How to Win Your First Government Contract!

When it comes to clients the federal government is one of the best ones to have. The United States government is the world’s largest purchaser of goods and services, spending more than $500 billion annually. However, in order to win a federal contract, you have to be competitive and know what you are doing. And that’s where we come in. As a GovCon Marketing company, we know a thing or two about winning government contracts. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to win your first government contract.

Is it Hard to Win Your First Government Contract?

Like most things in life, anything worth having is also worth working for. So in order to win your first government contract, you have to put in the work. But it can be intimidating competing against some of these bigger businesses for contracts and can even leave you wondering whether it’s worth it. However, the federal government has policies in place to help encourage and promote small businesses that throw their hat in the ring.

For example, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is a government organization that helps to protect the rights of small businesses in the country. One thing that they do is help link government agencies with small businesses qualified to fulfill the requirements of a contract.

Where Can I Find These Contracts?

However, there are many other ways to find government contracting opportunities aside from the SBA. Government agencies use various platforms for posting government contracting opportunities too! Some ways to find contracts to bid on include,

Forecast of Contracting Opportunities

This is a forecasting tool that is managed by the U.S. General Services Administration that lets you view upcoming contracts. This helps to prepare your plan for the contract at hand before placing your bid.

Subcontracting Network or SubNet

The Subcontracting Network is a database of subcontracting opportunities for small businesses as well as firms looking for help from these small businesses. If you are new to contracting, partnering with a seasoned company to handle a federal contract is a great way to build your portfolio. While you are not working directly with the federal government but rather the primary contractor, doing this gives you experience working on a government project.

Contract Opportunities

Another place to find these opportunities is through the FedBizOpps. FedBizOpps is the primary government website for publishing federal business opportunities.

Dynamic Small Business Search

The Dynamic Small Business Search is another platform managed by the Small Business Administration. It is an online tool that is typically used by government agencies to find small businesses for the contract. However, you can use the platform to look for these contracts too!

A GovCon Marketing Agency

You can also rely on a government marketing contractor to help you locate and create bids for federal contracts! Our team at Focused Image helps you find contracts and create marketing plans to help you win your first government contract and all the rest to follow.

When Bidding to Win Your First Government Contract…

After you find the contracts you want to bid on it is now time to put together your proposal. The proposal is where you win or lose the bid. So, it is important to know how to put together a proposal that will win over the contracting agency. When bidding to win your first government contract you want to…

Make sure to fulfill the requirements

Before bidding for federal contracts, make sure that you have completed all the government requirements needed to be officially recognized as a contractor.

Make sure to be selective

While searching for contracts you will most likely come across multiple opportunities that your company can fulfill. However, it is important to not bid on just any contract activity you find. If you do this you run the risk of taking on more than you can handle.

You should instead take the time to search for and pick the best government contracts that are in need of your strength and expertise.

Make sure to do your research

When creating your bid, make sure that you have all the information you need about what is being requested. This will help assure that your proposal is thorough and complete.

Make sure to review the RFP document and follow the given instructions

The Request for Proposal (RFP) document is the bible for government contractors. This document outlines everything that the contracting agency is looking for in a proposal and what will be evaluated when choosing a winning bid. Making sure to read it thoroughly, as well as any attachments, and follow all instructions listed has is essential in order to win your first government contract.

Make sure your proposal addresses the goals of the project

When creating your proposal, make sure to address how your company’s services will help achieve the goals of the project. Take the time to highlight how your company’s proposed solution is the most efficient and cost-effective option among other federal contractors during this step. Doing this is a sure way to help win your first government contract.

Make sure to price competitively

While your proposal may be the most cost-effective and efficient, if it is priced too high, you will not win. So make sure that when pricing out your estimated costs to complete the project you price competitively with other bidders. This will help make sure you do not overbid or even underbid.

Make sure to review everything before submitting

Once you have put together your proposal, make sure to take the time to review it one last time. Check for spelling and grammar mistakes, as well as ensure that all information is correct. Once everything looks good, submit your bid and get ready to win your first government contract!

Let Us Help You Win Your First Government Contract

Our team at Focused Image can help guide you through finding the best contracts to bid on and make sure that your proposal is as strong as possible. We have helped many businesses secure federal business opportunities and can’t wait to help you win your first government contract.