Capitalize on your Small Business Advantages
Small business set-asides, such as those for certified 8a companies (woman or minority owned) provide huge opportunities if you are seeking government and/or public sector contracts. If you fall into more than one small business category e.g. veteran owned, service disabled veteran owned or Hub Zone, then the opportunities really open up. The government has set aside billions of $$ in these small business set-aside categories.
Some of these business categories such as 8a require a lengthy certification process but the effort will be well worth it. Even contracts that are not set-asides have small business subcontracting requirements that they must meet. Also another step you could take is to find large agency-wide Indefinite Delivery/ Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts with sufficient scope to support your capabilities/services, identify the prime contractors and pitch your capabilities to them in the hopes of being added as a subcontractor.
Most contracts allow for the addition of subcontractors as needed, so it is not always necessary to be around when a contract starts. You will have to convince the contract prime that you have something special to contribute offer or fill a capability gap in order to make your case. However, if they are currently not meeting a small business requirement, than your job will be easier.
Look for RFPs that are set-asides or have requirements for you capabilities like yours. The Government posts most of its solicitations in a free search tool Federal Business Opportunities www.fbo.gov. As your business grows you should consider a more sophisticated federal business pipeline tool such as INPUT www.input.com but it’s not free.
Remember: getting government business is hard and time consuming, but there are numerous benefits for the 8a’s and other small business categories willing to make the effort. The Small Business Administration www.sba.gov has a wealth of resources that can help you get started. If you are eligible for a certification than the SBA can provide resources that will help get you started. Use them they are free and valuable!
Tomorrow: Part 3- Becoming a Subcontractor on Federal Contracts
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