Are you new to government selling? Then you’re on the right path to get started and learn 3 important tips to help you along your journey.
You are entering a multi-trillion dollar market where local, state and federal agencies are constantly looking for goods, services and construction. With all the items and projects the government procures for, there is always room for more suppliers! Whether you want to explore open solicitations at the local government level – counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts and other special districts such as fire departments and libraries – or at the state or even federal level, you will find opportunities for nearly any business imaginable. So, jump right in and start finding those new business opportunities to help grow your business by selling to the government with these helpful tips.
This may sound simple, but half of the process is just knowing that an opportunity exists for your business. You can spend hours a day looking through multiple websites of each local or state agency in your area. But you shouldn’t have to spend time and resources searching by yourself as there are services out there to help, such as Periscope S2G. We find all those bid opportunities for you and deliver them via a daily alert based on your keywords and industry. Once you have access to the opportunities that match what you sell, you can then decide which ones best fit your business’ strengths and submit a bid response.
Once you have found an opportunity that you want to pursue, be prepared to read all related documents and requirements. Government buyers spend time preparing documents, laying out expectations, specifications, problems they need solving and more in solicitation related documents. A formal RFP may have a book of requirements and background information, whereas an RFQ may simply have a manufacturer and quantity needed listed.
Read all the documents and requirements in their entirety to see if you are willing and capable of submitting a response and bidding. This is the point, after you have read through the initial documents, to decide if this is a “go, no-go or partner” opportunity for your business.
In addition, make certain that any addenda or amendments to the initial solicitation are read. This is important in case something changes from the time the solicitation was issued until the closing date.
Being on time in general is a good rule of thumb. However, in working with the government, it is imperative that certain things are done on time, down to the minute. If there are any pre-bid meetings, you need to make certain that if they are mandatory and you expect to bid on the project, you are present for it and on time. In addition, for any other important dates such as the open Questions & Answer period, you need to be certain of and adhere to the Q&A timeline to submit any questions surrounding the RFP or RFQ.
The most important time to adhere to is the closing date and time. This is usually a non-negotiable deadline, you won’t be able to submit a bid whether it be electronically using a service like Periscope S2G, by email, mail or in person after the posted closing date and time. The best suggestion is to be early, so that if there are any complications with technology or the carrier, you give yourself room to resolve the issues and still meet the deadlines.
Following these simple tips will start you on the right path to successfully do business with government entities. You are headed in the right direction by using Periscope S2G to find open opportunities, now keep moving forward and go win some new government business!
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