YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
While it’s not necessarily easy, and success is not guaranteed, thousands of small businesses have been successful. For example, in 2003, the federal government purchased more than $100 billion worth of goods and services from small businesses through prime and subcontracting procurements.
The first step to becoming a federal contractor is to register your firm in the Central Contractor Registration database. CCR is an online business portal that helps small businesses market their goods and services to the federal government and prime contractors. Federal agencies and prime contractors also look in the database to find small businesses contractors. You can register your firm’s profile in the CCR database at www.ccr.gov.
The CCR database also houses the SBA’s Dynamic Small Business Search function, an interactive database that permits small firms registered in CCR to post their profiles and capabilities for prospective buyers such as federal procurement officers or purchasing agents of prime contractors.
Registration is free and voluntary, but any small businesses interested in doing business with the government must register in the CCR database.
If you need in-depth counseling on seeking federal or state government contracts, you can turn to Procurement and Technical Assistance centers, located throughout the country. In southwest Missouri, Heartland Procurement Technical Assistance Center in Joplin provides these services. PTACs help small, minority and woman-owned businesses market to the government.
PTACs help small businesses register with CCR, obtain a Commercial and Government Entity Code and a Duns Number, which is necessary to do business with the government. They also can match a firm’s capability with procurement opportunities and help obtain military and federal specifications and drawings. A listing of PTAC organizations is located at www.sellingtothegovernment.net/ptac_map.asp.
The SBA has a secret weapon of its own: procurement center representatives. PCRs are procurement professionals who help small businesses identify contracting opportunities. A listing of PCRs can be found at www.sba.gov/GC/contacts.html.
Subcontracting is also a good option for small businesses. Large prime contractors have small business liaison officers listed in the Subcontracting Opportunities Directory for companies wishing to sell to them. This directory can be found at www.sba.gov/GC/indexcontacts-sbsd.html. This Web Site also has a listing for SBA’s commercial market representatives (CMRs) who assist small businesses with marketing to federal prime contractors. Small businesses also can search the SBA’s SUB-Net Program for subcontracting opportunities at http://web.sba.gov/subnet/.
The SBA also offers an online procurement training course on how to access government contracts and subcontracts to assist small businesses. This course can be taken via the Internet by visiting www.sba.gov/gcbd/accessing_contracts/.
Other federal procurement opportunities can be accessed on the Internet at www.fedbizopps.gov/. The site includes a search engine to help you browse the latest contract solicitations.
Another option is the SBA’s Business Matchmaking Program. Business matchmaking allows small businesses to have personal appointments with senior-level government and corporate procurement officials to discuss potential contracting opportunities. Small businesses register for appointments through an online matchmaking portal, which pairs sellers with government or corporate executive buyers.
Since the program’s inception in 2002, the SBA has held numerous business matchmaking events around the country and scheduled more than 25,000 appointments. Small businesses can register to attend a matchmaking event in a city near them at www.businessmatchmaking.com. There is no cost to the small business or the buyers.
Other federal agencies that buy products and services can be located through the Federal Acquisition Jumpstation at: http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/fedproc/home.html.
By using these tools, small businesses can successfully navigate the federal contracting marketplace, become an active participant in the $285 billion federal marketplace and sell their goods and services to Uncle Sam! For more information about SBA’s programs and services, visit SBA’s Web Site at www.sba.gov.
Sam Jones is administrator for U.S. Small Business Administration Region 7, serving Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska.[[In-content Ad]]
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