Expert Advice for Applying for a Government Contract

“What a small business owner wants to do is take an employee that already exists and have that one employee solely dedicated to this market. Give that employee enough time to determine how large the market is and how competitive it is.”

-Malcolm Parvey, “The Definitive Guide to Government Contracts: Everything You Need to Apply for and Win Federal and GSA Schedule Contracts” co-author

“Your designated person should tackle the following first; obtain a DUNS number, register at the Central Contractor Registration website, register with the Online Representations and Certifications Application and sign up for e-mails from the Federal Business Opportunities site.”

Dick White, FedMarket.com founder and “Cracking the Federal Market: The Small Business Guide to Federal Sales” author

“Start locally.  Find the military bases and government agencies in your area. Find out what they have bought before and who does the purchasing.”

Michael Asner, “The Request for Proposal Handbook” author

“If you get rejected, ask for a debriefing and find out why you were disqualified.”

Michael Asner, “The Request for Proposal Handbook” author

Useful Web Sites

FEDERAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS

GSA SCHEDULE 

BUSINESS PARTNER NETWORK

FEDERAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

DUNS REQUEST SERVICE FOR US FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS AND GRANTEES

CENTRAL CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION

ONLINE REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS APPLICATION