logo
logo
Sign in

How to bid on Government Contracts

avatar
Shiv Nandan
How to bid on Government Contracts

There are many ways to bid on government contracts. It can be at the federal, state as well as local levels. Before you start to bid, your business must be registered with the System for Award Management. S.A.M. allows contractors to look for companies to bid on the basis of location, size, ownership, and more. Once your business is registered with the S.A.M, your business will become eligible for federal contracts. 

How to create a SAM profile?

In order to create a SAM profile, two things are required. First, a DUNS number – which you can obtain from the Dun and Bradstreet website. Second, your North American Industry Classification System codes. All you have to do is make a list of all the services that your business offers. 

Once you have completed your S.A.M profile, you are all set to bid on the government contracts. Make sure to match your bid with the services or products you offer. The S.A.M also provides information related to payments after the completion of your work. 

After you are registered with S.A.M, you will be able to explore various options related to government bidding contracts. And if you happen to have a minority/women-owned business, you will be able to get preferential access to certain contracts. 

How to find the best bid?  

Many times, federal government contracts are published on the FedBizOpps website. If you register your business with the FedBizOpps website, you will be notified about opportunities that may match your business interest. On the other hand, to find government contracts at the state or local level, you will have to visit the state portals and municipality websites. 

Finding a contract for a small-scale vendor can be quite time-consuming. Several Requests for Proposal, Request for Quote, and Invitations for Bid are published every day all over the United States. 

One can also dedicate a person solely to research and evaluate the bidding contracts. This will make sure you have the best bid. However, one has to understand that evaluating can lead to spending a lot on resources compared to bidding on government contracts.

Another method by which you can find your best government contract is by using a bidding service. This service helps you to find a suitable contract to match your business needs. It will send you contracts based on your location – including the state or the region to which you belong. This in turn will help you find local opportunities. So now you won't have to look for contractors.

How to bid on Government Contracts 

  1. The first step is to find a contract opportunity that caters to your needs. Sometimes, it may be in the form of an RFP, an IFB, or an RFQ. In some cases, these methods may require a vendor to give a different response. Always remember that you follow guidelines when responding.
  2. Make sure the contracts aren’t too big for you to handle. You should be able to provide the services needed. Many a time, vendors make a common mistake of bidding on contracts that do not align with what they offer. Always, choose to bid on a contract that is a precise match to your services offered. 
  3. Always proofread the proposal submission guidelines before sending them to the public undertakings. If a bid proposal is not in accordance with the submission guidelines, then it will get rejected by government agencies. To avoid rejection, note that the bid conforms to the agency's rule of submission. And submit the bid on time. 
  4. Be thorough with the bid information. Note every detail of the information carefully. In this way, you will be able to learn the charges of other vendors for similar services. You can also know your competitors for a given contract. 
  5. Lastly, it is always recommended to double-check your proposal before submitting it. You should check the response that you presented in the RFP, RFQ, or IFB and make sure that you have catered to all their requirements. 

Thus, by following the above-mentioned points, one can bid for the best government contracts and grow their business by having them as customers. You can also find support to look for the best bid by registering your business on certain websites. These sites send you a notification whenever there is a contract opportunity.

collect
0
avatar
Shiv Nandan
guide
Zupyak is the world’s largest content marketing community, with over 400 000 members and 3 million articles. Explore and get your content discovered.
Read more