Government Contracting
The world’s largest customer (the U.S. Government) is looking to purchase from Wyoming small businesses. When considering how you can sell to the government, you might be surprised by the products and services federal, state, and local governments are looking for such as:
- Construction Services
- Food Products & Catering
- Office Space
- Medical Services
- Horse Boarding
- Lawn Care
- Clothing
- And More!
The Wyoming SBDC Network’s procurement experts assist Wyoming small businesses to identify and secure federal, state, and local government contracting opportunities. We are here to help you navigate the government contracting learning curve and make the whole process a little easier. We offer no cost, one-on-one assistance, periodic training workshops around the state, and an annual procurement conference with one-on-one matchmaking opportunities.
We helped our clients win 921 contracts with government agencies in 2020
We helped our clients to obtain $79,170,089 in government contract awards in 2020
Our government contracting assistance helped support 1,583 Wyoming jobs in 2020
Ready to Get Started?
STEP 1: Get in Contact
To get started, reach out to your local advisor by filling out this form. When your advisor responds, let them know you’re interested in selling to the government and looking for procurement assistance. We’ll get you started with some market research to determine if this option is for you and which opportunities you can expect to find.
Start the Conversation
Get in touch with your local advisor today and learn how to receive no-cost, confidential assistance.
STEP 2: Get Registered
Our experts will help you get registered in the relevant systems that you will need to be a part of in order to search for opportunities and provide products or services to sell to the government. It may seem like a lot to do, but our experts are happy to walk you step-by-step throughout the entire process (all at no charge).
Registrations you may need:
- Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS Number)
- System for Award Management (SAM)/Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE)
- Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS)
STEP 3: Get Certified
Once you have completed your government contracting registrations, the next step in your quest to sell to the government, is to evaluate whether or not your business is eligible for any small business certifications. The Federal Government has a goal of getting a large portion of its contracting dollars to small businesses, especially those certified as:
- 8(a) Firms (socially and economically disadvantaged)
- Women-owned Small Businesses
- Service-disabled Veteran-owned
- Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone)
The Wyoming Department of Transportation also administers the DBE Certification for firms owned, operated, and controlled by minorities and/or women; primarily those firms engaged in road or airport construction.
STEP 4: Find Opportunities
The processes are little different depending on the likely dollar amount of your typical project or sale. Take a look at the thresholds below for more information. Of course, our experts would be happy to walk you through this step as well.
SALES OF $10,000 OR LESS - CLICK HERE
Sales under the micro-purchase threshold – $10,000 or less – cardholder can generally choose any vendor
- Get to know the agency cardholders
- Market to the agency contracting team and cardholders
- Accept credit cards
- Maintain government pricing that is fair, reasonable, and is equal to or less than your best customer pricing
- Purchases/awards are often based on convenience to the purchaser
- Provide the item or service required with on-time delivery
- Keep a professional arm’s length relationship, be aware of ethics rules
- Never split orders that exceed the micro-purchase threshold
- Register in SAM and DSBS. For micro-purchases, this is not required,
but it makes good business sense.
SALES OF $10,000 - $25,000 - CLICK HERE
Sales between $10,000 and $25,000 – competition is required, but opportunities are not required to be advertised
- Get to know the contracting officers
- Market to the agency contracting team
- Register in SAM
- Payment made by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
- Register in DSBS (not legally required, but many contracting officers use this database for market research; you can provide a capability statement, keywords, and references)
- Accept credit cards (for actions less than $10,000)
- Awards are generally based upon price; propose a price which is fair and reasonable
- Provide the item or service required with on-time delivery
- Be aware of small business certifications such as 8(a), Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), Economically-Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB), and Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone). If you are eligible; they can give you a marketing advantage.
- Keep a professional arm’s length relationship. Be aware of ethics rules.
SALES OF $25,000 OR MORE - CLICK HERE
Sales of $25,000 or more – competition is required and opportunities must be formally advertised
- Get to know the contracting officers
- Market to the agency contracting team
- Search for opportunities in FedBizOpps
- Register in SAM
- Payment made by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
- Register in DSBS (not legally required, but many contracting officers use this database for market research; you can provide a capability statement, keywords, and references)
- Be familiar with the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)
- Understand that for many of the actions estimated to exceed $250,000 you will be in competition with large business
- Propose a price that is fair and reasonable, but understand that very few awards made on price alone (READ the evaluation factors in the solicitation)
- Provide the item or service required with on-time delivery
- Be aware of small business certifications such as 8(a), Service-Disabled Veteran
- Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB),
- Economically-Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB), and
- Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone). If you are eligible; they can give you a marketing advantage.
- Watch for and respond to sources sought notices in FedBizOpps
- Keep a professional arm’s length relationship. Be aware of ethics rules.
- Read the solicitation, read the contract.
STEP 5: Put In Your Bid
Now that you’re registered, certified, and found some relevant contracting opportunities, it’s time to submit your bid. This part of the process to sell to the government can be difficult to navigate on your own. Luckily, our experts are there for you to fall back on. We’ll help you complete all the steps needed depending on which agency you are working with. We’ll also give you tips on how to make your proposal stand out and increase your chances of success.
