Understanding The Marketplace
It might at first feel like working for the government is very unpredictable. Contractors can be affected by a variety of factors such as budget cuts, regulatory pressures, change of administration, and stringent accounting rules.
However, all marketplaces can be volatile and change rapidly according to the whims of consumers. A company needs to make sure that they have a deep understanding of the end buyer and why they want to use their products and services.
This is also true for the United States Government. You will need to develop relationships and cultivate trust that allows you to showcase your competitive advantage. Strategically managing the right relationships might guarantee you the federal government as a solid client that can assure your business of a bright future.
The Federal Government Offers Great Opportunities For Many Types Of Businesses
The government designates a portion of the contracts for women-owned small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, companies within historically underutilized business zones (HUBZone), and service-disabled, veteran-owned small organizations. This allows underserved groups to have a real chance to get awarded lucrative government contracts.
How Do I Know Government Contracting Is Right for My Company?
There is very little certainty in business. Having a powerful client that is known for paying its bills on time, like our Federal Government, is a great asset.
Also, many of your competitors might be dismissing the idea of being a government contractor as being too much trouble. This means that there could be surprisingly little competition in some spaces. Their shortsightedness can be your company’s advantage to get ahead and obtain some very lucrative contracts.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
FEMA is a government agency that handles disasters such as tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes. They are always hiring government contractors, particularly since much of their work revolves around being able to mobilize a large workforce in a relatively short period of time. These jobs can range from providing temporary housing to the displaced to providing clean water and food to those in need. Go to this site to find out more about small businesses working with FEMA.
FEMA is also part of the Department of Homeland Security. This is another agency that has many contracting opportunities. Just go to https://www.dhs.gov/do-business-dhs to learn more about this agency.
A Small Business Must Understand FEMA’s Mission
FEMA helps people who have suffered through major disasters. The president will make a declaration of a major disaster which prompts FEMA to get their people on the field. The agency will work with governments on the federal, state, local, and even tribal levels to help those in need. They assist survivors and sometimes get on the ground even before the disaster occurs.
They look for small business contractors who can provide goods and services in the following type of situations:
- Emergency Support Functions
- Mission Assignments
- State Emergency Management Agencies
- National Response Framework
Emergency Support Functions (ESF)
These functions provide the structure for coordinating support across several Federal agencies. They are a way to bring together functions that provide federal support to states and federal-to-federal support, both for Stafford Act (an act that provides statutory authority for FEMA) declared disasters and emergencies and for non-Stafford Act incidents. They include the following:
- ESF #1: Transportation
- ESF #2: Communications
- ESF #3: Public Works and Engineering
- ESF #4: Firefighting
- ESF #5: Information and Planning
- ESF #6: Mass Care, Emergency Assistance, Temporary Housing, and Human Services
- ESF #7: Logistics
- ESF #8: Public Health and Medical Services
- ESF #9: Search and Rescue
- ESF #10: Oil and Hazardous Materials Response
- ESF #11: Agriculture and Natural Resources Annex
- ESF #12: Energy
- ESF #13: Public Safety and Security
- ESF #14: Cross-Sector Business and Infrastructure
- ESF #15: External Affairs
The Federal government relies on civilian contractors to provide many of the goods and services needed for many of the Emergency Support Functions.
National Response Framework
This is the main guide to how the Federal government will respond to national emergencies. It must be very flexible to handle all the different types of disasters that can happen in a country that is as vast as the United States of America.
The NRF is structured to help all levels of the government to:
- Develop whole community plans
- Integrate continuity plans
- Build capabilities to respond to cascading failures among businesses, supply chains, and infrastructure sectors
- Collaborate to stabilize community lifelines and restore services
Department of Energy
The Department of Energy defines its mission as “…. to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.”
The Department of Energy has a network of 36 Facility Management Contracts. They include the following:
- Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
- Office of Environmental Management
- Office of Fossil Energy
- Office of Nuclear Energy
- Office of Science
- National Nuclear Security Administration
This provides many opportunities for contractors that have energy management capabilities and supplies.
Infrastructure Construction
There are at least 21 billion dollars allocated for infrastructure spending by the federal government. The United States is a vast land of highways, roads, bridges, and dams. All of these structures need to be constantly maintained for safety and to fuel a strong vibrant economy. The country also needs to construct new infrastructure to keep up with the needs of a growing population.
These types of large infrastructure projects take years to complete and will be a viable source of revenue for many types of small businesses. The United States government will need supplies, labor, and services for these projects for many years to come.
Remember Registration With The SAM Directory Is The Vital First Step
SAM stands for System Award Management.
To do any business with the federal government, you must register your business in the System for Award Management directory. The government will not hire any type of business (large or small) that has not registered in the SAM directory.
Please read one of the helpful blog articles on our site like Everything You Need to Know About SAM for Small Businesses. These blogs will help give you all the information you need to understand how we can help make the process very easy for you.