When a company decides it wants to become a government contractor and begin selling goods or services to the federal government, the initial steps can be divided into two categories: administrative and educational.  The first category references the administrative or clerical actions required for a potential contractor to compete for federal contracts.  The second category lists the steps needed to identify relevant contracting opportunities and to effectively market to the world’s largest purchaser of goods and services – the U.S. Government.

Administrative Steps

1. Find the appropriate NAICS classification for your industry, as it is a key to identifying relevant contracting opportunities.  http://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics
2. Register and receive a DUNS number from Dun & Bradstreet.  http://www.dnb.com/us
3. Register as a government contractor with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) site.  https://www.bpn.gov/ccr/default.aspx
4. Register with the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) site.  https://orca.bpn.gov/
5. Determine if your business is eligible under any of the Small Business Administration’s small business size standards or otherwise qualifies for preferential treatment in seeking federal contracts.  http://www.sba.gov/contractingopportunities/officials/size/index.html

Educational Steps

6. Search for current federal government procurement opportunities at FedBizOpps.  https://www.fbo.gov/
7. Develop a marketing strategy for targeted civilian and defense agencies.
8. Familiarize your company with the budget forecasts for your targeted agencies. http://acquisition.gov/comp/procurement_forecasts/index.html
9. Investigate whether your products or services are eligible for listing on the GSA Schedules or other government-wide acquisition contracting vehicles, and investigate subcontracting opportunities.
10. Study and seek the advice of professionals concerning the growing number of legal and regulatory requirements that apply to government contractors.  There are several public resources available for this purpose, such as http://www.acquisition.gov/.

Once the above steps are accomplished, selling to the Government is like selling to any other customer.  Companies need to develop targeted marketing strategies and strong business relationships with the agencies, and build a good reputation through successful contract performance. In addition to these traditional practices, companies should also develop and implement processes and practices that ensure compliance with government-specific requirements and regulations.