How To Get Federal Contracts

Anyone interested in doing business with the U.S. federal government needs to understand how to get federal contracts. Doing business in the public sector has its challenges, but the reward of lucrative federal contract opportunities can make it all worth it.

This guide helps you gain a clear understanding of the market conditions that impact the federal government contracting space, teaches you about the details of federal contracts and gives you the knowledge you need to develop a winning public sector contract strategy in a competitive market.

Federal Government Contracting 101

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In This Article:

• What is a Federal Contract?
• The Difference Between Federal Bids and RFPs
• How to Get Federal Contracts for Small Business
• Where to Find Federal Contracts
• Trends in Federal Contracts
• Get More Federal Contracts for Your Business

A federal contract is an agreement between a particular branch of the federal government and an individual business serving as the provider of goods or services. For particular types of government contracts, one business may serve as the primary, or “prime” contractor, while other businesses may work directly with that prime contractor and serve as subcontractors to fulfill specific requirements.

The process of finding and winning a federal contract can be complicated. Setting your business development team up to meet all the requirements at each step of the government contracting lifecycle is a must if you plan to get federal contracts for your business.

Understand the Government Contracting Lifecycle

There is a distinct process a government contractor goes through in order to win and manage business in the public sector. We call this the Government Contracting Lifecycle and define it in four stages. Download the guide to learn how to maximize your business opportunity at each stage!

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While federal business opportunities come in all shapes and sizes, often they will come in either the form of a federal bid or an RFP (request for proposal). While there are many other types of government contracts, these are the differences between bids and RFPs.

Federal Government Bids

When a government entity releases a federal government bid, the government clearly defines what it needs and asks companies to submit a proposed price. Typically, the lowest bidder (meeting all requirements) gets the federal contract.

Federal Government RFPs

With an RFP, the government outlines its needs but allows companies more flexibility in proposing solutions. The companies are then evaluated based on factors like qualifications, experience and proposed approach, not just price.

For a business with a small headcount or more limited experience working with the federal government, there are unique ways to get started in federal contracting. These firms can work with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), which is a U.S. federal governmental group offering a number of programs designed to help small businesses win their share of federal government contracts. In fact, the federal government has an annual goal of giving 23% of prime federal contracts to small businesses.

Types of Small Business Federal Contracts

The SBA offers a variety of programs that set aside a portion of federal contracts for small businesses that meet a particular set of small business certification criteria.

• 8(a) Small Disadvantaged Business (WOSB): The government aims to award at least 5% of federal contracting dollars to qualified small disadvantaged businesses every year.
• Women Owned Small Business: The government has a goal to award at least 5% of federal contracting dollars to qualifying WOSBs every year.
• Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB): The government aims to award at least 3% of federal contracting dollars to qualifying SDVOSBs firms every year.
• HUBZone: The government has a goal to award at least 3% of federal contracting dollars to HUBZone-certified small businesses every year.

Get Federal Contracts Contracts as a Small Business

The U.S. government can offer a high-performing revenue stream for your business. With an understanding of government acquisition priorities and policies, you can compete and win more government contracts.

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In recent years, the majority of federal business opportunities have been posted on one individual government website. As of 2019, the federal government began posting most contracting opportunities to the SAM.gov website.

Sources of market intelligence such as GovWin IQ can provide a more in-depth alternative to simply scouring federal government websites. While government websites can be sources to find information on the basic elements of government contracting, like bids and RFPs, companies succeeding at selling to the government are taking proactive steps to go beyond the basics to find all of the information they need in order to build a pipeline of federal contracts.

Build a Winning Government Sales Strategy

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If you want your business to get ahead of the competition and get more federal contracts, understanding these key trends is a good way to start.

• Compliance: Recently there has been a movement towards an increased level of government contracting compliance requirements, which is one of the reasons companies diversify once they get into the federal government contracting market – they’ll get a landing spot with one agency and then branch out to others.
• Small Business Contracts: Small business contracting is increasingly important. The federal government is seeking to eliminate contracting barriers to small businesses in under-represented communities.
• Competition: The number of firms receiving federal awards is declining despite significant increases in federal spending. This makes it more important than ever to help your business stand out against the competition and build a pipeline of federal contracts.

Now that you know the basics of how to get federal contracts, what comes next? How do you win government bids and RFPs? And how do you stand out from the crowd of government contractors?

If your federal government business is looking for more ways to get ahead in the federal contracting market, solutions like GovWin IQ can offer deep insights into how you can get more federal contracts, with a powerful set of contracting data backed by expert research support and industry-leading technology.

GovWin IQ is the premier platform for government contractors that provides businesses with early awareness of new opportunities, deep planning intelligence, potential teaming partnerships and the strategic insight that businesses need to get ahead of the competition.

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