Work with the federal government requires filing paperwork with Central Contractor Registration. That's the only true requirement to work with the federal government, said George Murray, business development specialist with the U.S. Small Business Administration's Philadelphia office.
The registry's website is www.bpn.gov/ccr/default.aspx.
But registering should not be the end of company action.
"The reality is that if that's all you do, and wait for bids and submit to them, you're not going to have a lot of success," Murray said.
Additionally, if a company wants to do business with the Defense Department and military branches, it has to register with the Online Representations and Certifications Application, or ORCA, an e-government initiative, according to SBA. Its website is orca.bpn.gov.
The SBA offers a 12-month webinar series that emphasizes how small businesses can improve their chances of landing contracts with the government and military, said John Banks, the lead business development specialist with SBA's Philadelphia office.
The three-hour seminars detail everything from how to reach buyers in federal agencies to how companies can market themselves better to demonstrate their services or products have usefulness to the government, Banks said. For more information call the office at 610-382-3062.
Twenty-three percent of all U.S. government purchases have to go to small businesses, he said. With the government purchasing $500 billion worth of services and products, that means many midstate companies have a shot at a share of nearly $100 billion in contracts, he said.
"The U.S. government buys everything … everything," Banks said. "If you make it, the government buys it."
Even if they don't win a direct contract, there's always opportunity to be subcontractor, he said. About $65 billion a year goes to small companies in that capacity, he said.
"Understanding where those opportunities lie and targeting for that is really the key for small businesses finding success," Murray said.
Firms that want to do business with the midstate's military installations, such as Naval Support Activity Mechanicsburg and the Defense Distribution Depot Susquehanna, both in Cumberland County, need to understand what the commands on the base do, he said.
Naval Inventory Control Point at NSA Mechanicsburg buys spare parts for ships and submarines, Murray said. Other commands buy logistical consulting and technology services to more efficiently purchase, track and move that equipment from the middle of Pennsylvania to a battleship in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Defense Logistics Agency at DDC Susquehanna in York County buys parts and products for bases worldwide, Murray said. The Navy depot in northeast Philadelphia purchases and distributes other essentials, such as food, clothing, medicine and construction materials, he said.
Depending on the agency and the products to be purchased, there are likely to be quality certifications for manufactured goods, he said.
Companies also need to have access to at least two months' worth of capital, which is used to hire workers, buy supplies and perform work on a contract, Murray said. The government doesn't want risk a contract not being completed, he said.
Government contracting sounds like a lot of red tape, but most businesses don't get involved because they don't understand it, he said.
"Once you understand the process, it's really not as difficult as it looks from the outside," Murray said. "You get used to it and it becomes a way of doing business."
---
Autor(en)/Author(s): Jim T. Ryan
Quelle/Source: Central Penn Business Journal, 08.04.2011
Bitte besuchen Sie/Please visit:
