This presentation serves as information for the basics of government contracting. Companies want to win more government contracts and government agencies want more qualified contractors. We’re here to help. GCA Florida is a state-wide trade association dedicated to connecting Florida businesses and non-profits with the tools, knowledge, and opportunities necessary to secure winning bids with federal, state, and local governments. Our mission is to educate, facilitate, and advocate for members. We support our members through providing training resources, software tools, preparation, marketing strategies, and facilitation of relationships. We work with you to facilitate joint ventures, teaming, alliance and mentor-protege opportunities.

1. A Primer for Government Contracting
Your Facilitator: Cheryl Grazier

2. Why Most
Small
Businesses
Don’t
Compete for
Federal
Contracts
Many companies aspire to do contractual work for the
federal government. The reality however, is most will not.
Some firms are not qualified, some are not competitive,
some will just talk about it, and others, well they just
don’t understand how to prepare proposals that get
attention and win contracts. It is also true that sometimes
the government doesn’t buy the types of goods and
services you sell, or in quantities that make it feasible for
you to bid.
The best preparation for winning government contracts is
understanding the process, aligning skills with needs and
following-through. In other words, prepare, align and
execute–that will help you beat the odds.

3. Objectives
Review federal contract markets and contract
opportunities
How small business are determined
eligible into SBA’s certification programs
Marketing to the Federal Government
Validate the steps of creating a SAM registration
Define the types of contracts and agreements

4. Government
Contracts Overview
The U.S. Government is
the world’s largest
customer
Represents more than ½
trillion dollars
It buys all types of
products and services in
both large and small
quantities
It is required by law to
provide opportunities for
small businesses

5. GOVERNMENT
PRESENCE
85,000 government entities in the US:
1 federal, 24 federal depts., 100+ sub-
agencies,
50 states, 3042 counties,
14,566 districts, 31,131 special
districts,
35,963 cities and townships
640+ Native American Tribes and
5 US territories

6. Government
Contracting
Objectives To
Ensure
Competition is fair and
open
Products and services are
competitively priced
The government gets what
it pays for
Both the government and
contractors comply with the
law

7. Contracting
Opportunities for
Small Businesses
 Ensure that large businesses
don’t “muscle out” small
businesses
 Gain access to the new ideas
small businesses are great at
providing
 Support small businesses as
engines of economic
development and job creation
 Offer opportunities to
disadvantaged socio-ethnic
groups
 Current goal is 23% of all
federal contracting dollars
should be awarded to small
businesses

8. Foundational Steps in Selling to the Government
Determine
Business Size and
Define products
and services
Register in SAM
About Federal
Procurement
Find contract
opportunities
Review
Solicitations and
Writing Proposals
services
Tips to Avoid

9. Determine
Business Size
and Identify
Products and
Services
• What are you offering
to the government?
• Do you meet the
qualifications of a
small business?
• Can you obtain any
small business
certifications?

10. Qualifying As A Small Business
• To be a small business, you must adhere to
industry size standards
• You will self-certify your business as small
business in SAM.
• The SBA, for most industries, defines a "small
business" either in terms of the average number
of employees or average annual receipts over
the past three years.

11. • In addition, SBA defines a U.S. small business
as a concern that:
• Is organized for profit
• Has a place of business in the US
• Operates primarily within the U.S. or makes a
significant contribution to the U.S. economy
• Is independently owned and operated
• Is not dominant in its field on a national basis
• The business may be a sole proprietorship,
partnership, corporation, LLC or any other
legal form
Qualifying As A
Small Business

12. Define Products and Services
Government agencies use the
North American Industry
Classification System (NAICS)
code to identify products and
services by industry type.
A firm can have multiple NAICS
codes.
The NAICS codes do not identify
specific businesses – D-U-N-S
numbers identify vendors

13. Why Qualifying
As a Small
Business is a
Good Thing
If your business
qualifies as a Small
Business:
It will be identified or
placed in a
classification with
whom the federal
government is
statutorily mandated
to do business

14. 14
Social
Economic
Interests
Large Businesses
• White
• Hispanic
• Black
• Native American
• Asian
• Women
Small Businesses

15. Set Asides in
Federal
Government
Small business set-asides are a tool the federal
government designed for helping small
businesses compete for and win federal contracts.
Every year, the federal government purchases
approximately $400 billion in goods and services
from the private sector.
When market research concludes that small
businesses are available and able to perform the
work or provide the products being procured by
the government, those opportunities are “set-
aside” exclusively for small business concerns.

16. Small
Business
Set-
Asides
On
Contract
Value
There are many different types of set-asides. Some are open to
all small businesses; others are open only to small businesses
with certain designations.
Contract Value
$3,500 - $150,000
Every federal government purchase with an anticipated value
above the micro-purchase threshold of $3,500, and up to the
Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) of $150,000, is required
to be automatically and exclusively set-aside for small
businesses.
There must be at least two or more responsible small business
concerns that are competitive in terms of market prices,
quality, and delivery for an automatic set-aside to
occur. (Rule of Two)

17. Small
Business
Set-Asides
On Contract
Value
There are many different types of set-asides. Some are open to all
small businesses; others are open only to small businesses with
certain designations.
$150,000+
Contract opportunities above the SAT of $150,000 shall also be set
aside if the Rule of Two is met.
$700,000 or $1.5M for Construction
Contracts opportunities over $700,000 or $1.5M (for construction),
awarded to Other-than-Small-Businesses (OTSBs), must have small
business subcontracting plans to the extent there are subcontracting
opportunities.

18. Prime
Contract
Goals
The current, government-wide
procurement goal stipulates that at
least 23% of all federal government
contracting dollars should be awarded
to small businesses. In addition,
targeted sub-goals are established for
the following small business categories:
Women
Owned
Small
Business
– 5%
Small
Disadvantaged
Business – 5%
Service
Disabled
Veteran
Owned
Small
Business
– 3%
HUBZone
– 3%

19. Why Get Certified
• Compete with only small businesses
• Compete within specific certifications
Set-aside
Contracts
• Direct Award to One Company
• No competition
• No lengthy procurement process
• Price negotiation
Sole Source
Contracts
19

20. Florida Certifications
(Top Florida Programs)
DBE (FDOT)
MBE
WBE
DMS (FL)
MBE
WBE
VBE
20

21. Local Florida
Certifications
Local: (Counties)
Broward
CBE (County Business)
SBE
Miami-Dade
SBE
LDB (Local Developing Business)
Palm Beach
SBE
Local: (Cities)
Ft. Lauderdale
Business Academy

22. Commercial
Certifications
22
Utilized by Large
Companies
MBE (NMSDC) /
(GMSDC)
WBE (WBENC)
LGBTBE (NGLCC)

23. Register in SAM
• What are you offering
to the government?
• Do you meet the
qualifications of a
small business?
• Can you obtain any
small business
certifications?

24. What Do Your
Need to Get A
D-U-N-S
Number
Mailing address (if
separate from
headquarters and/or
physical address)
Telephone number
Contact name and title
Number of employees at
your physical location
Whether you are
a Home-Based Business
Visit D-U-N-S Request Service to
obtain more detailed instructions on
applying for your
D-U-N-S Number.

25. Register in
System for
Award
Management
(SAM)
SAM is a government-maintained free database
of companies wanting to do business with the
government. This database is a marketing tool
for businesses and a searchable list of
prospective vendors for the government.
The System for Award Management, more
commonly known as SAM, is the primary
source for agencies to learn about prospective
vendors.

26. Developing A
Winning SAM
Profile and
Preparing
Capability
Statement
• What are you offering
to the government?
• Do you meet the
qualifications of a
small business?
• Can you obtain any
small business
certifications?

27. Capability
Statement
Such a
statement
should include
specific
capabilities and
skills, past
performance
history, awards
and
commendations
and resumes of
key
management
personnel.
A contracting
officer’s time
is limited and
valuable. A
simple one
page
capability
statement is
more likely to
be viewed,
while a 5-10
page
document
may be tossed
on a pile.
There’s time
later on for
amore
detailed
description of
your firm’s
capabilities.
Initially, you
just want to
pique their
interest in
you.

28. SAM Registration
Tips
A company’s profile in SAM
must be updated at least
once every 12 months–for
the profile to stay active.
Completing an accurate and
appealing small business
profile in the government’s
SAM system is an important,
foundational step in
marketing goods and services
to the federal government.

29. SAM Registration
Tips
The review should include
accessing the SAM site and
performing multiple searches,
as if you were looking to hire
a firm similar to your own
business.
Review profiles of businesses
in similar areas of expertise
and use them as guides.
Also, treat your SAM and
Dynamic Small Business
Profile as your business
resume.

30. About Federal
Procurement
• Purchases made by the Federal
Government must comply
with Federal Acquisition
Regulations (FAR), which governs
all Federal acquisitions.
• Agencies are bound by certain
regulations based on several
• Based on the agency's
expectations, they may choose to
use a certain type of contract that
best matches their needs.
• A successful contractor must have
a basic understanding of the FAR
as well as the types of contracts
most often used by agencies.

31. Types of
Government
Contracts
There are many types of contracts used by Government
agencies. FAR parts 12 (Acquisition of Commercial Items),
13 (Simplified Acquisition Procedures), 14 (Sealed Bidding),
15 (Contracting by Negotiation), and 16 (Types of
Contracts) all contain critical information related to the
commonly used contract types.
Contractors wishing to obtain a contract should review
these contract vehicles, their purposes, limitations, and
application requirements to determine what the best
match is for your organization.

32. Types of
Government
Contracts
1. Firm-Fixed Price
2. Firm Fixe Price with
Economic Adjustments
3. Firm Fixed Price with
Incentive Fee
4. Firm Fixed Price Award
Fee
5. Indefinite Delivery –
Definite Quantity
6. Indefinite Quantity
7. Blanket Purchase
Agreements (BPA)
8. Time and Material
9. Labor Hour
10. Letter

33. 33
Types of
Contracts
Firm- Fixed-Price
Firm-Fixed-Price
with Economic
Adjustments
Firm-Fixed-Price
Incentive Fee
Firm-Fixed-Price
Award Fee
Indefinite Delivery-
Definite-Quantity
• -Requirements

34. 34
Types of
Contracts
Indefinite-
Quantity
Blanket Purchase
Agreements
(BPA)
Time and
Material
Labor Hour
Letter

35. Types of
Government
Contractors
Types of Government
Contractors
Prime contractors bid on
and win contracts
directly from
government agencies
Subcontractors join
prime contractors’
teams, usually to provide
a specific capability or
product

36. Subcontracting
If, after assessing the capabilities
and capacity of your business,
you conclude that you are not
ready to bid competitively for
prime contracts, you should
consider opportunities available
through subcontracting.
Subcontracting with a prime
contractor can be a profitable
experience as well as a growth
opportunity for a business.

37. 37
Methods of Procurement
Micro Purchases (Credit
Cards, $1-$3,000)
Simplified Acquisitions
($3,000- $5.5 Million)
Sealed Bids (Price only)
• Invitation for Bid (IFB)
Negotiated (Price or Cost)
• Request For Quote (RFQ)
• (Price only)
• Request For Proposal (RFP)
• (Price or Cost Data)
Sources Sought (Information
only)
• Request for Information
(RFI)

38. Micro-
Purchases
(Credit Cards,
$1-$3,000)
Micro-
purchases:
Government
purchases of
up to $2,500
in individual
items or
multiple
items whose
aggregate
amount does
not exceed
$2,500 are
now classified
as "micro-
purchases"
and can be
made without
obtaining
competitive
quotes.
All federal
purchases
above $2,500
but under
$100,000
must be
reserved for
small
businesses,
with
exceptions
Government
agencies are
still required
to advertise
all planned
purchases
over $25,000
in thousands
government
websites

39. Simplified
Acquisitions
Simplified
Acquisitions
($3,000- $5.5
Million)
Simplified acquisition is a
contracting method which seeks to
reduce the amount of work the
government must undertake to
evaluate an offer. When choosing a
vendor in a simplified acquisition
procurement, agencies are not
required to complete formal
evaluation plans, establish a
competitive range, conduct
discussions or score offers.
Because source selection is less arduous under
simplified acquisition, the dollar value of
contracts allowable under simplified acquisition
theoretically is capped at $150,000.

40. Sealed Bids
Sealed bidding is how the government contracts
competitively when its requirements are clear,
accurate and complete. An Invitation For Bid (IFB,
IFBs) is the method used for the sealed bid
process.
IFBs usually include a copy of the specifications
for the particular proposed purchase, instructions
for preparation of bids, and the conditions of
purchase, delivery and payment schedule. The IFB
also designates the date and time of bid opening.

41. Negotiation
(Proposals)
When using FAR 15 negotiation methods, federal
contracting agencies solicit proposals from the public.
After receipt of bids, the negotiation process allows
for discussions, clarifications, revision of proposals
and allows for the government also to negotiate
pricing and other critical aspects that may lead to
better value.
The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) states that
any contract awarded using other than sealed bidding
procedures is considered a negotiated contract.
These contract negotiations are exchanges, in either a
competitive or sole source environment, between the
Government and offerors, which are undertaken with
the intent of allowing the offeror to revise its
proposal.

42. Request for
Proposal
It entails the
negotiation of each
element in the
proposal. An award is
made to the proposer
who has the best
proposal in terms of
both technical content
and price.
Negotiation
procedures may be
applied to more-or-less
standard items, when
negotiation authority
has been properly
documented by the
contracting office.
Products or services
may be purchased by
negotiation when it is
impossible to draft
adequate
specifications or to
describe fully the
specific item, service,
or project.

43. Request for
Quotation
An RFQ may be used
when the government
does not intend to
award a contract on
the basis of the
solicitation but wishes
to obtain price,
delivery, or other
information for
planning purposes.
Requests for
Quotations (RFQs)
may be used in
negotiated
procurements to
communicate
government
requirements to
prospective
contractors. A
quotation received in
response to an RFQ is
not an offer, and
consequently, cannot
be accepted by the
government to create
a binding contract.

44. Sources Sought
Are notices used by federal
agencies to solicit interest in a
project under consideration by that
agency. They are not requests for
proposals or invitations to bid; they
come earlier in the procurement
process.
Such notices are useful to the
agency as market research, by
determining the availability of
contractors to perform the project.
They are useful to the contractors
as their responses may influence
the terms used by the agency in
defining the requirements for the
project. The notices are published
online by the General
Services Administration of the
federal government.

45. Find Contract
Opportunities
Look to see which agencies are
buying, what their needs are
and when they need it.
Review Federal Business
Opportunities, commonly
known as FBO or FedBizOpps.
View past awarded contracts in
the FBO–to help you with
preparing future proposals or
bids.

46. Federal Business
Opportunities
To outreach contract opportunities to the
public, the federal government operates a
robust, online service called Federal
Business Opportunities, but more
commonly known as FBO or FedBizOpps
This single entry, government-wide
website profiles available business
opportunities and is one of the most
powerful tools available to help you
become successful in government
contracting. The online tool identifies
contract opportunities over $25,000.00.

47. Use
Procurement
Vehicles
Multiple Award Schedules
allow the government to
benefit from economies of
scale and make it easier to
sell to the government.
Two examples
GSA Schedules
Government Wide
Acquisition Contracts

48. Market
Directly to
Agencies
Good marketing is the key to selling to
the government
Learn what agencies and/or prime
contractors need and then show how
your business can fill the specific need
and add value

49. Learn From Others
Network, ask questions and cultivate
relationships
Engage knowledgeable people who can
help guide you through the challenging
aspects of trying to win federal contracts

50. Review
Solicitations
and Writing
Proposals

51. Review the
Solicitation and Rules
Carefully read the solicitation, including
all applicable schedules, clauses and
attachments
The solicitation is designed with all of
the information needed to write a
successful proposal
Also, make sure you review and
understand the regulations (FAR Parts)
governing the specific type of solicitation
you plan to respond to

52. Solicitation
Numbers and
Alpha
Character
The alpha character or code used in the
numbering system is important to
understand. Different letters mean different
things.
For instance:
R is for request for proposal,
M is purchase order,
C is contract of all types,
 I is for sealed bid,
J is reserved,
T is for a request for quote under $25K,
and
Q is for a request for quote under $150k.

53. Solicitation
Numbers
The first six digits identify the buying
facility.
The second two digits indicate the fiscal
year the contract will be executed in.
The alpha character defines the type of
solicitation–which is both revealing and
important. The R character–shown here
-- indicates a request for proposal.

54. How to Write the Proposal
Preparing a response to a government procurement
request should be approached with diligence and
professionalism.
You must take the time to do the research, prepare and
respond clearly and appropriately, aligning your
proposal with the government’s needs and articulating
what makes you the best solution provider. These
elements are critical to successful proposal writing.

55. Prepare and
Respond
Appropriately
Solicitations are usually very specific
and follow a uniform contract format. It
is important that you respond, as you
are asked–answering all questions,
providing all information and following
all schedules in the order, time-frame
and structure requested
Eliminate any guesswork by ensuring
that each response is appropriately
identified so the reviewer can readily
recognize the section of the RFP which
is being addressed

56. Align Proposal
with the
Government’s
Needs
A good proposal will
clearly articulate how the
bidder can solve the
problem
Understanding the
government’s need is
important. Even more
important, however is
how your firm plans to
execute or deliver an
appropriate solution
A proposal may look good
and read well, but if it is
not clearly aligned with
fulfilling the government’s
needs, it will likely fall
behind other more
substantive, solution
focused proposals
Substantiate how you can
do the specific work that
is needed

57. What Makes
You the Best
Solution
The key is creating a proposal package that describes why
your company offers the best solution and is the best fit to
perform the work.
Your solution should:
1. Respond appropriately to the solicitation
2. Demonstrate how your firm can fulfill the
government’s need
3. Offer fair and competitive pricing
4. Is well-written and error free;
5. Evidence of success through past performance
6. Create a compelling case for your firm as the best
solution.

58. Tips to Avoid
Not fully understanding
the
solicitation
Submitting incomplete or
late
submission
Not fully understanding
contract requests
Not asking for a review

59. What to
Avoid
Not fully understanding the
solicitation and governing
regulations;
Submitting an incomplete or
late submission;
Not providing specificity or
focus; not understanding
best value considerations;
unrealistic pricing; failure to
address evaluation factors;
and errors in the
submission.
If you aren’t selected for a
contract, consider asking for
a debriefing to learn where
you may have gone wrong
and what you can do to
improve your future
proposals

60. GET
REGISTERED
www.sam.gov System Award
Management (Previously
www.ccr.gov)
www.irs.gov Federal Tax
Identification Number
Fedgov.dnb.com/webform
Dun and Bradstreet Number
1-866-705-5711

61. Know the rules……

62. 62
QUESTIONS?
?

63. Let Me Ask You A
Question
If you had an experienced
guide to take you where you
wanted to go, would you
follow?

64. IF ALL THIS DID
WAS…
Provide you with the step-by-
step guidance and hand
holding you need to win
contracts…
Would it be worth it?
Got you was your 1st contract
for $60,000…
Would it be worth it?
Gave you the formula to
become a successful
government contractor…
Would it be worth it?

65. Getting Started
Membership has it’s
Privileges
Become a MEMBER

66. A Primer for Government Contracting
Your Facilitator: Cheryl Grazier