Cures, Big Fish and Opportunity……”Real Opportunity”
The Cure
A breath of fresh air and good information is the knife we’ll use to slice
through the stigmatic mist surrounding government contracting. This combined with a little motivation will always equal REAL Opportunity. Chris Denny, a creative genius and a founder of The Engine is Red, says,
“After looking at the world of government contracting through the lens of RBS, we no longer see a sea of red tape and process, but pure opportunity. Real Opportunity.”
So let’s dig right in and get the facts!
Big Fish
No longer do you need to talk about the proverbial “fish that got away”; instead we’ll talk about the Big Fish that you simply need to reel in. So, here are a few stats to describe this “fish”:
- In 2005 the federal government purchased $314 billion worth of goods and services from businesses both large and small;
- Small Businesses received a record breaking $79.6 billion in prime contracts in 2005;
- The Federal Government will contract in excess of $80 Billion to Small Businesses in the coming fiscal year;
- There are over 50 agencies within the federal government, each of which is obligated to contract to small businesses for over 20% of everything they buy.
Given this information, it only seems reasonable to start considering Government Contracting as a “REAL Opportunity”.
COMING NEXT:Rocket Science, The Road Map and Some Basics”
Now that you have the facts, it’s time to work on “the how”…
The Plague, Gold and The Fish That Got Away
The Plague
There’s a plague running rampant among many small businesses today. No…I’m not talking about that good ‘ole swine flu. I’m talking about Government Contracts…or more specifically…the perception of obtaining them.
“For us, the concept…was a paradox.”
The stigma surrounding government contracts resembles that ever elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. This perception is best described by Chris Denny, President of Creative Strategy and a Founder of The Engine is Red,
“For us, the concept of the Government hiring small businesses was a paradox. While we knew of its existence, and believed it to be technically available, we never considered it to be a reality. Even if we could fathom the possibility of exploring obtaining a government contract, we didn’t even know where to start.”
This is largely the result of several factors:
- Can’t see it, Don’t believe it…The simplest explanation of this is “Lack of Faith”. Government Contracts don’t usually come knocking on the door or calling on the phone. A company must go looking. This becomes problematic when combined with the next factor;
- Lack of Information is probably one of the leading causes of any small business not pursuing government contracts. This combined with intimidation is extremely detrimental for any company.
“For the most part, government contracting is not ‘Rocket Science’”
- Favoritism and Red Tape are common, recurring themes when talking about anything political.
- The Fish that Got Away relates more to companies that have “tried” government contracting once or maybe even twice and have found the experience distasteful to say the least. But when the facts are laid out, this can generally be attributed to “Lack of Information”.
- Other factors are sure to be out there. I would love to hear your thoughts on obtaining government contracts. Feel free to leave a comment or email me at: Wes@ResoluteBusinessSolutions.com
Coming Next: Cures, Big Fish and Opportunity……”Real Opportunity”
Ken Larson, a volunteer counselor at SCORE, says it plainly,
“For the most part, government contracting is not ‘Rocket Science’, it’s just different.”
This spreading plague can only be cured by one thing……Cutting through the mist to see the reality.
A breath of fresh air and good information is the knife we’ll use to slice
through the stigmatic mist, that surrounds…….
Government Contracting.
Your thoughts on government contracts….a new poll
I would love to know everyone’s take on the below poll:
Also, in my daily ventures through the mist…I have run across a blog with some really good info for anyone interested in Government Contracts:
http://www.smalltofeds.blogspot.com/
Cutting through the mist to see the reality: A brief explanation of contracts
If you’ve been searching through FedBizzOpps then you’re probably wondering what some of the different things mean. Here’s a brief explanation of some common things that you’ll see.
For every “opportunity” that you click on there will be a column on the right side that lists General Info(Click HERE for a example):
Notice Type – This will list one of several options, each representing a certain stage of procurement:
Sources Sought is where their simply trying to find out the amount of interest in a contract and “fishing” for contractors;
Presolicitation is a brief sysnopsis of a solicitation taht is going to be issued along with an anticipated release date for the solicitation;
Solicitation is the “meat” of what you’re going to need and the point at which you’re going to prepare and submit a proposal/quote;
Combined Synopsis/Solicitation is a combination of the Presolicitation and Solicitation;
Award is where you can see who won each of the contracts and generally the contract amount.
Response Date: This will be the latest date in which the proposal can be submitted.
Set Aside – There will only be something here if the contract is set-aside for a particular business type. Common business types are defined as follows:
Small Business – Fairly self-explanatory
8a – Minority Owned
Native American
Veteran Owned
Service Disabled Veteran Owned
HUBzone – This is a program by which businesses qualify based on the location of their business. I’ll go more into detail about HUBzone businesses later.
Cutting through the mist to see the reality: Hurry Up and Wait…2nd Principle
“Hurry up and w…a…i…t…”
Unfortunately this phrase is the epitome of how certain aspects of government contracts work. For those of you that have begun the registration process and are stuck waiting…theres hope. Here’s something you can begin to do while you wait.
is the online repository for almost all of the advertised federal opportunities. It’s a good idea to start searching through and becoming familiar with the format as well as just seeing what’s out there. You WON’T be able to register on this site until you’re completely done with Step 1 but thankfully registration isn’t required in order to search and view the opportunities. SIMPLY click on the link up top called “Opportunities” or click on “Advanced Search” which is about mid-screen.FedBizzOppsPlay around and see what you find…AND…don’t worry…you can’t break anything. So have some fun finding possible future contracts!
Cutting through the mist to see the reality: The Basic Steps
So let’s start to dig into some of the basics of how to get you on your way. Listed below is the first step:
1. Register
There are a few basic sites that you’re going to need to register on. These are as follows:
- D & B DUNS Number – This should be the first place you register. You will be unable to register anywhere else until this is completed. Very simple registration and only requires basic company information. It can take anywhere from 24 hrs to a week to get this number.
- Central Contractor Registration(CCR) – Here’s your second stop! Once you have your DUNS number you’ll be able to register on CCR. You’re going to need to allot a little more time to complete this registration. The first step will be to enter your DUNS number and TIN/EIN. Within 24 hrs CCR will verify that you have a valid TIN/EIN and DUNS number. After that you’ll be able to log in and complete your registration. You’ll need to enter basic company info including some financial stuff.
- ORCA – Stop number three! After completing your registration on CCR you will need to register here. Basically this is a self-certification that you’re not involved with child labor, exporting to North Korea and various other things along those lines.
So there you have it! You’ve taken your first step towards becoming the next contractor to put the new “stimulus” money to good use!
NOTE: If you run into any snags or have any questions feel free to email me at wes@resolutebusinesssolutions.com or call me at 225.226.2794
