Are government agencies requesting your services? If not, then they're working with your competitors and you're losing business.
Cold-calling agencies drains your valuable resources. And responding to an RFP without any prior contact with the issuing agency is almost always a wasted effort. To remain competitive, you need to build relationships with state, local and federal agencies before projects are announced and RFPs are released.
If you're a CEO who's just now beginning to pursue government contracting work, here's a quick primer on how best to proceed and what to watch out for:
The U.S. government purchases billions of dollars worth of goods and services each year. Competing for government contracts can be extremely profitable — if you know how to approach the right people. If you don’t have the right contact information for government decision makers or access to a good list of government agencies, you could be letting the competition run away with your share of the billions of dollars the government spends every year.
Selling to the government can be a tough venture if you don’t know how to approach government agencies and present your product. Before you think about contract management, prepare your company to sell to the government by checking off the following items:
By Irv Alpert
Executive Vice President, Onvia, Inc.
One of my associates is an email programs manager, and he says there's one major benefit to email marketing: your cost per lead is very inexpensive. I've picked his brain about how to effectively target agency decision makers via email to boost sales leads.
To work with the government, you need to speak its language. And that includes knowing and using its alphabet soup of acronyms, especially when responding to an RFP or bid.
By Irv Alpert
Executive Vice President, Onvia, Inc.
Knowing and understanding the most commonly used terms in government contracting is a must when selling to the government. It affects everything from your government RFP to your teaming agreements to your relationship with key government officials.
We hope you find the following government-terminology dictionary helpful. For more insight into government terms, see our list of government acronyms.
If you're a veteran who's interested in starting a local government-contracting business or currently has such a business, the U.S. Small Business Administration has a program in place than can help you market to procurement offices.
The SBA's Office of Veterans Business Development offers services for veterans, service-disabled veterans, reserve component members, and their dependents or survivors. From loan programs to business development officers and small business centers, you'll find a wide range of services available.
If a competitor wins a contract you were pursuing, don't give up on eventually earning the work: A contract termination rebid is possible if the winning contractor defaults. A default termination is what usually results if the contractor fails to perform in the interest of the government agency.
