As a federal contractor or an aspiring one, you have probably heard the words “Federal Fiscal Calendar” floating around. You may be wondering why this matters to you, or what real effects it has on contractors.
Utilizing our over ten years of experience, we’ll break down why you should care about the federal fiscal calendar and how it will affect your business as a contractor.
Imagine you are running your own business.
You’re working 50-60+ hours a week, managing a team, developing a customer base, and now you are trying to get into the federal marketplace.
You find out that anyone looking to solicit government contracts will need a capabilities statement. A one- or two-page document that provides a basic outline of your company and shows why you are capable of solving their problems.
Does this sound familiar?
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in March 2020 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
The Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) form government solicitations and contracts. As a result, the sections are mostly written for the government officials who are building the contracts. However, businesses shouldn't dismiss the FAR either. Not only do they relate to compliance, but also they can give you a serious advantage in government contracting.
This is your ultimate (and quick) guide to approach the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). Here, we are going to cover:
In any system, communication is key. The same applies to when businesses contract with the federal a government. For this blog post, we're going to cover points of contact. Without a firm understanding of this concept, you will be at a disadvantage in the federal marketplace.
Anyone who wants to get into government contracting is going to run into beta.SAM.gov (Beta SAM). There's no way around it. The next question most of us will have next is:
"What can I do with Beta SAM and how do I use to search for contracts?"
If you're asking this question, then you've come to the right place. In this blog post, we'll take you from start to finish on Beta SAM. After reading this, you will have a comprehension of...
In the first quarter of the fiscal year, the Pentagon awarded its prestigious $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract to Microsoft.
For now.
That's because if you've been reading up on this contract, you would know it was riddled with disputes. One of which was a bid protest made by Oracle Corporation. Then, right after Microsoft was awarded, it was expected Amazon Web Services would file one as well.
In this blog post, we're going to give you the rundown on bid protests.
We are going to answer:
Let's begin.
This November, FedBizOpps (FBO) is set to merge with beta.SAM.
With that in mind, it's time to talk about past big changes in the federal marketplace. That's because with every major change comes major problems. How you handle these problems will determine your success or failure in government contracting.
In this blog post, we're going to cover common issues that contractors face whenever the federal government implements a new policy or system. When you know about what issues to expect, you'll be better equipped to handle them.
“I felt exactly how you would feel if you were getting ready to launch and knew you were sitting on top of 2 million parts – all built by the lowest bidder on a government contract.”
This apocryphal quote comes from the early days of NASA. Some attribute it to Alan Sheppard. Others claim it was John Glenn.
Either way, no one can agree on who said it or the exact phrasing. What did happen though, was the perpetuation of a government contracting myth: it always comes down to the lowest bidder.
Market research is crucial for success in government contracting. After all, you should know who is buying what so you can find your target customers. If you're considering contracting with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), here's a list of the top 10 industries for HHS contracts from the previous fiscal year.
The information used to write this blog post was extracted from the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). This list is made up of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes associated with each top industry.
Let's start the countdown.
