Learn How to Win State and Local Government Contracts - SLED Government Contracting 101

The state, local and education (SLED) government market represents nearly 10% of the United States GDP. Spread out amongst cities, counties, state agencies, school districts and a variety of other special government entities, the market can be a valuable revenue stream for government contractors who take the time to understand it.

GovWin’s SLED Government Contracting 101 guide is a tool designed for that purpose – to help businesses new to SLED sales learn how to win state and local government contracts while mastering the ins and outs of doing business with the government.

SLED Government Contracting 101 – Getting Ready to Sell to SLED Agencies

To begin the process of going after government contracts and winning more business from SLED government agencies, the first and best step every business should take would be to determine which levels of government they want to sell to, and which territories are the best fits for what their business offers. Then they should find and track those agencies online.

Next, businesses should register to do business with those agencies by registering the business on their procurement portal. It’s important to note that the registration may differ from agency to agency. Because of this, we advise businesses to be focused on which agencies to sell their offerings. Using tools like GovWin IQ to identify those best-fit agencies and opportunities for their business to focus on will help companies maximize win rates and their effective use of limited resources.

How to Win State and Local Government Contracts and Build a Sales Pipeline

With this understanding of how to find state and local agencies that best align to a business’s product or service, companies can be ready to start selling to SLED governments and winning valuable contracts.

 There are several key steps that a business should take to prepare to effectively sell to the state, local and education market:

• Target and research the agencies by studying past procurement habits, identifying upcoming contract renewals, and zeroing in on future spending by looking at budgets and planning documents.
• Organize and fill sales pipeline with near-term opportunities and long-term opportunities to effectively balance the short- and long-term business outlook.
• Collect important agency contact information, such as job functions, email addresses, and phone numbers, and make sure the sales representatives know who to reach out to at which agency.
• Understand the agency’s goals, recent initiatives and if they have a preference for local vendors. The better an understanding of how an agency operates, the better organizations can position themselves to meet their needs.
• Determine if the target agency has opportunities available for teaming, or if any opportunities fall under any set-aside categories that they fall under.
• Start connecting with decision makers before the release of a bid or RFP. This will make it easier to collaborate with decision makers and improve the chance of winning the work.

The Next Steps to Succeeding in SLED Sales

Smart businesses know that they can’t just register to sell to a government agency and begin to win state and local government contracts immediately. They prepare in advance by targeting specific agencies (such as specific states they wish to sell into), building key relationships and setting up a strategic plan to grow their business.

“ If you just get an RFP, you’re not seeing what was happening before. That’s the important thing for us. By doing all that research, by understanding who the buyer is and what their needs are, we’re able to go in and tailor our presentation as if we were talking specifically to one individual.”

RON ZAYAS, CEO, 360CIVIC

Ready to get started and scale and operationalize your business development approach in order to find and win SLED government contracts? Download GovWin’s free guide, SLED Government Contracting 101, to get your business on its way to state and local sales success.