Council Post: Five Tips For Landing Government Contracts

CEO of ProposalHelper, Visualyser and BidExecs. ProposalHelper is the industry’s largest employee-only Bid & Proposal Solutions provider. 

If you’re searching for ways to grow your business, consider government contracting. By securing government contracts, you can reap a variety of benefits, including reliable income, consistent work and a positive reputation among current and prospective customers.

While it does take a great deal of time and effort to land government contracts, it’s certainly possible. Here are five tips that are sure to help you take advantage of these great opportunities and get on the government’s payroll sooner rather than later.

1. Register with the System for Award Management.

To qualify for contracts with the federal government, your business must register as an official government contractor with the System for Award Management. Once you do so, you’ll be added to the contractor database and be able to bid on jobs.

In July 2019, Federal Register included a notice from the General Services Administration that says, “…the U.S. government is moving to a new unique entity identifier for federal awards management, including, but not limited to, contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements, which will ultimately become the primary key to identify entities throughout the federal awarding lifecycle, in SAM.gov, other IAE systems, on required forms, and in downstream government systems. The DUNS will be phased out as the entity identifier for entity record within SAM.”

Visit SAM.gov to begin the registration process. Keep in mind that registering is an involved process so you may not be able to complete it in one sitting. You’ll need to provide a variety of details about your business including:

• Your Taxpayer Identification Number

• Your Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code

• Your corporate structure

• Your bank account information

• The type of goods or services you offer

2. Take a targeted approach.

Think about the nature of your business and your unique expertise. Then focus on a few subject areas that you believe you’d be a good fit for. You’ll find that staying focused rather than bidding on as many projects as possible will yield better results. Remember that bidding on opportunities that are out of your wheelhouse may lead to poor delivery and decrease your chances of winning new contracts in the future. When it comes to government contracting, think strategically — five years from now, what do you want your company to be known for? Build your capability statement with this targeted vision in mind. Use the services of business development and capture management experts in the government-industry to help you strategize, find your niche and build an actionable pipeline of qualified leads.

3. Search on beta.SAM.gov.

There are many paid subscription services that offer government contract leads but if you are just starting out, a good place to start is with beta.SAM.gov. This is the official source for federal contracts worth more than $25,0000. This website lists a variety of government contract opportunities and while some critics complain about its user-friendliness, our team really likes the new system — it’s just a matter of learning a new tool. It’s a good idea to check this website often so you can quickly figure out market size, types of opportunities, which agencies you should target and what bids you want to pursue. Use the handy search engine to filter opportunities by keywords, published date and due date. The website is also packed with training videos and other resources that can help you succeed in the world of government contracting.

4. Be patient.

If it were easy to land government contracts, every business would pursue them. The reality is that applying for government contracts is a long, extensive process. The lead time from finding the right opportunity, to winning the contract can be anywhere from six months to two years or sometimes longer. Depending on the sector you support, these timelines may be shorter but these lead times are good benchmarks to consider. With this in mind, plan your resources and financial forecast accordingly. Government contracting requires patience and persistence. Once you have a few successful contracts under your belt, securing subsequent opportunities does get easier.

5. Craft professional proposals.

Once you find the right opportunity, depending on where the lead is in the acquisition process, you need to prepare to respond to the request (RFx) with a strategically crafted, professional proposal that can help your business stand out from the crowd. Your proposals must show that you have a comprehensive understanding of the opportunity and present a compelling narrative that describes why your approach to solving the agency’s problem is the best choice. Proposals are about the customer, not about you. Writing proposals is something you can do yourself or delegate to a member of your team. You also could consider hiring a proposal management company that’s experienced in government contracting. Whichever option you choose, remember that proposal writing is a balancing act between demonstrating technical proficiency and selling your capabilities.

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