When it comes to business events, conferences and trade shows are fantastic for any organization. Whether hosting a virtual event or joining one yourself, you want to put your best foot forward. They’re some of the best places to expose people to what your brand truly is.
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?
This article has been updated as of June 2024.
For registration in the System for Award Management and some advanced features of SAM.gov, such as Contract Reports and the Workspace, you will first need a Login.gov account.
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in 2020 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness as of July 2023.
The Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) lay the groundwork for how government solicitations and contracts are put together. And while it's true that the FAR is mainly written with government officials in mind - the ones crafting the contracts - it's a mistake for businesses to gloss over them.
After all, these regulations aren't just about compliance. Having a firm grasp of the FAR can tilt the scales in your favor in government contracting.
This is your ultimate (and quick) guide to approaching the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). Here, we are going to cover the following:
- What is the FAR?
- How is the FAR broken down?
- Key Sections for Contractors.
In the first quarter of the fiscal year, the Pentagon awarded Microsoft its prestigious $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract.
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, Amazon Web Services was expected to file one as well.
This blog post will give you a rundown on bid protests.
We are going to answer the following:
- What is a bid protest?
- Why are bid protests filed?
- Where do I file a bid protest?
- How should I approach bid protests?
Let's begin.
This November, FedBizOpps (FBO) is set to merge with beta.SAM.
With that in mind, it's time to discuss 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 will cover common issues that contractors face whenever the federal government implements a new policy or system. When you know what issues to expect, you'll be better equipped to handle them.
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in October 2019 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
“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 comprises the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes associated with each top industry.
Let's start the countdown.
