Why Small Businesses Should Consider Being Construction Contractors

Being A Government Contractor Is A Great Way To Make Your Business Stand Out In An Overcrowded Field

Business can be very competitive. Working on government projects is a great way to make a mark in an oversaturated market. The government has a great deal of work specifically set aside for small businesses.

Also, many small businesses often do not want to deal with the hassle of working with the government, and sometimes there can be surprisingly little competition for a government project. That is why utilizing Sam Directory to handle all the confusing registration requirements is a very smart investment. 

Each year, the Federal Government spends billions of dollars on the construction of roads, schools, and other public infrastructure. This is a great field to pursue that will not be slowing down anytime soon due to the recent pandemic.

Why Work For The Government?

There are many compelling reasons to work for the Federal Government.  We will go into in-depth detail about how a small business can benefit greatly from being a government contractor.

Websites That Help Your Business Find Contracting Jobs

Help is available from special small business programs that encourage participation by small businesses and help these businesses navigate the government contracting maze This includes small businesses owned by minority and traditionally disadvantaged groups. These programs, which are administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA), assist small businesses on how to obtain both large business and government procurements.

Here is a list of websites that are provided by the government to help small businesses obtain contracting information.

FedBizOpps (Federal Business Opportunities): This is the spot for government procurement opportunities of $25,000 or more. Here, buyers for the government are able to publicize their business opportunities by posting information directly to FedBizOpps and commercial companies looking to do business with the government are able to find opportunities solicited by the entire federal contracting community. (http://www.fbo.gov)

Small Business Administration (SBA): This site has a great deal of information pertaining to small businesses as well as SBA-Net, a gateway to opportunities, and a great place to network. It has a direct connection to the CCR database, which is fast becoming the sole database used by government buyers to locate potential small business contractors.

Procurement Gateway: This is the Defense Logistics Agency site for all opportunities posted from its procurement offices. The defense department is one of the largest consumers of goods and services in the government. Their procurement department is encouraged to work with small businesses and this can be a very lucrative opportunity for a lot of small to midsize companies.

Federal Acquisition Jumpstation: This site has most links to the federal sites that small business owners would be smart to explore

Recovery.gov – This particular government website provides easy access to important data related to the Recovery Act  and allows for the reporting of potential fraud, abuse, and other types of government waste

E-VerifyThis is a handy website in which employers can determine if an employee is eligible to work in the United States based on information reported on the employee’s I-9 form. 

USA.govThis site is all-encompassing and has a lot to offer small businesses. It is a gateway to other government websites that can be very important to small businesses. This is the place to find info on how to do business with the federal government, Data and Statistics, Laws, and Regulations.

FedWorldThis system contains the full text of 7,407 U.S. Supreme Court Decisions from 1937 to 1975. Decisions are available as ASCII text files that can be read on your browser’s screen or saved to your hard drive and accessed by using most word processor programs. It often also has a listing of government jobs

Department of Veteran AffairsThis government agency is particularly helpful to assist veteran-owned small businesses in obtaining federal contracting opportunities.

Library of CongressThis is a guide to finding information on federal government contracting. It is intended for anyone, from novice contractors to those who have more experience with working with the government. Included are statistical sources, news sources, and administrative sources.

The Federal Government Has Government Personnel That Are Strictly Utilized to Help Small Businesses Be More Competitive In Securing Government Contracts

Here are some examples:

  • SBA Procurement Center Representative (PCR): Procurement Center Representatives are often located at a major government buying office, even though they technically work for the Small Business Administration. They will identify items and services that could be produced or provided by small businesses and try to get them “set aside” for small businesses, which means that only small businesses can bid for the contracts. 
  • Competition Advocate: This person is responsible for promoting full and open competition at high management levels in the major buying offices. They are supposed to challenge overly restrictive statements of work and contract clauses that can prove to be burdensome. They also try to expand competition for items by offering challenges to requirements that are not deemed necessary for the performance or essential physical characteristics. 
  • Small Business Specialists (SBS): The law requires that every government buying location must have a Small Business Specialist. These specialists work specifically with small businesses to help them to do business with that office. Larger government offices might have full staff while smaller offices might only have one part-time employee assigned to this role. Major government buying offices have full-time staff, while smaller offices have a part-time person assigned to that task. 
  • SBA Commercial Marketing Representative (CMR): Commercial Marketing Representatives keep track of large companies doing work for their departments. These representatives are often the go-to person for fantastic subcontracting opportunities for small businesses. 

Register With SAM

SAM stands for System Award Management.

In order to do any business with the federal government, you must register your business in the System for Award Management. The government will not hire any type of business that has not registered in the SAM directory.

How Do You Get Started Working With The Government?

For example, the following are the steps to apply for a federal grant:

  • Step 1: Obtain a DUNS Number
  • Step 2: Register with SAM
  • Step 3: Register with Grants.gov