Government contracts present a world of opportunities for businesses seeking stability, growth, and profitability. They can be highly profitable for businesses, offering stable contracts and a steady revenue stream. However, the process of qualifying for these opportunities can be complex and demanding. Even if you already have a government contract like a GSA Schedule, you’ll come across several contracting opportunities that you’ll need to bid on to win business through your Schedule.
Before you are able to successfully qualify government contract opportunities, you will need to be equipped with the knowledge and tools necessary to tap into this lucrative market. In this blog post, we will explore essential steps to effectively qualify government contract opportunities and provide a set of guidelines that will better equip you and your team to navigate the government procurement process. Below are 5 key tips for finding success in the government marketplace.
1. Research and Understand the Government Contract Landscape
Prior to diving into the qualification process, it’s essential to have a solid understanding of the government contracting landscape. You should familiarize yourself with the various federal, state, and local agencies that offer government contracts relevant to your offering and industry. This will help you understand where to look and what is available in the government marketplace. You should also familiarize yourself with the rules, regulations, requirements, and compliance standards associated with relevant government contracts to ensure your business can meet and exceed them.
It’s worth mentioning that each government entity may have their own specific set of rules and regulations that govern their internal procurement process, so understanding these guidelines will help you better navigate the system and find success. At a basic level, your company should be familiar with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and General Services Acquisition Manual / Regulation (GSAM/R) as these provide a good level of understanding regarding the primary requirements for a majority of the U.S. government acquisitions.
2. Assess Business Capabilities and Identify Target Customer/Market(s)
As noted above, government contract opportunities often come with stringent requirements in terms of past performance, qualifications, etc. It’s key that you identify your business capabilities and compare them against the stated requirements in a government contract opportunity. This will help you make a ‘bid’ vs. ‘no-bid’ decision based on compliance with the stated requirements.
Knowing who your target government customer is and what your market(s) are will greatly benefit you in the search for opportunities. The first phase of any pipeline is to identify opportunities, but without knowing who and what your client base will look like, it will be difficult to identify opportunities that may be a good fit for your offering.
Government opportunities span a wide range of industries and sectors. It's important to identify the specific market or sector where your products or services align with the government's needs. Determine the agencies or departments that regularly procure goods or services within your industry and focus your efforts on those areas. Building relationships within the government contract community are crucial, so you should also plan to attend industry-specific trade shows, conferences, and networking events to connect with procurement officers, contracting officers, and other potential partners.
3. Utilize Government Contract Databases and Paid Subscription Tools
To participate in most solicitations, you will need to register your business, or partner with a business who is registered and authorized to resell your product and/or services. One of the first steps you should take is to register with the System for Award Management, commonly known as ‘SAM’, an official U.S. government website that allows you to do business with the government at zero cost.
Additionally, depending on the contract's nature, you may need to register with specific agencies or programs, such as the Small Business Administration (SBA), the General Services Administration (GSA), or the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).
Commercially available paid subscription tools provide companies with a solution that lets you search for and uncover opportunities using key search terms relevant to your offerings. With access to timely data on key solicitations and players in the government marketplace, a paid subscription tool will allow your organization the opportunity to identify and quantify relevant opportunities without the hassle of searching for opportunities on various platforms.
It’s important to note, however, that paid subscription tools may not be all encompassing, meaning that some government solicitations may not be posted to certain platforms.
4. Government Contract Qualification and Proposal Submission
Using the resources described above, this is where your organization will begin the capture process and further your research on specific government contract opportunities. Once you locate and identify a relevant opportunity that you would like to submit a response to, it’s vital that you thoroughly review the solicitation documents, including the stated requirements, terms, and conditions of each solicitation. Ensure that you pay attention to the evaluation criteria, contract duration, Period of Performance (PoP), and budgetary constraints to ensure alignment with your business capabilities and goals.
During the qualification process, you will need to ensure that you have relevant past performance, can demonstrate value to the government, and will be able to deliver your offering in accordance with the requirements. Upon determining that the opportunity is qualified, and you have finalized your offer, it is important that you review your offer against the requirements to ensure compliancy.
Once your proposal is submitted, the government often will not allow you to make further revisions, unless requested by the Contracting Officer (CO) or Contracting Officer Representative (COR).
Another key aspect of the government contract qualification process is ensuring that your company develops a competitive advantage. Understanding that competition for government contracts can be fierce, especially for lucrative opportunities, you will need to craft a differentiator that allows you to stand out from the competition. Developing a capabilities statement that highlights your past performance, core capabilities, and offerings will help you separate you from the competition and deliver a more competitive, compelling offer.
5. Monitor Performance, Stay Informed and Be Proactive
Once you are successful with landing a government contract, it’s important to diligently fulfill your obligations and deliver high quality results that meet and exceed the government’s requirements and expectations. This is especially true as your current contracts will likely serve as future past performance, which if negative can greatly impact your ability to conduct future business with the government.
It’s vital that you track performance metrics, meet deadlines, and maintain open communication with the contracting office. Make sure to seek feedback from government officials to continuously improve your performance and strengthen your reputation as a reliable contractor.
Government contracting regulations are ever-changing and can impact both current and future performance. Staying informed and being proactive are some of the best ways to be prepared to find and qualify government opportunities. Using reliable sources such as agency websites, procurement portals, paid subscription tools, and/or industry publications, you can track relevant policy updates, changes in government procurement methods, and emerging government contract opportunities to ensure current and future success.
Are You Ready to Go After Government Opportunities?
Qualifying for government contract opportunities requires a strategic and proactive approach. By understanding the government contract landscape, registering with relevant agencies, researching the contracting process, assessing your business capabilities, developing a competitive advantage, building relationships, and staying informed, you can position your business for success in the government marketplace.
If you have questions about government opportunities, or need help acquiring or maintaining a GSA Schedule, we would be happy to help you. As a government contractor and GSA Schedule contract holder ourselves, Winvale is uniquely qualified to help federal contractors manage their GSA Schedules. Our dedicated team of experts are here to assist and have firsthand experience with compliance measures, new requirements, and constant reporting to keep our own contract updated.
