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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