment information.
8. Register in Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA)
ORCA is an e-Government initiative that was designed by the Integrated Acquisition Environment (IAE) to replace the paper based Representations and Certifications (Reps and Certs) process, and is the primary Federal government repository for all of your company’s required representations and certifications and can be accessed by Federal procuring agencies. http://orca.bpn.gov
9. Search for current Federal procurement opportunities.
Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) is the Federal Civilian and Military government single point of entry for business opportunities over $25,000.
To identify current procurement opportunities matching your product or service criteria, visit the FedBizOpps web site at http://www.fedbizopps.gov.
10. Become familiar with procurement forecasts for your targeted agencies.
Each Federal agency produces an Annual Procurement Forecast. Use procurement forecasts to determine good prospects for your business. Acquisition Central
11. Investigate whether getting a GSA Schedule will work for you.
Federal agencies can use Government-Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) and General Services Administration’s (GSA) Federal Supply Service (FSS) Schedule Contracts to make purchases. These pre-approved contracts are used to buy commonly used products, services, and solutions needed to fulfill missions and day-to-day operations. These opportunities are rarely announced on the FedBizOpps site, but are normally competed amongst pre-qualified vendors already under contract.
http://www.gsa.gov
