The Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, which was passed by Congress in late 2021 will make significant impacts in the world of federal contracting, adding thousands of new government contracting jobs. We can help you get started with government contracting, but first let’s take a quick look at what this bill entails.
Repair & Rebuild
As one might expect, this bill includes repairing and rebuilding roads and bridges throughout the United States and this includes everything from improving interstates to improving wildlife crossing safety and even improving recreational trails.
About $110 billion has been earmarked to handle repairs with a strong emphasis on repairing and improving the 45,000 bridges found throughout the United States. Government contracting jobs in this section won’t just be limited to actual construction and repair projects, but also research and development.
Improve Public Transit
Improving public transportation options accounts for another large chunk of this bill. About $66 billion will be spent on improvements to our rail system, although this will be allocated for both passenger rail and freight rail. Another $39 billion is devoted to improvements in public transportation including repairing buses, rail cars, track and rail stations. This section also focuses on improving transit options for seniors and those with disabilities. There also are sections devoted to subjects such as emergency lighting and data accessibility related to our national rail system.
Airport Improvements & Port Improvements
Another $25 billion has been included to improve our nation’s airports and $16.6 billion has been allocated to improve ports and waterways. Obviously, with the recent issues with our ports flooded with container ships, this is an area of concern that has affected the entire system of commerce throughout the nation.
Ferries & School Buses
Providing better accessibility for students is another part of this new bill, but the bill also focuses on providing school buses that run on clean energy, as mitigating climate change is addressed throughout the bill. Ferry service, especially in rural areas, is another area of concern and the bill seeks to improve ferry service in areas such as Alaska and Washington, where people rely on these boats to get to work or to purchase goods and services in other areas not easily accessible by roads.
Internet Improvements
The bill includes $65 billion to fund programs that ensure that all Americans will have access to high-speed internet. This section of the bill addresses issues common in rural areas, such as slow internet speeds and poor connectivity, as well as providing access for people throughout the United States who otherwise would have difficulty paying for quality internet services.
Electric Vehicle Charging
The bill also seeks to build electric vehicle charging stations throughout the United States. As several states are now requiring automakers to make more electric vehicles and improve emissions standards, this part of the bill will help support the motorists that purchase electric vehicles and also make it easier for people to make the switch from traditional vehicles to electric vehicles.
Clean Water
According to the White House fact sheet on the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, as many as “10 million American households and 400,000 schools and childcare centers lack safe drinking water.” About $55 billion will be invested to provide better access to clean drinking water. Government contracting jobs in this area might focus on providing services to replace lead pipes as well as analysis and research to determine where the greatest needs for water improvement might be.
Clean Energy
The goal in this section of the bill is to move toward a “zero-emissions future.” It includes a myriad of tasks including earth mapping, carbon storage, hydroelectricity efficiency improvements, solar energy expansion, nuclear energy infrastructure planning and much more. While some government contracting jobs in this area might include repairing or building energy-generating facilities, some of the jobs will include collecting data, completing energy consumption surveys and completing impact studies.
How To Bid On Government Contracting Jobs
The government will look to the private sector for all of these infrastructure tasks, but only companies with active listings in the System for Award Management (SAM) will be eligible to bid on these government contracting jobs. This means you will need to complete your SAM registration before you can start bidding on federal contractor jobs, and we can help.
At Federal Contractor Registry, we provide fast and accurate SAM registration services (and SAM renewals) for companies of all sizes. While the government does not charge a SAM registration fee and we do, we can save you time and the hassle of SAM registration.
SAM registration is a highly complex process and can take ten or more hours to complete. Additionally, if you make any mistakes on this complicated application, it can delay your approval in the System for Award Management. We will complete your SAM registration correctly the first time so that you can get started with government contracting as soon as possible. While we do charge a $597 fee for SAM registration, that price includes:
- 100% accurate SAM Registration & Setup
- We can help you procure the new SAM Unique Entity ID
- We can help with the SAM Notarized Letter requirement
- We can help with SBA Registration
- We introduce Super 8a Contractors to other Federal Contractors in the FCR Network
Government Contracting Job Options
As part of this bill, the government has made a huge commitment to purchase goods and services from American companies as much as possible, and this means that American federal contractors will have the edge when bidding for any contracting jobs. The best way to see if you are a good fit for government contracting is to head to SAM.gov and click on the Contract Opportunities tab.
This leads you to the search engine for government contracting jobs. We recommend that you click on the Advanced Search option and then scroll down to Product or Service Information and enter your North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes or your Product and Service Code (PSCs). If you aren’t sure which codes match your business, we can help you find the best codes as we complete your SAM registration, or you can head to Census.gov to find your NAICS codes. This tends to be the easiest search option because it brings up search results that are a close match to the goods and services your company can provide.
If you are registered with the Small Business Administration (SBA) as a small business (and we can help with this process), you also should check for contracting opportunities in the SBA Subcontracting Network at https://eweb1.sba.gov/subnet/client/dsp_Landing.cfm.
Subcontracting is a great way for small businesses to get started with government contracting. This simply means that you will be working for a Prime Contractor, which is a large company that has been awarded a larger government contract. Prime Contractors often are required to use small business subcontractors to win a government contract.
Get Started Today!
As the projects within the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act get going, more and more lucrative government contracting jobs will become available, so this is a perfect time to get started with government contracting. If you would like us to help with SAM registration, just click on the green New Registration tab on our homepage, fill out our quick contact form and a registration specialist soon will be in touch to gather information and get started on your SAM registration.