Figuring out how to secure government work takes time and effort. A lot of writing goes into winning government contracts but sometimes it may be the smallest thing that you have missed that has nothing to do with the writing and preparation portion. Tweeking a few things in the process can make a world of difference in getting you closer to achieving your goals take a look at some quick tips that could help.
Get Certified– A large amount of businesses searching for government contracts are small. This is a good thing because twenty-three percent of government contracts are set aside specifically for the small business owner. Getting certified as a small business set aside is not mandatory in most cases, but is very necessary if you want to get your foot in the door. Some examples of certifications are woman owned, veteran owned, service disabled veteran owned, 8(a), Hub zone, minority owned. For each category there are requirements to qualify so make sure you check out what they are before applying. In order to get certified you need to go through the Small Business Administration at www.sba.gov.
Request a Debrief– If you have been submitting proposals and are consistently rejected you need to find out why, the way to do that is by requesting a debrief. A debrief is when the agency that you submitted a proposal to provides you a brief report about your response efficiency. Debriefs can be requested whether you win or lose the bid and it is an awesome way to improve your win rate. The information in the report lets you know what was important to the agency that you were responding to, it focuses on your strengths and weaknesses, and it also gives you an idea of the type of scoring scheme that the agency uses. So remember if you want to improve your chances in winning that contract ask for a debrief.
Stick To Your Profession– Don’t be a jack of all trades. Filling up your SAM report and website with every skill and NAICS code available won’t ensure that you get the bid quicker. To be honest honing in on your specific skill and sticking to the NAICS codes that genuinely apply to the product or service that you provide makes you look more like a professional in your field. If you have experience in different professions and you want to branch out in government contracts try to keep it separate, especially if one profession has nothing to do with the other. For example, if you work in cleaning services and accounting services that is going to be a hard sell combined. It will definitely cause the government to ask questions. They want the assurance that you will be able to perform the task so keep it simple.
If this tip has been helpful I want to hear about it, leave a comment and tell me what you think. If you have questions about government contracts and need my guidance contact me your, “GSA Proposal Maven”