System for Award Management

While 2020 was a difficult year for many small businesses (and quite a few larger ones, too), the new year is upon and us and we can look forward with hope to brighter times and the possibility of federal contractor jobs. If you haven’t yet dived into the world of government contracting, now is a perfect time, and here’s why.

1. Federal Contractor Jobs Are Plentiful
The government spends billions of dollars every year buying goods and services from private companies. These include huge corporations, but also plenty of mid-size and small businesses. In fact, the government sets aside a specific amount of its yearly contracting budget just for qualifying small businesses.

If you qualify as a general small business, you also might qualify for what are known as “set asides.” These are special categories created by the Small Business Administration, and government agencies set aside a portion of their budget for these special businesses. These “set asides” include categories such as Woman-Owned Small Business or Veteran-Owned Small Business. These are just a few set asides for which your business might qualify.

You can go to SBA.gov to see if your company qualifies as a small business and to learn more about different types of set asides and 8(a) contracts, which are set-aside contracts for what are known as small disadvantaged businesses and there are many “disadvantages” that will qualify you for this program, such as your location or if you are owned by a person who historically has faced discrimination due to race, gender, sexual orientation, creed, religion or disability.

In general, all contracts worth $150,000 or less are awarded to small businesses, some are “disadvantaged” while others are just general small businesses. Either way, you should take advantage of these opportunities and all that the Small Business Administration has to offer.

Of course, small, mid-size and large companies can compete for government contract jobs worth $150,000 or more. It simply takes time and patience and some serious research to understand the bidding process, types of government contracts and types of bids. While it’s a vastly different world than the private sector, government contracts can be lucrative, and the government always pays its bills.

2. There’s Something For Just About Any Business
When you think about federal contractor jobs, you might think about aerospace or construction or even FEMA disaster jobs. But the government attains most of its goods and services from the private sector, and this includes everything from copy paper to catering services to repair services and much more.

Whether you run an advertising agency or provide janitorial services or repair computers, there’s usually a government agency that needs your services. The System for Award Management (SAM) is the huge central database that includes information about every government contractor and also has a search engine where you can look for contracting opportunities. To see what’s out there for your specific type of business, head to Beta.SAM.gov.

The easiest way to search is by using your North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes or using your Product Service Codes (PSCs). These codes describe the specific goods and services that your company provides. When you use this search parameter, you will tend to find the best contracting matches for your company.

3. State & Local Contractor Jobs Are Lucrative, Too
Keep in mind, that while federal contractor jobs can be lucrative, state and local governments also offer a myriad of contracting jobs throughout the year. You will need to sign up with your state procurement office in order to be eligible for many of these jobs.

To find your state’s procurement, do an internet search for your state name with the word “procurement” next to it. This is the term to describe how the government procures or attains goods and services. Once you get a list of responses from your internet search, click on the result with a .gov extension as this will be the official government site.

4. Federal Contractor Jobs Are Recession-Proof
While many private sector companies cut back business during difficult financial times, the government still needs goods and services. After the government still has to provide services for its citizens. FEMA, the Department of Defense and the many hundreds of other agencies still need help from government contractors.

Government shutdowns can affect contractors, but these typically only last a few days or weeks at most and are fairly rare although we have seen our share of them in the last few years. In some cases, even if the government shuts down, the agency you work with already has their budgeted monies and still may be able to pay you.

5. We Can Help You Get Started
To be honest, while federal contractor jobs can be lucrative, learning the ropes of government contracting is not always easy. The first step is to register with the System for Award Management, which is typically just called SAM registration. At Federal Contractor Registry, this is all that we do. We complete SAM registrations for companies of all sizes, from small businesses up to Fortune 500 firms.

We do charge a fee for our services, and you might be wondering why. After all, the government does not charge a fee to register with SAM. However, SAM registration is confusing and time-consuming, easily taking 10 or more hours to complete. Many people become frustrated with the process, which includes a plethora of government-speak that can be difficult for new government contractors to understand.

We can complete your SAM registration quickly and accurately so that you are approved by the Federal Service Desk (the agency in charge of SAM), and eligible for contracting jobs as quickly as possible. We usually liken ourselves to accountants. You could complete your tax forms by yourself, but the process is time-consuming and complicated, and if you make a mistake, there are serious penalties so it’s easier just to hire an accountant. SAM registration is tricky, so it’s often simply easier to hire a professional registration service.

While the whole process of attaining federal contractor jobs can seem daunting, there is help out there. State government procurement agencies often host webinars or provide helpful information for contractors and the Small Business Administration also provides a ton of help for small businesses owners that wish to get into federal contracting.

Take advantage of help where you can get it, and if you would like to have us handle your SAM registration, you can just click on the New Registration tab on our homepage and fill out our quick contact form. A registration specialist will be in touch as soon as possible to get started with your SAM registration and get you on the path toward winning federal contractor jobs.

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If you want to bid on government contracting jobs, you have to find out what’s available. In the past, the government website FedBizOpps.gov or FBO.gov was the place to go. However, this has changed and FedBizOpps no longer exists and BetaSAM or rather Beta.SAM.gov is the place to go.

Several years ago, the government created a huge database that includes information about every government contractor. This is called the System for Award Management or SAM. In order to do business with the federal government, a company or person must first complete their SAM registration, but we’ll talk more about that in a minute. First, let’s focus on BetaSam.

When you head to Beta.SAM.gov, you can begin to search for government contracts in a few different ways. Right at the top of the page, you will see a search bar that says “I’m looking for . . .” You can go to the tab that says, “All Award Data,” and click on the drop-down menu and select “Contract Opportunities,” and this will take you to the search page.

Additionally, if you are on the homepage of BetaSAM, you can just scroll down a little bit and you will find a Contracting section. Under this, you will see Contract Opportunities (FBO) and beneath that, you can either click on “Learn About Contract Opportunities,” or if you want to go directly to the search engine, simply click on “Search Contract Opportunities.”

How To Use Beta.SAM.gov
Once you reach the search engine, you have several search options to consider. You search using the following criteria:
• Keyword
• Inactive Date
• Published Date
• Updated Date
• Response/Date Offers Due
• Federal Organizations
• Type of Notice
• Entity Name/DUNS
• NAICS
• PSC
• Set Aside
• Place of Performance Location

Let’s take a quick look at each of these options. It is important to note, though, you can search using multiple parameters, which often is your best option.

Keyword
The keyword option is just what it sounds like. You search using keywords that might describe the type of contract you want or the type of service you provide. For instance, if you want to help with disaster relief, you might use the keyword “disaster.” If you want to offer janitorial services or products, you might use the keyword “janitorial.” While this can yield solid results, it’s not always the best way to find a match for your company’s goods and services.

Dates
You can search by Inactive Date, which is when the contract becomes or became inactive. The Published Date, which means the date the government agency published the contract, or by Updated Date, as sometimes agencies will change a contract end date or start date. You also can search by Response/Date Offers Due, which basically means when the due date for your bid. While you can search using dates, it’s usually not the best option unless you mix it with other parameters.

Federal Organizations
If you want to work with a specific federal agency or office, you can search using this parameter. For instance, if you want to bid on FEMA disaster relief jobs, you could search this agency by typing Federal Emergency Management Agency into the search box. Typing the acronym FEMA will not work.

Likewise, if you want to work with the Department of Defense, typing DOD will not work. You will need to type the word Defense. For NASA, you cannot type in NASA, you need to type in National Aeronautics, and then you will see it pop up. This can be confusing, but just try out a few combinations until you figure out how the agency or office is listed.

Type of Notice
For those new to government contracting, this can be a confusing section, as it includes a variety of options that you might not yet understand. This includes Special Notice, Presolicitation, Solicitation, Intent to Bundle Requirements, Award Notice and several others. Until you learn more about the many facets of government contracting, you might keep this search option on the backburner, but it can be a good source for terms every government contractor needs to know.

Entity Name/DUNS
This is actually a way to search for companies that are listed in the System for Award Management rather than a way to search for contracts. However, you could do some research on another contractor using this search which works by typing in the DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System) ID number.

Of course, you would need to know the DUNS number for the company in question, which can be tricky to find. Usually, this is a search for procurement agents at various federal agencies to use to look up information about a potential contractor.

Service Classifications
This includes NAICS, PSCs and Set Aside searches. NAICS stands for North American Industry Classification System. The NAICS codes identify the specific goods and services your company provides. There are 20 different sectors for these codes, including construction, retail trade, health care and more. Within each sector are areas of specialization.

For instance, if you sell wholesale plumbing and heating equipment and supplies, you will have a code of 42372. The 42 is for the Wholesale Sector, and the remaining numbers indicate what you can provide for the government. To find your codes, you can go to https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/2017NAICS/2017_NAICS_Manual.pdf. Or we can find them for you if we complete your SAM registration, which we will explain further down in this article.

PSCs, or Product Service Codes, are much like NAICS codes as they describe the types of products or services you can provide to the government. You can find more information about these codes at https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual. However, we also can determine these for you if we complete your SAM registration.

Set Asides are another search option. These come from the Small Business Administration. The government “sets aside” a portion of its contracting budget specifically for small businesses. In addition to qualifying as a general small business, there are several “set aside” categories, such as Woman-Owned Small Business or Veteran-Owned Small Business. These are just of the categories, and you can learn more about these set asides at SBA.gov.

When you are in BetaSAM, searching using NAICS codes, PSCs and Set Asides can be a great way to find government contacting jobs. With NAICS codes and PSCs, you know you are finding matches for your specific goods or services. You also can use multiple parameters, such as searching by NAICS codes and Set Aside.

Place Of Performance Location
This is just what it sounds like. You enter a zip code and if there are any results in that area, they will pop up. If you use this search, we recommend that you enter multiple zip codes in your area, as just one specific zip code is unlikely to produce a myriad of results.

Of course, finding opportunities at Beta.SAM.gov is just one part of the process of government contracting. You have several requirements to fulfill before you can even bid on these government contracts. You will need to complete your SAM registration and send in a notarized letter to the government identifying your company’s Entity Administrator, which is the person allowed to make changes to your SAM account.

SAM Registration Instructions
In order to become a government contractor, you must complete SAM registration, gain approval and receive a CAGE code, which is your unique identifier in SAM. You can register with SAM for free at SAM.gov, but many people opt to hire a third-party service, such as Federal Contractor Registry, to complete this process.

SAM registration is not a fast or easy process. It can take 10 or more hours to complete and is filled with complicated and confusing government jargon. Many people become frustrated with the registration process and give up on government contracting, which is a shame because can provide a great source of income and help you expand your business.

At Federal Contractor Registry, we complete hundreds of SAM registrations and SAM renewals every year for all types and sizes of companies. We can complete your registration quickly and accurately so that you can gain approval as quickly as possible. We compare ourselves to accountants. While you can complete your tax forms on your own, the tax code is very confusing, and it’s often simply easier to just hand over this task to a professional.

As we complete your SAM registration, one task that you will need to handle is sending in your notarized letter to the Federal Service Desk, which is the federal office that is in charge of SAM and other government systems. You can find instructions for this notarized letter at FSD.gov.

If you head to the homepage, go to the top where it says, “Top Help Topics.” Under the SAM section, click on “Tips for notarized letter.” This leads you to a question about notarized letters. Under the answer, it states “Use one of the templates provided in the FAQs.” If you click on the word “templates” this links to three templates. Typically, most registrants will just need to click on Template 1 and follow the instructions exactly.

Government contracting can be lucrative for many businesses. The government needs virtually every good or service imaginable. Before you give us a call to handle SAM registration, browse through some of your opportunities at Beta.SAM.gov to see what’s available for your type of business. If you see several potential contracting jobs, this indicates that you probably will be a good match for government contracting. So, give us a call, and we will get started with your SAM registration.

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We hear from many clients, especially those just getting started with government contracting that their first year did not yield any results. While this can be discouraging, and you may be thinking about not completing your SAM.gov renewal, we want to share a few reasons why it can be smart to renew.

1. It’s Not Uncommon To Have A Slow Start
In general, it takes most businesses about 18 months (or longer) to earn their first government contract. It takes time to learn the ropes of contracting and to find your niche. If you didn’t earn a contract during your first year, you are not alone.

Not only can it take time to find a government contract that matches your goods and services, but it can also take time for a procurement agent to select a vendor. Unlike the private sector where decisions are often made quickly, the government tends to take its time in many situations. Be patient, and eventually, you will earn that first contract. Once you have earned the first contract, the next contracts typically are easier to attain.

2. There Are Billions Of Dollars Available
The federal government spends billions of dollars every year on government contracts. They need a vast array of goods and services, so why shouldn’t you try and get your piece of the contracting pie? Perhaps this first year wasn’t a great success, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t contracts to earn.

Even when economic times are tough, the government will still need contractors to supply goods and services. Working as a government contractor can provide an excellent recession-proof stream of income. Private companies can go bankrupt, but you can usually rest assured that the government will pay their bills.

It is important to note that it can take time to receive a payment for services rendered, but you will get that paycheck even if it takes 60 days or more. Even if there is a government shutdown, many agencies already have budgets in place and still may be able to pay you. Most shutdowns only last a matter of days, so this really shouldn’t be a deterrent from government contracting.

3. Government Contracting Jobs Help You Diversify
If you are looking for ways to expand your business, the government is an excellent option. While it takes time to win that first contract, once you have secured a contract, it’s easier to obtain future contracts. Procurement agents will see that you already have a track record with government contracting and that gives you an edge.

The government will always need goods and services and diversifying into government contractor jobs can provide you with a steady income stream, particularly if you win a long-term contract. While you shouldn’t neglect private sector clients, we also recommend that you don’t lose faith in the idea of government contracting. It will always be there, even if trying times, so keep up with your SAM.gov renewals and keep trying to win those contracts.

4. There Are Tools To Help You Succeed
Have you signed up with the Small Business Administration? If you qualify as a small business, it can be easier to win some government contracting jobs. The government sets aside a portion of its yearly budget just for small businesses, and these set aside contracts can be easier to win than larger contracts.

Typically, if a contract is worth $100,000 or less, it is awarded to a smaller business. Few small businesses would not welcome a $100,000 contract or even $25,000 or less. In some cases, for smaller contracts, a government procurement agent can make decisions very quickly.

Additionally, sign up with your local Procurement Technical Assistance Center, or PTAC. These centers offer contracting guides as well as workshops and special training events for new government contractors. It’s free to sign up and while in-person events aren’t happening presently due to Covid-19, they are sure to continue again once it is safe.

5. You Can Contract With Your State
With an active SAM registration, you aren’t just eligible for federal government contracting jobs, you also can bid on government contract jobs at the state level. You can sign up with your state procurement agency as well as any other state if you wish. For instance, if your company easily can provide services in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, you can sign up with all three state government agencies.

In some cases, it can be easier to win a state contract than a federal contract, as there often is a bit less competition. Just like the federal government, states also set aside some contracts for small businesses, so if you are small, state government contracting can be a great way to build your business.

State governments also host a variety of workshops and events for government contractors. These are usually low-cost events, and not only will you gather some knowledge, but you will also be able to network with representatives from many state government agencies. Again, these in-person events are not being held because of Covid-19, but once people can meet in person, we highly recommend that you take advantage of what your state government has to offer.

6. GSA Schedules Can Be A Lucrative Option
The General Services Administration is the agency that provides support for all other agencies. The GSA is the agency that is tasked with maintaining federal buildings, provide vehicles to federal agencies and handling many procurement tasks.

GSA Schedules are basically contracts for specific goods or services. For instance, all government agencies need copier paper. A GSA schedule could be created for this supply, and specific paper companies will be chosen to provide paper to any government agency that needs it. Once you are approved for a GSA contract, an agency can contact you and purchase paper.

Of course, you won’t be the only company that will have been approved for this GSA schedule, but it does reduce the playing field a bit and the sales process is faster and easier than bidding on a government contract. You can sell to any government agency and, in some cases, even sell to state or local government agencies.

For more information about GSA schedules, you can go to https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/events-and-training/gsa-training-programs/training-for-vendors/how-to-get-on-schedule. This page, in general, will lead you to many resources for government contractors, so we highly recommend that you take a look.

7. We Can Help!
We know how difficult it can be to complete SAM registration. Renewal can be nearly as frustrating, so it’s little wonder that people dread the process. While you could handle your renewal on your own, it’s easier to simply hire a third-party registration service to hand your SAM.gov renewal. We can complete the process quickly and you will continue to be eligible to bid on government contracts. If you haven’t signed up with SAM, we can help with your initial SAM registration, as well.

If you are dreading the SAM.gov renewal process, give us a call at (800) 985-7658 or click on the blue Renew Registration tab on our homepage. If you do wish to renew, we highly recommend that you contact us several weeks in advance or even months before your renewal date. If you are bidding on contracts but have an expiration date coming up in just a few weeks, procurement agents will be less likely to select your company. So, contact us and get the renewal process started today!

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In theory, if you want to bid on government contracting jobs, all you need to do is sign up with the System for Award Management (SAM). While we can help you with SAM registration, there are a few other tasks you need to handle to make it easier to find, bid on and win government contracts.

How Federal Contractor Registry Can Help
The government does not charge a fee for SAM registration, but the registration process is time-consuming (10+ hours) and complicated. Many potential contractors become frustrated with the process and give up on the idea of government contracting and that’s a shame because there are many lucrative contracts out there for just about any type of business.

Rather than try and navigate your way through the SAM registration process, you can simply hire Federal Contractor Registry to complete the application for you. We are a third-party registration service, and while we do charge a fee, we can complete your application quickly and accurately, so that you are approved and able to bid on contracts as soon as possible.

While we can handle all aspects of SAM registration, there are a few tasks that you will need to complete on your own, including the following:

1. Provide Us With The Required Information
In order to complete your SAM registration, you will need to provide us with the legal business name of your company as well as the physical address of the business, a PO Box will not suffice. Of course, we also will need a contact phone number and email address so that government procurement agents can contact you.

You also need to give us your DUNS number. This stands for Data Universal Numbering System. If you do not have a number or do not know your number, go to www.dnb.com. If you have a number already, you can look it up, and if you don’t, you can sign up and receive one at no cost. We also will need your Employer Identification Number, or EIN, which is listed on your federal tax forms.

We also will need to know a little bit about your business. For instance, we need to know how many employees you have and your gross annual receipts. We also need to know about the goods and services you provide so that we can determine your Product Service Codes (PSCs) and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes.

Additionally, we will need your business bank account number and the routing number for your bank. This information is crucial because this is the account that federal agencies will deposit money into if you win and complete government contract jobs.

2. Send In Your Notarized Letter
The SAM notarized letter requirement is a fairly new development in the world of government contracting. In order to register with SAM, you need to send in a notarized letter that lists your Entity Administrator. This is simply the person that is allowed to make any changes in your SAM account. It might be the business owner or perhaps a trusted employee that will be handling your government contracting.

To obtain a template for this letter, go to FSD.gov. At the top of the page, you will see a tab that says, “Top Help Topics.” Under this tab, there is a section for SAM and the first topic is called “Tips for Notarized Letter.” If you select this option, you will be led to a question about the letter and under the answer, there is a link to the templates. We recommend that you copy the template exactly and follow the instructions carefully so that your letter will be approved and filed quickly.

In the past, you had to have this letter approved by the FSD (Federal Service Desk) before your SAM registration was approved. This is no longer the case, but you do have to send this letter in and have it approved in order to keep your SAM registration active.

3. Sign Up With The SBA, If Applicable
If you qualify as a small business, this can make it easier to win government contracts. In most cases, contracts valued at about $150,000 or less are set aside for small businesses. It might surprise you to learn how big a business actually can be and still qualify as a small business. In some cases, companies with hundreds of employees still qualify.

To check and see if you qualify, head to https://www.sba.gov/size-standards and use the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) size standards tool. You will need to know your NAICS codes, and you can either look them up at https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/ or we can determine these codes for you as we handle your SAM registration.

If you do qualify, you may qualify as more than just a general small business. There are many special categories, known as set asides, for which you may also be eligible. For instance, if the business is majority-owned by a woman or a veteran, these are two types of set asides.

You may also qualify for the 8(a) certification benefits. The 8(a) program was designed for small businesses that are majority-owned by a person who is part of a group that has been economically or socially disadvantaged. This might be because of race or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, physical handicap or other reasons.

Furthermore, if your business is located in a HUBZone, you may qualify for HUBZone set asides. This is an area that has been historically underutilized. It might be located in an inner-city or perhaps a rural area or on Native American lands. Sometimes areas damaged by natural disasters qualify as HUBZones as the government tries to bolster the economy in these areas. To check and see if your business is located in a HUBZone, go to https://maps.certify.sba.gov/hubzone/map#center=39.828200,-98.579500&zoom=5.

4. Create A Capability Statement
We tell people all the time that it’s important to craft a top-quality capability statement. This is a one-page (usually) document that basically acts just like a resume. Instead of representing a single person, the capability statement represents your business.

The capability statement will include contact information as well as general statistics about your company, including your NAICS codes, your DUNS, your PSCs and more. You also will have a section entitled Core Capabilities, which lists what goods and services you can provide to government agencies.

There will be a section entitled Past Performances, and this is a list of your previous clients. Another section, entitled Differentiators, is a section where you explain what sets your company apart from other companies. There are many examples of capability statements available on the internet, and while we work on your SAM registration, you can work on building this special type of government resume.

5. Educate Yourself About Bidding & Contracts
While SAM registration is complicated, it’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to government contracting. We highly recommend that you spend some time learning about the different types of bids and the different types of contracts.

You could start by simply taking a look at what types of contracts currently are available for your goods or services. Do a quick check at Beta.SAM.gov. This is a database that lists all government contracts. You can search by agency or by date, but it’s often easiest to search using your NAICS codes or PSCs, which, again, we can figure out for you if you use our service for SAM registration.

In addition to looking at federal contracting jobs, every state has its own procurement system, and we highly recommend that you sign up with your state’s procurement database. You will need to complete SAM registration for state government work as state governments do ask for your CAGE Code when you register. The types of contracts and bids at the state level are similar to the federal government’s, so any knowledge you gain about contracting can help you win state or federal contracts.

Once you see the types of bids or contracts that meet your company’s goods and services, start researching how to bid. Some companies offer training courses, but state governments often can provide you with helpful materials and webinars to further your education. The SBA also has some helpful information for small businesses wishing to dive into government contracting.

Get Started With Government Contracting
If you would like to get started, simply head to our homepage and click on the green New Registration tab and fill out our quick contact form. A SAM registration specialist will be in contact with you as soon as possible to gather your information and get started on your SAM registration.

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If you are interested in government contracting and qualify as a small business, you may be eligible for 8a certification through the Small Business Administration (SBA). This is a business development program exclusively for small, disadvantaged businesses, and there are many 8a certification benefits.

Is Your Business A “Small” Business?
If you want to enjoy 8a certification benefits, the first step is to ensure that you are considered, by the U.S. government, to be a small business. Many businesses with hundreds of employees qualify as well as those small Mom & Pop shops with just a handful of employees.

To check and see if you are a small business, head to https://www.sba.gov/size-standards/. This is the SBA’s Size Standards Tool. It will ask you several questions, and you must be able to fill in your NAICS codes. This stands for North American Industry Classification System. These codes describe the goods or services that your business provides to clients. To find your codes, go to Census.gov and you’ll find a downloadable guide that lists all the NAICS codes.

However, we also can help you discover which NAICS codes are the best fit for your business as well as your Product Service Codes, which are similar and used by government agencies to search for contractors that match their needs. But we’ll explain our services further down in this blog.

Do You Qualify For 8a Certification?
Once you determine that your company qualifies as a small business, you will need to see if you meet the other 8a qualifications. On its website, the SBA list the following items in its eligibility checklist.

• The business must be at least 51% owned and controlled by U.S. citizens who are economically and socially disadvantaged
• The business must be owned by someone with a personal net worth of $750,000 or less
• The business must be owned by someone whose average adjusted gross income for three years is $350,000 or less
• The business must be owned by someone with $6 million or less in assets
• The owner must manage day-to-day operations and make long-term decisions for the company
• The company principals must demonstrate good character
• The company must show potential for success and be able to perform successfully on contracts

While the first five are fairly straightforward, the last two are somewhat ambiguous. When the government says that a company’s principals need to demonstrate good character, they aren’t following you around to ensure that you don’t litter or jaywalk, this refers to your business dealings. Do the principals have liens against them? Have they been convicted of fraud?

The government wants to ensure that your company and its officers are in good standing and do not engage in unsavory business practices or illegal practices. This is a concern that government agencies have with companies of all sizes, and not just small businesses. After all, government contracts are paid using taxpayer dollars, so if your company principals aren’t trustworthy then taxpayer money might be wasted or misspent.

The last point, about showing potential, basically means that you need to be able to show that you have some past performances that speak to your abilities. Past performances, in government terms, are simply former clients who might be able to attest that your services or goods were high quality and that you are a dependable vendor.

What Are The 8a Certification Benefits?
By now you are probably wondering if signing up is worth the effort, but we urge anyone that qualifies to attain 8a certification. Benefits include having a Business Opportunity Specialist assigned to your company to help with government contracting and you can receive management and technical assistance. This could include training, executive development, marketing assistance and more.

While those are helpful, from our perspective, the best 8a certification benefit is that you enjoy is that you can compete for set-aside and sole-source contracts. This gives you an important edge in the world of government contracting jobs.

Every government agency is supposed to “set aside” a portion of its yearly contracting budget just for small businesses. There are several types of set asides, as they are known. For instance, if your business is owned 51% or more by a woman, you might qualify for the Woman-Owned Small Business set aside and there are several others, as well.

When you are bidding on set-aside contracts, these might be competitive bids where you are bidding against other small businesses or you might be able to acquire a sole-source contract. This is a contract that is awarded without a competitive bidding process. This might be because the items needed are available from just one source or it might be because the agency doesn’t have time to deal with a competitive bidding situation, such as in the case of a natural disaster or other emergencies.

How Can I Sign Up For 8a Certification Benefits?
There are two steps to this process, and the team at Federal Contractor Registry can help with the first step. The initial step is to complete your System for Award Management registration (SAM registration) and get approved by the government as a government contractor.

Once you are approved, you can to Certify.SBA.gov. After you have signed up with SBA, you will need to go into your SAM account and update your business profile to showcase that you are 8a certified. If you aren’t sure how to do this, just give us a call and we can help.

The only catch is that SAM registration can be extremely difficult to complete. It can 10-15 hours to finish the application, and many people become frustrated with the whole process and give up on government contracting. Rather than forgo those lucrative government contractor jobs, you can hire a third-party registration service to complete the process for you, such as Federal Contract Registry.

At Federal Contractor Registry, we handle hundreds of SAM registrations and SAM renewals for businesses of all sizes. While we do charge for our services, we can handle the whole process very quickly, so that you can be approved and bidding on contracts as soon as possible.

If you are unsure how to complete SAM registration or you’ve started the process and become frustrated or confused, give us a call or click on the New Registration tab on our homepage. In addition to completing your SAM registration, we can help you determine if you qualify as a small business and for any 8a certification benefits.

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The federal government includes hundreds of departments, agencies and offices and most of these entities need goods and services from the private sector. In order to work with the federal government, you will need to complete your System for Award Management registration, a complicated process, which is why we’ve created this SAM registration guide.

What is the System for Award Management?
The System for Award Management, usually just called SAM, is the huge database that contains all government contractors as well as those wanting to apply for federal grants. To do business with any government agency, including FEMA, the Department of Defense, etc. you must have completed SAM registration.

How Much Does SAM Registration Cost?
The government does not charge a fee for SAM registration. At Federal Contractor Registry, we are a third-party SAM registration service. You might wonder why someone would pay a third party to register them into the SAM database. While SAM registration is free, the truth is it’s extremely complicated and frustrating. Many of our clients are business owners that started to complete their SAM application, got frustrated or fed up and simply called us instead.

It can take 10-15 hours to complete the SAM application. The application is filled with puzzling government-speak, and if you’ve never dealt with government agencies, you can become quickly confused by the questions and acronyms.

This is why it can make sense to hire a SAM expert just as you would hire someone to complete your taxes. The government does charge you a fee to file your taxes, but they also don’t make the tax code easy to understand, which is why many people hire an accountant.

Additionally, it’s easy to make mistakes on a SAM application, and this can delay the approval process. Using our service or another third-party registration service ensures that your application is completed correctly on the first attempt, and you will be eligible to bid on government contracts sooner.

What We Need From You
Before we can complete your SAM registration, we will need some information about you or your company, including the following:
• The legal name of your business
• The physical address of the business
• A contact phone number
• The names of your company officers
• Your DUNS number (Not sure? Go to www.DNB.com)
• Your checking account number
• Your bank routing number
• A description of your goods or services
• The number of full-time & part-time employees
• Your company’s Tax Identification Number or Employer Identification Number

Once we have this information, we can get started on your SAM registration. When it comes to the bank check account number and routing number, these are required for SAM registration, because this is the account where a government agency will deposit any money owed to you.

How Do I Find Government Contracts?
No SAM registration guide would be complete without some information about what happens after your application is approved. Once you are eligible to bid on contracts, you can find government contracting jobs at Beta.SAM.gov and, if you qualify as a small business, at https://web.sba.gov/pro-net/search/dsp_dsbs.cfm.

The latter website is run by the Small Business Administration (SBA). If you qualify as a small business, there are federal contractor jobs set aside exclusively for small businesses. Once you are approved with SAM, you should register your small business at SBA.gov and determine if you qualify for any of the special “set asides” defined by the SBA.

Set asides are categories of small businesses, such as a woman-owned small business, a service-disable veteran-owned small business or perhaps a business located in a HUBZone. A HUBZone is a historically underutilized area, such as an economically disadvantaged neighborhood in a city. The idea is that the government can improve the economy in these zones by supporting small business owners.

Don’t Forget About State Government Contracting Jobs
Once you are approved with SAM, you will receive what is known as a CAGE code, this is your unique identifier in the SAM database. While you need this CAGE code to do business with the federal government, you also need this to do business with state government agencies, as well.

Contracting with your state government or county governments can be very lucrative, and sometimes it’s easier to get started with state government contracting than with the contracting at the federal level. To find your government procurement website, simply do an internet search with your state name and the word “procurement.” Look for the result with the .gov extension at the end and click on that link to sign up and learn more about opportunities in your state.

Do Subcontractors Need To Register With SAM?
Yes, subcontractors must have an active SAM registration to work with a prime contractor or any government agency. Subcontracting can be a great way to get started with government contracting. Prime contractors (companies with large government contractors) often are required to with subcontractors (small businesses) in order to win those huge government contracts.

Working with a prime contractor can be a great way to get your feet wet in the contracting game, as the prime contractor will handle much of the back and forth with government procurement agents, but you will still learn a bunch about government contracting and how it all works.

5 Steps Every New Government Contractor Should Take
1. Create A Capability Statement – This is basically a resume for government contractors, although it does look different than the resumes people hand into hiring managers. This document should have several sections including a section detailing general information about your company as well as your Core Competencies, Differentiators and Past Performance.

2. Join Your Local PTAC – The Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers can be a great resource for those new to government contracting. Go to APTAC-US.org to find your local Procurement Technical Assistance Center or PTAC.

3. Find Your Niche – Do a search for government contracting jobs at Beta.SAM.gov using your Product Service Codes or North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes to see what types of contracting jobs are available that match your goods and services. If you don’t know your codes, we can help with this during the SAM registration process. This can help you identify which government agencies might be the best fit for you in terms of contracting.

4. Learn About The Bidding Process – There are many different types of bids, and it’s smart to learn all you can about each one before you start bidding on contracts. Sometimes your local PTAC or SBA will offer webinars and sometimes state procurement agencies offer webinars to help. Also, check out this workbook from SBA.gov at https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2018-02/proposals_workbook.pdf.

5. Study The Types Of Government Contracts – There are several different types of government contracts and the more you know about the different types, the more successful you will be in finding contracts that fit your business. You also can check out our article “A Look at 5 Types of Government Contracts” to learn some general information about this topic.

This general SAM registration guide can help you learn the basics of government contracting. It does take time to learn and understand government procurement, but, in the end, it can provide you with an excellent source of revenue. The government will always need goods and services, and just about any business can find lucrative contracts.

If, after reading this SAM registration guide, you are ready to get started with government contracting, give us a call at (800) 985-7658 or click on the green New Registration tab on our homepage, and we will get to work on your SAM registration so you can start bidding on government contracts.

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