Government Contractor Jobs: 7 Industries in High Demand

While defense and aerospace contracts often receive the most attention, government contractor jobs can be found across many industries. From construction and healthcare to information technology and disaster response, federal agencies depend on contractors to provide a wide variety of products and services. Let’s explore some of the industries that are consistently in demand.

 

  1. Information Technology & Cybersecurity

All federal agencies will need some level of IT support, and if you can provide services such as network administration, cloud migration, cybersecurity monitoring, software development, or help desk support, you may find many government contracting opportunities are available.  Additionally, the government also purchases hardware, such as monitors, laptops, and desktops, from the private sector.

 

  1. Construction & Infrastructure

While contractors with large-scale construction experience are needed, the government also will create contracts to hire general contractors, electricians, plumbers, site preparation crews, and more. These government contracting jobs range from building and repairing roads to providing repairs at federal facilities to providing utility upgrades.

 

  1. Disaster Recovery & Emergency Response

Natural disasters create an immediate need for goods and services, and federal agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) often issue contracts for disaster relief jobs both before and after disasters occur. FEMA and other agencies might need:

  • Debris removal
  • Temporary housing
  • Logistics support
  • Environmental cleanup
  • Emergency staffing
  • Emergency food/water supplies
  • Security services

 

  1. Healthcare & Medical

Healthcare is one of the largest sectors supported by government contracting. Federal agencies require a wide range of medical professionals, support personnel, and suppliers to help provide care to service members, veterans, federal employees, and other populations. As healthcare needs continue to grow, government contractors often play an important role in supplementing government resources and staffing.

 

Federal agencies frequently contract for:

  • Nurses & physicians
  • Mental health professionals
  • Medical equipment suppliers
  • Administrative healthcare support

 

Opportunities exist with agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs and military healthcare systems.

 

  1. Engineering Services

Engineering expertise is essential for many federal projects, from transportation infrastructure and military facilities to energy systems and environmental initiatives. Government agencies frequently rely on contractors to provide specialized knowledge, technical support, and project oversight. As a result, engineering remains one of the most consistently sought-after fields in government contracting.

 

Government agencies regularly seek:

  • Civil engineers
  • Mechanical engineers
  • Electrical engineers
  • Environmental engineers
  • Project managers

 

Engineering support is needed for infrastructure, military, aerospace, and energy projects.

 

  1. Logistics & Transportation

The federal government depends on complex logistics networks to move personnel, equipment, supplies, and materials where they are needed. Contractors help ensure that operations run smoothly, whether supporting military missions, disaster response efforts, or everyday agency functions.

 

Businesses with transportation and supply chain expertise may find numerous government contracts within this sector. These services are critical for both civilian and defense agencies.

 

Contractors help move people, supplies, and equipment through:

  • Freight transportation
  • Warehousing
  • Fleet management
  • Supply chain coordination
  • Distribution services

 

  1. Professional & Administrative Services

Not all government contractor jobs involve highly technical or specialized work. Federal agencies frequently outsource a variety of professional and administrative functions to help manage programs, improve efficiency, and support daily operations.

 

This broad category creates opportunities for businesses offering management, financial, human resources, and consulting services. This category represents a large portion of federal contractor opportunities.

 

Many contracts involve:

  • Program management
  • Administrative support
  • Human resources
  • Financial management
  • Consulting services

 

As you can see, a wide range of goods and services are needed, and the lists above are just the tip of the iceberg. Federal agencies also often need services such as:

  • Janitorial and facilities maintenance
  • Telecommunications
  • Education and training
  • Scientific research
  • Staffing and workforce solutions
  • Food service & catering
  • Office supplies & furnishings

 

The government also needs a plethora of repair services, including HVAC repairs and maintenance, elevator maintenance, roofing repairs, etc. Again, these are just a few of the contracting opportunities available.

 

Are You a Good Fit for Federal Contracting Jobs?

If you can provide any of the goods or services listed above, you are likely a good fit for many government contracts. However, even if you don’t fall into the aforementioned categories, we encourage you to head to SAM.gov to see if your business offerings are needed.

 

To search SAM.gov, we recommend using your North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes, which describe the specific goods or services your company provides. If you are not sure which codes to use, the NAICS guide is available at Census.gov.

 

How To Get Started with Federal Contracting

No matter what type of business you own or which federal agencies you wish to work for, completing your registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) is the first step you need to take. SAM is the central database that includes information about all federal contractors, and you are required to have an active SAM account in order to bid on any federal contracts.

 

At Federal Contractor Registry, we provide fast and accurate SAM registration services for all types and sizes of businesses. Our team will quickly complete your registration so that you are approved by the government as quickly as possible. While you can complete your registration on your own, this is a highly complicated process, and it’s not uncommon for new contractors to make crucial mistakes.

 

Our team can complete your SAM registration (or SAM renewal) as well as help you with other important tasks, such as obtaining your Unique Entity Identifier, or UEI number, and helping you complete the SAM notarized letter requirement. All new contractors must send the Federal Service Desk a notarized letter listing their Entity Administrator, which is the person at your company authorized to make changes to your SAM account.

 

Additionally, if your business qualifies as a small business, we can help you sign up with the Small Business Administration (SBA). The government sets aside a portion of its contracts just for small businesses, but you must register with SBA in order to take advantage of these programs, which are known as small business set asides. We can determine which set-aside best suits your company and help you complete the registration process.

 

Government contractor jobs can be highly lucrative and serve as a great way to grow your business. If you can provide any of the goods and services listed above, you are likely to be a good fit for contracting.  If you are ready to get started and would like us to complete SAM registration, head to our homepage and click on the green New Registration tab.

FEMA Disaster Clean Up Jobs: Get Started Now

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is tasked with providing relief for all types of disasters. This includes floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, fires, and tornadoes as well as providing support during other times of crisis, such as the current pandemic. There are plenty of FEMA clean up jobs available, but providers often don’t think about working with FEMA until after a disaster occurs, and that can cost them some lucrative jobs. To become a FEMA contractor, the first step is to register for the System for Award Management (SAM).

What Types Of Jobs Are Available?
When it comes to natural disaster clean up jobs and services, you might be thinking solely about tasks such as debris removal or remediation services, such as cleaning up buildings that have been flooded. However, that is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to FEMA jobs.

FEMA clean up jobs are not just about providing actual cleanup services. FEMA needs people to provide tents, cots, and portable bathrooms for evacuees and emergency workers. They need food services and water bottles to help feed FEMA personnel and anyone evacuated from a disaster.

During the current pandemic, FEMA has asked for contractors to provide products such as personal protective equipment, thermometers, nitrile gloves, health screening services, IV pumps, and surgical gowns. While this seems logical, they also have asked for companies to provide food services, copier repair services, bus rentals, and even translation services.

You might think that your business has nothing to do with the pandemic response or that you can’t bid on natural disaster clean up jobs, but the government needs help from almost any industry. Cleaning and disinfection specialists, for instance, are needed for COVID relief and also will be needed for many FEMA clean up jobs. We even saw a recent FEMA request for shredding services; they truly need help from just about anyone.

FEMA Clean Up Jobs & SAM Registration
Before you can bid on any FEMA natural disaster clean up jobs, you must first register your business with the System for Award Management (SAM). This is a central database for all government contractors. It takes some time to complete the SAM registration process, which is why we strongly recommend that anyone wanting to work with FEMA, take this step, and register with SAM.

Companies cannot do business with FEMA or any other government agency until they are approved in SAM. This is why it is important that you complete your SAM registration before a disaster response is needed. If your company is registered and ready to go, you can bid on contracts, otherwise, you are missing out on some valuable opportunities.

How Do You Complete SAM Registration?
SAM registration can be a complex process, and often takes business owners in excess of 10-12 hours to complete. The government does not charge businesses or individuals to pay for registration, but there are third-party services (such as ourselves) that can help you complete the SAM registration process.

Many of our clients contact us after they have attempted to start SAM registration on their own and have become frustrated. We are SAM registration experts, and we fully understand every section of the lengthy registration process. We do charge for our services, of course, much like an accountant charges a fee to prepare your taxes.

After all, you could complete your taxes on your own, but the tax code is confusing and frustrating, and it just makes sense to hire a professional. Our services are similar. You could complete SAM registration on your own, but it’s confusing and often frustrating, and we can handle the process quickly and easily for you.

What To Do After SAM Registration
Once we’ve completed your SAM registration, it takes a couple of weeks for the application to be approved. As soon as the application is approved, you will be given a Commercial and Government Entities (CAGE) Code. This code is crucial because it is your unique identifier in the government contractor database.

Once you have a CAGE code, you can create a capability statement, which basically is a resume for companies that wish to do business with the government. This is a one-page document with several sections, including your contact information, company data, past performance (companies with whom you’ve done business in the past), core competencies and differentiators (what makes you stand out from other companies).

Create a page on your company website just for government contracting, and add a link to your capability statement on this webpage. You also can add it to your company’s LinkedIn page.

In addition to working with the federal government, such as FEMA clean up jobs, that CAGE code makes it possible for you to work with many state and local government agencies, as well, which can be very lucrative. Most states even host special events for government contractors where they can meet with agency procurement officers or just gain more knowledge about the contracting process.

In order to work with your state government or any state government, you will need to sign up with their online procurement system. Each state has a different system, and they all have unique names, so to find your state’s procurement agency, simply do an internet search with your state name and the word “procurement,” and look for the search result with the .gov website suffix, as this is the official government site for your state.

Whether you end up bidding of FEMA clean up jobs and natural disaster clean up jobs or work with a completely different agency, any government contract can be an excellent source of income for your business. The government will always need contractors to provide goods and services, and we can help you complete that first big step – SAM registration. To get started, just head to our homepage and click on the green New Registration tab.

ORCA Government Contracts: Where Did They Go?

If you thought ORCA was your door into the world of government contacting, those days have passed. ORCA, which stood for Online Representations and Certifications Application, has been replaced with the System for Award Management (SAM). While ORCA government contracts are no longer an option, you can still grab your piece of the government pie with SAM.

While people still talk about ORCA and CCR (the Central Contractor Registration), both of these were replaced with SAM in 2012. SAM is a huge centralized database that includes all approved government contractors. So rather than search for information about ORCA government contracts, you will want to search for information about SAM government contracts.

It can be quite confusing to navigate the maze of government acronyms. If you want to become a government contractor, you’ll need to know about SAM, CAGE codes, DUNS, NAICS and so much more. In order to bid on government contracts, you must complete SAM registration and attain a CAGE code, which stands for Commercial and Government Entity code. This code is the unique identifier for your business in the SAM database.

Once you have a CAGE code, you can begin searching for government contracts. There are contracts available for businesses in just about any industry. There are even contracts set aside for owners of small businesses, for woman-owned businesses, veteran-owned businesses and other special groups. If you are interested in applying for government grants, your SAM registration will allow you to do this, as well.

Your first step will be to head to the Dun & Bradstreet website and obtain a DUNS number. This number, which stands for Data Universal Numbering System, can be attained for free and it takes just a few minutes to apply for this online. Once you have your DUNS number, gather up the bank routing number and account number for your business, locate your business’s taxpayer identification number and give us a call.

Why Call Federal Contractor Registry?
As you may or may not know, SAM registration is free and the government does not charge you to sign up or to get your CAGE code. However, the SAM registration process is extremely challenging, time-consuming and filled with government-speak that can be difficult to understand if you don’t have a great deal of experience in the world of government contracting.

At Federal Contractor Registry, we’ve been helping companies get started in government contracting for years. In the past, we helped our clients prepare to bid on ORCA government contracts and now we help with SAM registration. Completing SAM registration on your own can be frustrating and can take more than 20 hours to complete. Hiring an experienced SAM registration service just makes sense; it’s a bit like hiring an accountant to complete your taxes. You certainly can do your taxes on your own, but the tax code is complicated and you’ll save valuable hiring a professional to tackle that job for you.

To recap, you no longer need to worry about CCR or ORCA. Government contracts are available only by filling out your SAM registration and we can help. Give us a call today and get started with the registration process.