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Questions and Answers about Government Contracting
- Question:
- Doing business with the government is
too complicated, involves too much red tape and
it takes forever to get paid.
- Answer:
- The government uses many commercial
and business friendly practices, such as buying
off the shelf items and paying by credit card.
Payments are generally received within 30 days
after submitting an invoice.
- Question:
- There’s no one I can turn to in trying to
obtain government contracts.
- Answer:
- SBA and its network of resource partners
have programs and “hands-on” assistance
for small businesses contemplating selling to the
federal marketplace.
- Question:
- I must compete head-to-head against
large businesses and multinational corporations to
win contracts.
- Answer:
- The government has many categories of
contract opportunities set aside exclusively for
small businesses to level the playing field.
- Question:
- All I need to do is register in the Central
Contractor Registration system and the contracts
will come rolling in.
- Reality:
- Although the CCR is a primary way
federal agencies learn about prospective vendors,
it’s up to you to aggressively market your firm
to those agencies that buy your products and services.
Remember, agencies don’t buy, people do.
- Question:
- The low offeror always wins the contract.
- Answer:
- While price is always a consideration,
the government increasingly awards contracts
for goods and services based on “best value,” in
which both technical and cost factors are weighed
in the final assessment.
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