Business Insights

When searching through available contract opportunities, you may notice that some bids say “Sole Source intended” in the title. These are what government agencies call ‘no-bid contracts’. Unlike Requests For Proposal, which similarly don’t require a formal bidding process but do call for multiple bids to be submitted, sole source or no-bid contracts are used to hire a vendor as quickly as possible for a specific job, without the need for a competitive bidding process.

Every year, the federal government spends trillions of dollars on millions of contracts throughout the nation: more than 3 million contracts were awarded in 2015. Because the federal government is in charge of distributing a massive pool of funds, they tend to have more money to spend on projects when compared with state and local agencies. This is why federal contracts can often be more lucrative than others for vendors. Like other government agencies, federal agencies spend their funds on a wide variety of products and services; however certain industries tend to produce more contract opportunities than others. One of the most popular categories for federal contracting is the aircraft and aviation sector.

With a population of 2.2 million, Houston is the 4^th largest city in the United States but is ranked as the largest city in the Southern portion of the U.S. In 2015, total government spending in Houston was $4.791 billion; compared with Texas’s next three largest cities, Houston’s budget is almost double that of San Antonio, Dallas or Austin.

Over the last few years, small businesses have been on top when it comes to winning government contracts. In the United States, government agencies are obligated to award 23% of contracts to small businesses but that goal has not always been met. In recent years, however, most government agencies have not only reached this goal but surpassed it: In 2014, government awarded 25 percent of all contracts to small businesses, totaling about $91.7 billion in spending.[i] These contracting achievements encourage small businesses to engage in competitive government bidding, and also provide an incentive for entrepreneurs to start more small businesses.

For small to medium-sized businesses that are pursuing government contracts in information technology, it can be tough to know how to craft a winning proposal. Even if you already provide IT products and services in the private sector, bidding on public sector opportunities can be an entirely new experience. In this article we will provide five tips on how winning bids are created, and identify the elements of a public sector proposal that make it more likely to be a winner.

With a population of 3.8 million people, the City of Los Angeles is the second largest city in the U.S. after New York City. L.A. is ranked 7^th in the Global Economic Power Index (behind New York, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris and Singapore) and is considered the largest manufacturing center in the United States. The administration and operations needs of Los Angeles are handled by 42 government departments, all of which purchase goods and services from all types of vendors, both within and outside the city. If you are a vendor who owns a business within the city limits of Greater Los Angeles, you’re in luck, as local businesses are preferred over outside vendors when it comes to securing City procurement contracts.

The funding of a robust public education system has become increasingly important to Americans over the past century. The future success of younger generations is dependent on their educational experience, which includes not only the curriculum they are taught in the classroom but also the atmosphere and learning environment in which they spend a majority of their days. The ideal classroom is a place where students are able to express themselves and excel; these goals can’t be reached if schools are not fully equipped to help students succeed. From books to software and computer programs, food and furnishings, afterschool and extracurricular programs, athletic programs and equipment, and training for staff and teachers, there are many factors that must be addressed in order to provide students and staff with the fundamental tools they need to learn, teach, and grow.

New York City is the largest city in the U.S. With 8.5 million people residing inside the city’s limits, NYC accounts for 40% of the population of the entire state of New York! New York City is considered to be the financial capital of the world; it beat out London, England to be ranked number one on the Global Economic Power index. NYC is also home to the largest public school system, largest health and hospital corporation, largest police force, and the largest municipal fire department (the FDNY is the 2^nd largest fire dept. in the world); it also has the largest rapid transit (subway system, as measured by active operating stations and route length) and commuter rail system in the country. New York is also considered the most energy-efficient major city in the U.S. due to its robust public transit, and the fact that most residents of the city don’t own a vehicle. As well, the city is the leader in “Green” office building construction. Judging by these accolades, it can be assumed that New York is used to being on top - and when you’re on top you tend to have more needs and require extra resources to fulfill those needs. It’s no wonder that New York City is one of the top three locations for the highest number of government contracts in the United States.

When we take some time to think about what our government spends money on, many things come to mind: schools, hospitals, bridges and other major infrastructure, for example. These are just a few of the vital projects that our tax dollars pay for. One ongoing investment that state and federal transportation authorities must renew regularly is funding for construction, maintenance and replacement of highways.

In a world where technology is always changing, the government hasn’t always been on the same playing field as the private sector. And while the Federal Government realizes how far behind it is when it comes to updating programs and making sure the technology it uses provides adequate protection and security to the American people it does recognize the need for a plan going forward. With this in mind, the Federal Government has set a goal of improving and maintaining current technologies used in all government agencies. This should not only help those working for the government but all American people in general.