{"id":665,"date":"2021-09-13T14:38:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-13T14:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sam.directory\/blog\/?p=665"},"modified":"2025-05-18T16:08:34","modified_gmt":"2025-05-18T16:08:34","slug":"submitting-government-contracting-proposals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sam.directory\/blog\/submitting-government-contracting-proposals\/","title":{"rendered":"Submitting Government Contracting Proposals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Government Contracts Offer Security <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recent pandemic<\/a> has just shed light on how things can change in the small business <\/a>marketplace in the blink of an eye. Businesses that were doing quite well had to rethink their business models quickly to survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the best ways to expand your business and have a secure lifeline in unexpected rough times is to become a government contractor. The United States government<\/a> is one of the most powerful consumers of goods and services in the world. This is a 600 hundred billion dollar <\/a>industry that is required to set aside at least 23 percent of these contracts specifically for small businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simplified Procedures<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1994 the Federal Acquisition Act<\/a> or FASA simplified the buying procedures of the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the more harsh restrictions on government purchases were removed for any purchase that was less than $100,000. Now agencies used much simpler procedures for analyzing and soliciting bids up to the $100,000 amount. However, the government is still required to advertise all purchases over $25,000 at www.fbo.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These simplified procedures mean that approval levels are lower, there is much less documentation, and administrative details are not as complex. The government now has to reserve purchases that are between $2,500 and $100,000 for small businesses. The exception is the contracting officer cannot obtain offers from two or more small businesses that are competitive on price and quality<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purchases that do not exceed $2,500 individually or through the combination of multiple items are considered micro-purchases<\/a>. These do not require competitive quotes but are not limited to small businesses. Micro-purchases are often made using government-issued purchase cards or typical credit cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consolidated Purchasing Programs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Just like any other organization, the federal government has common purchasing needs such as petroleum products, carpets, furniture, perishable goods, and standard office supplies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this reason, it made sense to centralize the purchasing of various types of common products and services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some new procurement models for acquisition include multi-agency contracts<\/a> and government-wide acquisition contracts or GWACs<\/a>. These types of contracts help obtain long-term vendor agreements with fewer vendors. The GWACs have become very popular because they allow government buyers to quickly fill requirements by issuing orders against existing contracts or schedules without starting a new procurement action from scratch. Agencies can now competitively award several or multiple task order contracts to different firms for the same products and services. This practice allows federal buyers to issue orders to anyone or a combination of several firms with relative ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make Use Of Government-Provided Free Tools.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can identify contracting opportunities online by utilizing tools such as this forecasting tool <\/a>that lets you see what opportunities are available. You can study the government contracts that are a couple of years old to see what requirements are needed to win the job. This puts you in an excellent position to have all your research completed when the contract is about to expire and you put in your proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things To Do Before The Requests For Proposal Or The RFP Is Released.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You should always ask the following questions to fully understand how you are going to structure your winning proposal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n