Central Contractor Registration Essay

TEN TIPS FOR GETTING A PIECE OF THE GOVERNMENT PIE
The U. S. government spends hundreds of billions of dollars each year buying everything from roads to commodes. And yes, that includes professional services. For example, in the government, marketing is called education and outreach. It includes just about every type of promotional service you can think of including, branding, website development, focus groups, advertising, marketing collateral, trade show support and more. Lisa Martin knows because her firm, LeapFrog Solutions, has been contracting with the federal government for 20 years. “We've worked with nine different agencies—both as a prime contractor and subcontractor—and have provided the government with a full gamut of marketing

Register your company to do business with the federal government on https://governmentcontractregistration.com/. The Central Contractor Registration is an Internet data-base containing information on nearly 200,000 small, disadvantaged, 8(a), HUBZone and women-owned businesses. It's free to federal and state government agencies as well as prime and other contractors seeking small business contractors, subcontractors and/or partnership opportunities. The site is open to all small firms seeking federal, state and private contracts.
5. Get on the GSA Schedule as it allows federal agencies to do business with commercial suppliers. There many steps to getting on the GSA Schedule, so consider taking the online training course, "How to Become a Contractor—GSA Schedules Program." Keep in mind that getting on the GSA Schedule doesn't guarantee work; it's just a hunting license.
6. Attend a few workshops. Once you have your GSA Contract, you'll start receiving scores of e-mails for workshops on how to market to the federal government. They're held all over the country.
7. Determine which agency or agencies to go after. Go to a few agencies' Web sites, review their "Forecast of Procurement Opportunities," and check out potential business. Schedule an appointment with the OSDBU (that's the Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization), pre-sent your capabilities, and tell them what you can do for

“To thine own self be true” was good advice in Shakespeare’s time and it’s good advice in government contracting. If you are a small business, woman-owned or minority-owned business, define your company so that you are eligible for those set asides. Additional information is available at sba.gov/contracting.
9. Consider 8(a) certification, as it was designed to assist small disadvantaged businesses with better access the federal procurement market. In fact, in order to comply with the Small Business Act, certain government agencies need to complete their federal contracts with 8(a) participants. Meaning, getting an 8(a) certification can be extremely advantageous. Participants can also receive sole-source con-tracts valued up to $3 mil-lion for goods and services. To learn more, visit the SBA's web site at www.sba.gov/sdb.
10. Look for prime contractors with whom to sub. Unlike the commercial sector, competitors can also be your allies. Teaming with the competition is not only advantageous, it’s a way of life in federal contracting. "Frenemies" can give you opportunities to obtain small business set-aside contracts valued between $5-6 million a year. And these contracts can last for up to five years before having to be