Business Insights

Opportunities can arrive unexpectedly, via many different avenues, and businesses should always be prepared for these unexpected opportunities. Having a marketing strategy ready for if and when an opportunity knocks will be helpful for you in terms of selling your services and reassuring potential clients that you meet. For example, you may run into the head of a local government agency at your child’s soccer game or at a social gathering with friends. As any salesperson can tell you, one personal face-to-face interaction is worth a thousand online interactions; therefore, being prepared to market your business effectively in an instant will leave a lasting impression on whomever you have the chance to meet.

When searching for government contracts to bid on, small businesses must keep in mind what types of contracts are available within the government-contracting sphere. The two main types of contracts that small businesses will come across are fixed-price and cost-reimbursement contracts. No matter what kind of product or service a business is offering to the government, it’s helpful for small businesses to learn about the various contract types that exist before bidding on any local, state, or federal RFPs.

FedBizOpps.gov (Federal Business Opportunities) is the primary source for federal government contract opportunities that are valued at over $25,000. Federal procurement regulations require that bids worth $25,000 or more be published through FedBizOpps. Exploring FedBizOpps is a great way to gain insight into the products and services that the federal government is interested in buying. However, since federal contracts worth less than $25,000 are not required to be published, not every government opportunity will be listed with this service. It’s also important to note that listings on FedBizOpps do not include state and local opportunities (state and local contracts can usually be found on your state or county procurement portal).

The economy of the United States is not as healthy as it was ten years ago.  While it is normal for economies to grow and contract over time, the financial crisis that began in 2008 has been particularly damaging to the American economy and recovery has been sluggish at best.  According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the national economy decreased by 0.2% in the first quarter of 2015, before reversing course and growing by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Despite the difficulty of current economic conditions however, one thing that remains certain is the necessity of government spending in the public sphere.

Relationships and timing mean everything in business. These two factors can mean the difference between growing your business or missing out on a great opportunity and it’s no different when it comes to bidding on government contracts. The actions you take to make plans and build trust with government agencies is crucial. You need to act SMART to get through the bid process and win contracts!

You may be surprised to hear that federal, state and local governments really do care about what they purchase and how it will affect people and the environment. Over the last 20 years or so, governments have been focusing more on purchasing environmentally friendly and energy-efficient products and services. What does this mean for businesses? For vendors who provide green products or services, it means that it’s a great time to start bidding on government contracts and growing your business as public agencies and individuals become more environmentally conscious.

When you think about California, do you picture sun-drenched beaches, golden deserts, and majestic mountain ranges? Many of us do. California is a state that occupies a unique place in the popular imagination, both for Americans and people around the world.

With just a single phone call to your regional Procurement Outreach Center, you can be on the road to marketing your products or services to the government. The mission of the Procurement Outreach Center is to identify firms that are qualified to sell their goods and/or services to the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal agencies, as well as to state government-administered programs. The ultimate goal of this government procurement resource is to stimulate the local economy, encourage growth and create new jobs in your area.

You would think that people living in the northern part of the U.S. would be used to long winters and lots of snow, but this past winter there really seemed to be more than usual: seven major cities in the U.S. experienced more than 100 inches of snow last year! Maybe it was the subzero temperatures that made us all think it was the worst winter we had ever experienced. Maybe it was because the media focused on the hardest-hit cities and states, making it seem as if   the season would never end. For example, there was a lot of media coverage about Boston getting pummeled with snow; yet Boston wasn’t even among the top 3 cities that received the most snowfall. As well, the media rarely mentions cities like Syracuse, NY that get comparable levels of snow every winter. Why? Probably because the residents of Syracuse are used to a lot of snow and know how to handle it. It was just another winter for them!

Bidding on government contracts can sometimes seem overwhelming, but by taking the time to familiarize your firm with the language of the bidding process, it can become much more manageable.