HCIC -

The world's largest buyer of goods and services is the Federal Government, with purchases totaling more than $425 billion per year. The government especially encourages small businesses to bid on contracts for some of these needs. In fact, Federal agencies are required to establish contracting goals, with at least 23 percent of all government buying targeted to small firms.

http://www.sba.gov/contractingopportunities/index.html

Contracting information for Small Business Owners:

Selling to the Federal Government can provide significant revenues for your business-and the process is not as complicated as you may think. This section provides information that can help you position your company for contracting opportunities. It will help you understand the basics of selling to the government, show you how to get started and pursue opportunities, and provide resources that will give you the knowledge and skills you need to help you succeed. Just click on the link "For Small Business Owners."

http://www.sba.gov/contractingopportunities/owners/index.html

SBA Special programs:

SBA has developed a number of programs to help specific groups secure Federal contracts.

http://www.sba.gov/contractingopportunities/owners/start/specialprograms/index.html

HUBZone

SBA's HUBZone ("Historically Underutilized Business Zone") Program is designed to promote economic development and employment growth in distressed areas by providing access to more Federal contracting opportunities.

http://www.sba.gov/hubzone/

8(a) Business Development Program

The 8(a) Program offers a broad scope of assistance to socially and economically disadvantaged firms, helping these entrepreneurs to compete in the Federal contracting arena and to take advantage of greater subcontracting opportunities available from large firms as the result of public/private partnerships. The nine-year program includes counseling and training, as well as potential Federal procurement opportunities. The program's Mentor-Protégé Program allows start-up companies to learn the ropes from experienced businesses.

You can apply to the 8(a) Program by contacting any SBA district office. For more information or questions, call the Division of Program Certification & Eligibility at (202) 205-6417.

Mon-Fri 8am-6pm EDT
1-888-487-2362

To begin the contracting process, follow these steps:

Step 1

Register for DUNS Number: A D&B DUNS Number is a unique nine-digit sequence recognized as the universal standard for identifying and keeping track of businesses worldwide.To register on Central Contractor Registry, you will need to have a DUNS Number.

Step 2

Contractor Registration: Central Contractor Registration (CCR) is the primary vendor database for the U.S. Federal Government, managed by the General Services Administration. Registration in CCR is required in order to be eligible for government contracts.

Step 3

Contract Alerts: FedBizOpps, managed by the General Services Administration, allows businesses to sign up for e-mail notification of open contracts related to specified fields. Commercial vendors can also search, monitor and retrieve opportunities solicited by the entire Federal contracting community.

This site contains links to non-Federal Government Web sites. Linking to these sites do not imply endorsement of any products, services, organizations, companies, information providers or content by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

This page last updated on June 29, 2010 .