Small companies usually look domestically for clients. But the federal authorities can be your shopper too.
Darrell McGraw is a great instance. Five years in the past, he based the technical consulting firm Q2 Consulting Solutions in the Washington, D.C., metro space. Now he’s doing $3 million in income, and most of it is from the authorities. The purchasers he’s supported embody the United States Air Force, Department of the Treasury, and Transportation Command.
How’d he do it? The authorities requires more research than most purchasers. Thanks to a program called Ascend Atlanta at the Morehouse Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, which coaches business house owners of colour on how to snag federal authorities contracts, he turned an professional in navigating the course of.
Here are the most important insights he gained:
Step 1: Get Certified.
Before you can compete, you must register at sam.gov. Also test the Small Business Administration to see if there are certifications for certain “set asides” that can improve your odds. For instance, some small business contracts are set apart for underrepresented house owners like girls or those who are socially and economically deprived.
Federal contracts also usually require business certifications for capabilities like high quality management and cybersecurity. Adding such credentials, like McGraw did, can widen your alternatives: He lately got a security clearance, which enabled him to go after a complete new set of contracts with the intelligence branches.
Step 2: Find a Contract.
The authorities tries to make sure 23% of federal contracting {dollars} go to small companies. (In fiscal 12 months 2025, practically 28% did.) You can discover solicitations for open contracts at sam.gov/alternatives. Individual authorities businesses usually have their own lists as effectively, and the SBA posts those that meet the standards for small companies.
Read through both previous and current solicitations to get acquainted with what completely different businesses are trying for. What are their ache factors? Where do they align with what you do?
Step 3: Make a Bid.
You’ll usually be requested to submit a response to a request for proposal (RFP). Follow the instructions, or your entry will be rejected.
Typically, the authorities expects you to exhibit a clear understanding of its wants and clarify how you will fulfill them. A key half of your bid is proposing the value. Here, you’ve got to be aggressive, McGraw says. One approach to get a benchmark is to go to usaspending.gov to see how much was awarded to the earlier winner. Sometimes it’s price shedding a little money in order to win your first contract, he says.
Step 4: Stand Out.
You’ll seemingly be up against a lot of bidders. To give your proposal more weight, offer proof factors, says McGraw. For instance, if the contract is for designing a authorities web site, show websites you’ve already executed or even make a mock-up of one you might create for this company. “You can tell them, ‘This is the quality of something we can put together for you,’” he says.
Step 5: Win Your First Contract.
These RFPs usually ask for examples of previous work you did for the authorities. So what if you’re completely new?
Here’s one transfer, says Tiffany Rogers Bussey, government director of the Morehouse Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center: Go after smaller federal company jobs that are awarded straight to companies without aggressive bidding, and then construct a document of efficiency from them.
You can even straight method one of the contracting officers with an unsolicited proposal, says McGraw. It should determine a clear need of the company and lay out precisely what you would do to deal with it, backed by deliverables. You might get the job or it could be turned into an RFP for you to bid on, which now you have an benefit on.
Another option: Start by turning into a subcontractor, partnering with another business that’s already labored with the authorities. “When you can leverage your partner, you both win,” McGraw says.
Small companies usually look domestically for clients. But the federal authorities can be your shopper too.
Darrell McGraw is a great instance. Five years in the past, he based the technical consulting firm Q2 Consulting Solutions in the Washington, D.C., metro space. Now he’s doing $3 million in income, and most of it is from the authorities. The purchasers he’s supported embody the United States Air Force, Department of the Treasury, and Transportation Command.
How’d he do it? The authorities requires more research than most purchasers. Thanks to a program called Ascend Atlanta at the Morehouse Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, which coaches business house owners of colour on how to snag federal authorities contracts, he turned an professional in navigating the course of.