If you want to sell to the government, securing a contract with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) — the government agency that connects government buyers with contractors — is a great way to start. Securing a contract with the GSA is also called getting the GSA Schedule from Government Contracts List which means you’ve been approved to do business with the government.
If you’re interested in getting on the GSA Schedule, you may want to pay for a Past Performance Evaluation report from Open Ratings. The report assesses your performance relative to businesses in the same industry, and is often requested as part of a vendor bid process. Your company should be registered and have the names and email addresses of six to 20 of your customers.
Subcontracting opportunities
SubNet is nothing but a database of subcontracting opportunities generally posted by large federal contractors looking for small businesses to serve as subcontractors.
The SBA generally upholds a proper directory of federal government prime contractors with subcontracting plans.
The GSA publishes a subcontracting directory and Government contracts list for small businesses that are looking for subcontracting opportunities with prime contractors. The directory actually points out large business and prime contractors that are required to establish plans and goals for subcontracting with small businesses.
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) maintains a similar directory of large prime contractors from Government contracts list that small businesses can use to find subcontracting opportunities.
Contractors talking with a contract officer
Marketing to the government
You may want to market your small business directly to a government agency or prime contractor. You can do that by learning what agencies or prime contractors need, and then showing them how your business can fulfill that need.
Federal Procurement Data System
Federal Procurement Data System — Next Generation is the repository of all federal contracting data for contracts over $25,000. With this system, you can see which agencies have contracts from Government contracts list and with whom they have contracts, what agencies buy, and which contractors have contracts.
USASpending.gov
USASpending.gov tracks government spending through contracts awarded. This searchable database contains information for each federal contract. You can use this information to help identify procurement trends within the government and potential opportunities.
