Federal Procurement Assistance

The United States Government spends approximately $350 billion on goods and services every year. Determining the segment ofthe government that is right for you is essential. When you are target marketing to the federal government, keep these important issues in mind:

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Assess your competitive edge. Know what the agency you are targeting purchases. Know how the agency contracts. Familiarize yourself with the agency's operating administration. Focus on opportunities in your niche and prioritize. Make appointments and attend contracting sessions. Network! Be persistent and do a follow-up on each activity.

Acquisition Central- www.acquisition.gov - is an excellent resource for learning about all of the markets that exist within the federal procurement system and providing links to each government agency.

General Services Administration- Portal for Contractors & Vendors ­ www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsaJep/home.do?tabld=8- is an excellent resource for learning about how to do business with the General Services Administration.

Federal Procurement Data Service- https://fpds.gov/ - is the repository of all Federal contracting data for contracts in excess of $25,000. You can learn what agencies contracted with whom, what they bought, and find out which contractors have contracts. There are over 50 Standard Reports you can run, as well as Ad Hoc reports, which allow you to request information using over 160 customized fields. Many of the agencies publish a forecast of upcoming projects. There are several agencies that publish a calendar with events that would be helpful to you. Most procurement forecasts can be found on agency small business sites.

Although you might know which segment of the government is right for you, it can be an overwhelming task to find the opportunities that exist within it.

After you have targeted your market and determined which segment of the government is the right customer for you, selling to the government is just like selling to any private company. You have to know who the most likely customer is and then you need to figure out a way to sell to them.

Where do I start?

Register your business with Federal government contractor databases! The two main government registries are:• Central Contractor Registration (CCR) • Fedbizopps.gov (formerly Electronic Posting System (EPS)

IMPORTANT: Some Federal departments and agencies have their own contractor databases. You must contact each department or agency you want to do business with to determine if they have a separate contractor registry database.

Central Contractor Registry & Dynamic Small Business Search

CCR is THE contractor registry for all businesses that are doing or would like to do, business with the federal government. Registration is necessary for payment on federal contracts (your banking information, including electronic routing information and your account number, will be requested at registration).

Federal agencies, large prime contractors and others utilize CCR's Dynamic Small Business Search mechanism to perform market research and locate small businesses. Formerly, SBA's PRO-Net database, this portion of your registration is VITAL! It should be considered a free marketing site for your business and it should be completed and update thoroughly.

Your business will be instantly accessible to every Federal government contracting officer. Registering in CCR is just a few clicks away. Prior to registering you will need have or obtain a DUNS Number from Dun & Bradstreet. This can be accomplished for free by calling 1-866-705-5711. Go to www.ccr.gov to begin your registration.

FedBizOpps

All federal procurement opportunities over $25,000 are posted on this website. Want to receive procurement announcements directly to your e-mail address? Then register for GSA's free multi-agency electronic posting service for solicitations, requirements, awards and other acquisition related documents.

When registering for this service, please keep in mind that if you elect to receive all procurement notices, it will result in the transmission of hundreds of e-mail messages per month. Go to www.fbo.gov to register with FedBizOpps.

Now that you've registered your business, you need to know how and where to find the bids. The following websites provide information on upcoming solicitations or requests for proposals through posted procurement forecasts:

General

• Agency Websites prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/fedproc/home.html • Agency Forecasts acguisition.gov/comp/procurement forecasts/index.htrnl

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Federal Contracting Opportunities WEB SITE - www.fbo.gov Sub-Contracting Opportunities & Contacts: www.sba.gov/businessop/basics/subcontracting.html State Procurement Offices: www.nigp.org/stwebsit.htm Agencies' Offices of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU's) www.sba.gov/yourgovt/osdbu.html

Small Business Administration www.sba.gov/gcbd

Calendar of Procurement Events - There are several government agencies that publish a list of upcoming procurement events. The following links are for various agencies' calendars.

• Small Business Administration, South Florida District Office ­ www.sba.gov/fl/south

• SBA Matchmaking www.businessmatchmaking.com/ • Department of the Air Force: www.selltoairforce.org/ • Department of the Army: www.sellingtoarmy.info/ • Department of Defense www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/conferences/ • Department ofthe Navy http://www.hq.navy.mil/sadbu/conf-web.doc • Department of State: www.state.gov/rn/a/sdbu/

• Department of Transportation osdbu.dot.gov/OSDBUNEWSEVENTS/

• Department of the Treasury: www.treas.gov/offices/management/dcfo/osdbu/

Specific Agencies

• Department of Defense - Acquisition, Technology and Logistics: www.acq.osd.mil/

• Defense Business Transformation Agency: www.defenseIink.mil/acq/ebusiness/

• National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) • www.hq.nasa. style="font: normal normal normal 10.2px/normal times; font-family: verdana; ">gOY/office/procurement/index.html • General Service Administration's (GSA) Small Business Portal • www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/channeIView.do?pageTypeld=8199&channelld

=-13325 • Minority Business Development Agency- www.mbda.gov/

Gustavo A. Viera, CPA