Doing Business With Us

Doing business with federal government agencies can be very lucrative for the people who learn how to maneuver through the maze of registrations, certifications and regulations. If you are ready to start, these are the first steps you need to take to open the door to federal business opportunities.

13 Steps for Vendors

  1. Identify your product or service. It is necessary to know the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for your product or service. Most federal government product/service listings and procurements are identified by their NAICS code and/or PSC (Product Service Code). You can find the codes relating to your business at this Web site: NAICS codes: http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html

Note: If your business primarily sells IT products/services and/or has innovative services/products to demonstrate to USACE, first view the information here.

 

  1. Check with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to determine whether your business falls within the established table of small business size standards matched to NAICS industries. You may be very surprised just how big a company can be and still be considered "small" in the eyes of the federal government. http://www.sba.gov/size/

 

  1. Obtain a UEI (Unique Entity Identifier) in SAM.gov. (The UEI replaced the DUNS number on April 4th, 2022).  The Unique Entity ID (SAM) is a 12-character alphanumeric value managed, granted, and owned by the government.  This is a business identification number that is used much like a person uses a social security number.

 

  1. You must be registered in SAM to do business with the Federal Government.  The System for Award Management (SAM) is a Federal Government-owned and operated free website that has consolidated the capabilities of FedBizOpps, CCR/FedReg, ORCA, EPLS, and more. https://sam.gov/content/home

 

  1. Determine if your business qualifies for special certification.  Small Business 8(a), SDB (Small Disadvantaged Business), WOSB (Woman-Owned Small Business), EDWOSB (Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business), SDVOSB (Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, HUBZone (Historically Underutilized Business Zone). These certifications are detailed. They are essentially for companies that are owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals or small businesses with specific qualifying factors.  When contracting, the federal government sometimes sets aside procurements for or offers preferences to 8(a), SDB, WOSB, EDWOSB, SDVOSB, or HUBZone certified business concerns. http://www.sba.gov/gcbd/

 

  1. Begin to search for current federal government procurement opportunities. Identify current procurement opportunities in your product or service area by visiting the SAM.gov web site at https://sam.gov/content/home, which is the Federal Civilian and Military Government single point of entry for business opportunities over $25,000.  You can visit the “Small Business Tips for SAM.gov” portion of our public website for tips on how to search for opportunities within the New Orleans District https://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Business-With-Us/Small-Business/Opportunity-Search-Tips/

 

  1. Familiarize yourself with both the federal civilian and Department of Defense (DoD) contracting legal procedures. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) can be found at https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far.  Individual federal agencies also have supplemental procurement regulations, such as the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) located at https://www.acquisition.gov/dfars.  These are the legal regulations for federal acquisitions. If you are serious about federal procurements, you need to know and understand the legal requirements and regulations pertaining to federal contracts.

 

  1. Investigate if "getting on the GSA Schedule" is right for you. Federal agencies can use Government-wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) and the General Services Administration's (GSA) Federal Supply Service (FSS) Schedule Contracts to make purchases. These pre-approved contracts are used to buy commonly used products, services, and solutions needed to fulfill their missions and day-to-day operations. These opportunities are rarely announced on SAM.gov but are normally competed amongst pre-qualified vendors already under contract. http://www.gsa.gov

 

  1. Seek additional assistance, as needed, in the federal civilian and/or DoD marketplaces. Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) are federally funded organizations that offer free help. “Ninety-four Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) – with over 300 local offices – form a nationwide network of dedicated procurement professionals working to help local businesses compete successfully in the government marketplace.   PTACs are the bridge between buyer and supplier, bringing to bear their knowledge of both government contracting and the capabilities of contractors to maximize fast, reliable service to our government with better quality and at lower costs.”  Find your local PTAC at https://www.aptac-us.org/.  We cannot stress this enough- PTAC IS YOUR BEST FRIEND!

Louisiana Procurement Technical Assistance Center: https://ptac.louisiana.edu/

Louisiana Coastal Technical Assistance Center: https://www.louisianactac.org/

 

  1. Familiarize yourself with the procurement forecasts for your targeted agencies. Each federal agency typically produces an Annual Procurement Forecast, as required by the Small Business Act, which is maintained by their Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) or equivalent. You may contact each agency OSDBU for specifics.  Use this procurement forecast to determine good prospects for you. https://www.gsa.gov/buying-selling/forecast-of-contracting-opportunities

 

  1. Explore subcontracting opportunities. Regardless of your product or service, it is important that you do not neglect a very large secondary market - subcontracting opportunities through prime contractors. Although there is no single point of entry for subcontracting opportunities in the federal or civilian procurement marketplace, SBA's Sub-Net is a valuable resource for obtaining information on subcontracting opportunities. Prime contractors, government, commercial, and educational entities, may post solicitations or notices on that website. https://eweb1.sba.gov/subnet/client/dsp_Landing.cfm

AND

Search Primes Contractors.  For DoD, the Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) Website lists all major DoD prime contractors by state and provides a point of contact (Small Business Liaison Officer) for each contractor. Investigate potential opportunities with these firms. Many of these firms also have websites that may be useful. Partnering with a prime contractor as its subcontractor can be an excellent entry platform to the Federal marketplace. https://www.sba.gov/document/support-directory-federal-government-prime-contractors-subcontracting-plans

 

Tip: Register for the USACE Contractor Database; This is another tool to help us maximum opportunities for small businesses, at a prime and subcontract level! https://www.usace.army.mil/Business-With-Us/Small-Business/USACE-Contractor-Database/

 

  1. Investigate government programs. There are several SBA programs that may be of interest to you, such as the 8(a) Business Development Program, the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR), the Small Business Technology Transfer Research Program (STTR), and the Technology Resources Network (Tech-Net). https://www.sba.gov/about-sba/sba-locations/headquarters-offices/office-government-contracting-business-development 

    There are several DoD programs, some derived from the aforementioned programs, that may also be of interest to you, such as the Mentor-Protege Program, the Small Business Innovation Research Program, Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions Program, etc. Information on these and other programs is available on the OSBP Website. https://business.defense.gov/ 

 

  1. Market your firm to the right contacts. Identify your prospective government customers, research their requirements, and familiarize yourself with applicable procurement regulations and strategies. There are many procuring organizations to consider and educating yourself about their roles and missions will be no small task- but essential, nonetheless.

See the list of DoD Small Businesses Offices here:

https://business.defense.gov/Work-with-us/Military-Departments-and-Defense-Agencies/