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.