Before you do business with the government, you'll need to know the codes – in particular, NAICS, DUNS and CAGE codes. They're essential for your company to have in place before it pursues and wins government contract work.
These ID codes are to government contractors what Social Security numbers are to individuals. And you should use these numbers and codes when promoting and marketing your products or services.
It's simple: If you want to do government contracting at the federal level, then your company needs to be registered in the CCR.
The Central Contractor Registration database is the government's online repository for information about vendors that supply goods and services to federal agencies. According to the CCR website, "prospective vendors must be registered in CCR prior to the award of a contract; basic agreement, basic ordering agreement, or blanket purchase agreement."
If your company wants to do business with the federal government, your company will almost certainly need to be listed in ORCA.
This database of government vendors' online representations and certifications applications (hence the ORCA acronym) is the web-based replacement for the paper-based "Reps and Certs" applications that businesses previously were required to include with their proposals for large government contracts.
By Irv Alpert
Executive Vice President, Onvia, Inc.
In some ways, the government RFP process is the most flexible of all the government procurement methods, but it can also be the most complicated.
According to the General Services Administration, which jointly oversees the FAR rules with the Department of Defense and NASA, the RFP/negotiation method of procurement may be warranted under any of the following conditions:
By Irv Alpert
Executive Vice President, Onvia, Inc.
There are hundreds of government agencies at the federal level, and each uses private-sector contractors for goods and services — from office supplies to IT consulting to engineering and construction. That means thousands of federal government bid opportunities are generated for private companies each year.
Most often referred to as the "FAR," the Federal Acquisition Regulation is a resource guide for government rules and procedures. If you're doing business with the federal government or hope to, you should have a basic understanding of the FAR.
By Irv Alpert
Executive Vice President, Onvia, Inc.
A GSA schedule is an unfunded, long-term contract that lists the prices the federal government has agreed to pay for a product- or service-provider's commercial goods and services. There are 62 categories of products and services from which GSA buys, known as "Schedules," that apply to GSA's three business lines:
By Irv Alpert
Executive Vice President, Onvia, Inc.
Federal government agencies typically purchase products and services in one of three ways: sealed bids, negotiation, or simplified acquisitions. Of these methods, simplified acquisitions provide the easiest path to federal contracts for small businesses: The procurement process is streamlined and many federal contracts are reserved exclusively for smaller firms.
Every year, billions of dollars in government contracts are secured through the General Services Administration, or GSA. The GSA administers these procurements through its GSA Schedule program, in which the GSA contracts with suppliers for goods and services at a set price for specific time periods. Many companies rely solely on the GSA Schedule as a source of sales revenue, but there are drawbacks to that approach:
By Irv Alpert
Executive Vice President, Onvia, Inc.
One of the trickiest aspects of bidding on government contracts is setting your price. A low price may win you the contract but cost your company money in the long run. Too high a price will lose you the contract.
To set the "right" price, consider these three factors:
