After seeing that there were potentially higher business opportunities being found on Periscope S2G, he asked his boss to try the Premium plan to see if the service would pay for itself, and he found that it most certainly did. Read more.
In this guide, you will find 5 helpful steps to help you with the necessary documentation and tools to begin bidding on government contracts.
3 simple and important tips to get you on your way to doing business with government organizations.
You may not be a mind reader, but with the right tools and connections you can have line of sight into forthcoming solicitations.
Public sector entities will lean heavily on the private sector to provide the goods, services and labor needed to meet the Biden Administration’s goals.
In fact, there are many government contracts set aside exclusively for small businesses that don’t require you to compete with the larger enterprises.
It could, as the public sector is increasingly prioritizing sustainability and giving preference to environmentally friendly products and services.
No matter what you believe your value proposition to be, it’s important that you understand – and deliver – what agencies value most.
As physical buildings closed, demand for new devices, IT services and learning resources skyrocketed. Don’t expect that to change as students return to the classroom, either. In fact, you may see the need for goods and services grow more than ever.
It is imperative that you understand current compliance requirements before bidding on government contracts.
Stimulus funding will drive uptick in technology, energy, education and healthcare-related solicitations.
Sometimes, the most impactful thing you can do when trying to secure government contracts is prove your expertise in between bid opportunities.
As more contracts are being set aside for small businesses, the competition is becoming more intense. But that shouldn’t deter you from building your sales pipeline and submitting bids.
The number of set-aside contracts for certified women-owned businesses is growing at all levels of government.
Though a failure to meet contractual obligations is often attributed to poor business practices, there are many risk factors outside of a company’s control that can disrupt the flow of goods and services to government agencies. Know the difference between excusable and inexcusable delays.
Government was on a modernization path well before the pandemic. However, you would have been hard-pressed to find a state or local government that was planning to virtualize nearly every service in some way in this decade.
Your past performance isn’t the only thing that influences contract award decisions, but your current performance most certainly will influence future opportunities within the public sector.
One of procurement officials’ top priorities right now is customer satisfaction, which means that supplier performance matters more than ever. Here’s what you’ll be rated on.
Can the federal government change what, when and how state and local agencies buy goods and services?
You may want to wait until you’ve been awarded a contract to increase labor, inventory and more. Here’s why that might not be the best strategy.
You may realize that not every bid opportunity that looks right for your business “on paper” will be worth pursuing, at least not right now.
Millions of potential bid opportunities, to start.
This is how you can find out…before you submit your bid.
When it comes to gifting, many ask: can I give a gift to a government agency? It always stirs a bit of debate. So, we’re helping you understand where to draw the gift-giving line.
The fiscal resiliency of state and local governments, schools and non-profits in 2021 is going to hinge significantly on vendor collaboration and creativity.
Suppliers need to pay attention to the rapidly changing behaviors of government buyers in these tumultuous times. You never know when your business may fall into – or out of – favor.
It can be hard to keep up with government spending priorities these days. In many cases, you won’t know what has been approved for purchase amidst frequent budget cuts and funding reallocations until a solicitation is posted online.
You’ll still be the first to know when new government bid opportunities are posted by more than 100,000 agencies across North America.
Suppliers may need to adjust their sales and marketing strategies as more states begin to centralize procurement functions in an effort to reduce waste and give local governments more buying power.
As government operations start to settle into their “new normal,” many IT projects paused during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic will start to resume. Will you have the resources to hit the ground running once again?
Federal contracting officials are required to follow the FAR for all purchases. State and local agencies will also use it to guide their procurement policies in many cases, although they may also leverage other “localized” regulations. Make sure you confirm each agency’s sourcing and contract award processes before responding to solicitations.
Many professionals are now being required to disclose their once private political activities in a somewhat public manner or halt their activity altogether. What does this mean for your future of public sector bidding?
Despite ongoing budget cuts, state and local government contract awards are staying steady. Winning one or two could be just what you need to sustain your business when consumer or commercial sales slowdown.
Winning one government contract doesn’t guarantee you another.
Though you shouldn’t templatize your proposals, you should follow this formula to help improve the quality of your submission.
Understanding what the government needs and wants right now is just part of the process. Here are the other things you should understand when developing your business development strategy.
The government was supposed to rebuild America’s infrastructure from the ground up. But unless more money starts flowing from the top down, contractors are going to have to start looking for new projects to work on. This is where we recommend you start.
The public sector is soliciting for goods and services – and awarding contracts – faster than ever. This is how private sector companies must adjust in order to benefit from these changes.
Agencies’ fiscal health is being closely monitored by private sector companies pursuing new business opportunities with the public sector, as well as current government suppliers worried about the impact on contract renewals.
Not everyone in the public or private sector will resume operations at the same rate due to a number of COVID-19 related impacts. If you are currently under contract with a government agency, or plan to bid on contracts in the coming weeks, there are a few things you need to do to ensure positive outcomes for all.
In a world where everything is seemingly a few clicks away, you might be surprised at how hard it is for government buyers to find what they need.
Sourcing efforts are starting to become more strategic as public entities begin to transition from an emergency response posture to a more sustainable operating model in a socially distant world.
These are the steps you need to take to start receiving bid notifications, register as a vendor and reply to solicitations quickly (and successfully).
The good news is that it’s an easy, 5-minute fix that even tech novices can make. Check to see if it’s impacting you now.
Agencies responsible for public parks, pools, museums and other “fun” destinations are calling on goods and services vendors for help as stay-at-home orders are eased and doors re-open.
If you want to sell to states, cities and counties, it may be in your best interest to secure one of these pre-negotiated “open” contracts.
These are the categories in which public sector spending will be prioritized in the coming months as federal, state and local agencies transition to new “business models” and adapt services to better serve citizens as COVID-19 lingers.
COVID-19 has not slowed technology spending, just abruptly shifted spending priorities, according to public sector leaders and analysts.
In this time of uncertainty, the one thing certain is that our government agencies need your products and services to combat the health and financial crisis at hand.
Do these three things now to give your business a competitive advantage when bidding on government contracts.
There are many ways in which mobile, computer and printing technologies will aid with COVID-19 prevention and response efforts. This could be your chance to demonstrate your capabilities as a supplier – if you can respond quickly to solicitations.
Even the most prepared public sector agencies can find themselves in need of more goods and services, so be prepared for last-minute solicitations when major events occur.
State and local governments are increasingly funding and managing the projects, which means you could have additional advantages when bidding for these contracts.
More businesses are going to enjoy preferential treatment when bidding on state and local contracts.
Spending at the state and local levels continues to climb as digitalization becomes priority.
Here’s proof that it is almost always less expensive – and far more efficient – to outsource your government bid search.
For the next two years, more businesses will be able to qualify as “small businesses” when bidding on government contracts thanks to new regulation.
Planned changes to solicitation and performance tracking processes warrant your attention, if you want to win and retain state (and even local) governments’ business in the coming years.
Many businesses are weary of being audited by the government. However, if you want to do business with the government, you are expected to be transparent about your business practices. Just be prepared and the auditing process will be painless.
Don’t think that a current performance issue will just go away once the project is complete. The good news is that, if you follow these tips and prioritize customer service, you will never have to worry about a dissatisfied customer or performance rating markdown.
It’s even more important to talk about the effort that must go into retaining that business. Many companies forget how much customer service is still valued
If you think the traditional contract bidding process is cumbersome, you have another option to consider when trying to get your foot in the door with government agencies.
Though government agencies will publicly post tens of thousands of IFB, RFQ and RFP solicitations each year, many state and local jurisdictions either require or highly encourage agencies to try to buy off of a pre-negotiated statewide contract first.
First step: find a way to quickly find government bid opportunities that are actually winnable instead of wasting time searching through all posted bids.
Despite the perception of there being a shortage of solicitations in some categories – particularly in certain regions of North America – many state and local government agencies are actually complaining of vendor shortages across nearly every category
There has been a lot of debate lately about whether or not the government is doing enough to utilize small businesses in their procurement of goods, services, construction, and systems.
It’s no secret that government agencies ramp up their spending at the end of every fiscal year as they aim to exhaust available funds before they expire.
