Marketing your business to a government prime contractor is much like selling to any other entity: You must find customers who can use your goods or services and convince them that your company is a capable vendor.
Below are answers to your questions about subcontracting, including how to find prime contractors and which best practices your business should follow.
The Basics of Preparing for Government Subcontracting
Subcontracting with a larger company is much different than prime contracting. When preparing to pursue government subcontracts or enter into a teaming agreement, a company must examine its strengths and weaknesses and determine which certifications are necessary to operate.
Identify Similar Companies
A quick way to evaluate your potential strengths for subcontracts is to find similar companies already doing government work for prime contractors. Compare their operations to your capabilities. Make sure you have the necessary credentials required of government contractors: licenses, proof of insurance, workers' compensation certificates, and reference contacts.
Acquire Accreditations and Certifications
Another important step in preparing your business to operate as a subcontractor is to obtain any necessary professional certificates and accreditations that establish your credibility and help determine which types of government contracts are the best fit for your business.
Preparing to Subcontract for Government Prime Contractors
When you are preparing to work as a subcontractor in the public sector market, ask yourself these questions:
- What are your company's strengths and weaknesses?
- Where is your company most efficient and cost-conscious?
- How well-known are you within your industry and with government prime contractors?
- How highly do you prioritize customer service and support?
- Can you demonstrate to government prime contractors that your products or services are of the highest quality?
Government Subcontracting Requirements and Qualifications
There are several qualifications you will need to successfully work with a government prime contractor.
You'll absolutely need to meet prime contractors' deadlines, for example, and be prepared to handle any unusual rules and regulatory red tape that may arise during the contract pursuit and fulfillment processes.
It's also important to confirm that subcontracting for government prime contractors will not detract from or restrict resources needed to support your existing customers. To streamline your resource allocation, designating someone within the company to be the lead contact for prime contractors is a good idea.
How to Find Prime Contractors for Subcontracting and Partnerships
Once you have a clear idea of your company's infrastructure and goals, it's time to start hunting for prime contractors. To do so, consider taking the following actions.
Contact Government Agencies
Many government agencies may benefit from your product or service. Try to locate a small-business liaison who can answer your questions on government subcontracting. Agencies often maintain lists of their prime contractors, sometimes even posting them on their website.
Seek Out Small Business Groups
Gain advice from business-development organizations and small-business agencies, such as contact information and guides to small business government contracts.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) publishes a Small Business Subcontracting Directory that lists large federal government prime contractors along with contact information. The SBA also has commercial market representatives who help small businesses find subcontracting opportunities.
Use Your Industry's Government Contracting Resources
Often, businesses holding prime contracts are obligated by their contract to actively recruit small businesses for subcontracts. To locate potential partners, prime contractors often contact trade associations and business development organizations and attend industry conferences and trade shows.
Talk to Major Government Contacts
A handful of massive government primes control a significant percentage of the government contracting market. Often, they have their own small-business liaisons and provide materials explaining how to do business with them. If a government prime contractor has a liaison, make sure you talk to that person before contacting a contracting manager.
Leverage Data and GovCon Resources
Often, contractors, agencies, and other entities post details about government subcontracts online, including current contract awards, sample contracts, subcontracting plans, contact information, and other valuable data.
A time-efficient way to find comprehensive subcontracting data is to subscribe to the GovWin IQ market intelligence platform. With tools like GovWin IQ, you can quickly access information on federal contracts that fit your business.
Build Your Network
Do you have friends or colleagues who have worked as government prime contractors or government subcontractors? Use them as resources for leads and insight on government subcontracting.
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Discover five best practices that can help your business develop a winning public sector sales strategy.
Best Practices When Pursuing Government Subcontracts
To succeed in getting more prime contracts or subcontracts, your business will need a strategy for each stage of the government contracting lifecycle. Ultimately, you will want to set goals to identify opportunities in the areas of expertise your business offers and to win opportunities that are a good fit for your business.
Set Subcontracting Goals and Find Relevant Subcontracting Opportunities
To find government contracts that match up with your company's core competencies, you will need to set realistic business subcontracting goals and identify your target market. This could be in the U.S. or Canada, and it could come at either the federal or more local levels of government.
You can also consider targeting subcontracting opportunities or set-asides that your company is eligible for if you are a women-owned small business or minority-owned small business. With this in mind, you can search for government contracts that align with the products or services that your business offers.
Build Relationships to Win Government Subcontracts
After identifying the opportunities that best suit your business, you can implement specific strategies to win government subcontracts. By building relationships with key decision-makers at the government you are trying to sell to or with the prime you are trying to partner with, you can get ahead of the competition. And by arming yourself with comprehensive information about the federal government market, you can set your business up to create a winning proposal.
Find Prime Contractors with GovWin IQ
By following the guidance listed above to find government prime contractors that might be a good fit for your business and by asking yourself the important questions to set yourself up for success, you can put your business in the best position possible to get in on more government subcontracts and grow your public sector business.
Looking to take the next step towards meeting your government sales goals? Consider GovWin IQ, the leading market intelligence platform that provides up-to-the-minute government contracting information and early notice of upcoming opportunities.
