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Business on Main recently talked with the Pennsylvania SBDC's procurement director, Clyde Stoltzfus.

If there's one sector that's growing right now, it's government. With the increase in spending resulting from the Recovery Act, the world's largest buyer of goods and services will become even larger.

Federal, state, and local governments already spend billions of dollars on goods and services every year. Federal purchasing offices are often required to set aside contracts or portions of contracts for exclusive bidding by small and/or minority-owned businesses. In addition, major prime contractors are required to subcontract part of their work out to small firms.

Services

The SBDCs can help maximize your potential to sell products and services to government agencies. Services to small businesses with procurement potential include:

Training and information seminars to educate small businesses about the market development potential, the opportunities and the possible pitfalls of the government contracting process.

Coordinated outreach and education to increase participation in ‘shovel ready’ public works projects. Certification as a minority-owned, woman-owned, or disadvantaged business, for instance, is one way to for small firms to capture federal, state and local government contracts and subcontracts.

Assistance with accessing financial resources for small business bidders, including traditional (commercial lenders) and non-traditional (public lenders, revolving loan funds and agency backed programs).
Assistance with improving operating systems in order to meet federal, state and local government contracting compliance standards.

Expanding opportunities for government contracting by linking small business clients with additional technical and networking resources.

By increasing the level of participation by responsive, responsible small businesses, the projects under the stimulus package will have greater localized impact. Visit www.recovery.org for a county-by-county breakdown:

Getting Started with Government Contracting

The SBDC's Basics of Government Marketing Tutorial will help you to understand the government market.

Federal acquisition regulations require contractors who wish to do business with the federal government to register with Central Contractor Registration (CCR) prior to the award of any federal contract. Government contracting officers check this database for products and services, and then notifications of open bidding opportunities are e-mailed to companies. Registration is free, and an SBDC consultant can help you with the process.

Review our Getting Started Checklist
Read the Frequently Asked Questions

Determining Eligibility for Government Marketing Assistance

The SBDC's Government Marketing Assistance service is primarily for manufacturing, construction, commercial service, and wholesale/dealer firms that are located in Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, Northampton, Montgomery, Philadelphia and York counties. If your firm is located outside of this service area, the Procurement Technical Assistance Centers offer similar services to other areas of Pennsylvania.

Procurement assistance is offered through one-on-one consulting, training seminars on a variety of topics related to government marketing, and a free automated bid matching service tailored to individual firm specifications. Specific assistance includes:

Assessing your potential as a government contractor
Help with government forms, registration and certification applications
Identifying procurement opportunities with federal, state, and local government agencies
GSA Federal Supply Schedule
Research on procurement histories for your product or services
Obtaining federal and military specifications, drawings and standards necessary to complete a bid package
Marketing your business to potential prime contractors
Contract management

Bid Match

The SBDC also offers a free Bid Match system, which can help you save significant time and money by matching your individual products or services with government sales leads.

Bid Match searches are conducted daily and leads are sent directly to your company via e-mail. Many leads are provided with complete procurement histories referencing competitors, pricing and national stock numbers. This information is useful in determining bid feasibility and identifying competitors.

To begin receiving leads from Bid Match at no charge, simply complete the registration form below. An SBDC procurement consultant will contact you to develop your complete company profile that will be entered into the Bid Match system. Bid Match is only available for businesses located in Pennsylvania. To find services outside Pennsylvania, contact your local Procurement Technical Assistance Center.

Bid Match Registration

* Indicates a required field

Name*

Title

Company

Address*

City*

State*

Zip*

County*

Phone*

Fax

E-mail*

NAICS Code

Look up your NAICS code

By submitting this form, I acknowledge that I am aware of the program requirements and that the following statements are true*:

	I am the owner or direct employee of the company requesting services.
	The company requesting services is a viable existing commercial entity with a proven performance record of at least 2 years.
	The company requesting services has computer and internet capacity capable of receiving and transmitting very large data files.
	The company requesting services is financially stable and can project an existing long-term revenue stream capable of sustaining current operations while implementing a long-term market development strategy.
	The company requesting services is located and working in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
	The company requesting services will submit a survey every year evaluating satisfaction with the program.

If the company requesting services can not meet the above program requirements, please contact the local Small Business Development Center for assistance with any business development requirements.

Enter the word exactly as it appears in the box below*. Why do I need to fill this out?

Success Stories

Learn about some of the companies that have pursued government contracts with help from the SBDCs by reading the stories below.


Sabre Systems	911 SE	Alexander Perry

Helpful Links

FedBizOpps (www.fedbizopps.gov) – public access for procurement opportunities over $25,000.
Department of Defense Business Opportunities (http://dodbusopps.com) – entry point for all DoD procurement opportunities.
FedMarket (www.fedmarket.com) – resources for selling to the government including the FAR.
Federal Acquisition Jumpstation (nais.nasa.gov/fedproc/home.html) – links to key sites related to federal procurement.
HUB Zone (www.sbaonline.sba.gov/hubzone) – provides Federal contracting opportunities for qualified small businesses located in distressed areas.
Grants.gov (www.grants.gov) – find and apply for federal government grants.
Central Contractor Registration (www.ccr.gov) – self-registering database of businesses interested in selling to the government.
DefenseLink (www.defenselink.mil – the single starting point for the Department of Defense.
FedWorld (www.fedworld.gov) – central access point for searching and acquiring government information.
Pennsylvania Treasury Department (www.patreasury.org/contractpublicrecord.htm) – overview of doing business with state agencies.