Federal, state, and local governments already spend billions of dollars on goods and services every year. Federal purchasing offices are often required to set aside contracts or portions of contracts for exclusive bidding by small and/or minority-owned businesses. In addition, major prime contractors are required to subcontract part of their work out to small firms. Regardless of the product or service you offer government entities probably purchase it.
A common set of questions is:
1. How do I find out if there are opportunities for my company?
2. How much competition exists?
3. Can small companies actually compete?
4. How much work is it to deal with government purchasing requirements?
5. How do we find information on government purchasing trends and sales contacts?
The simple answer to these and many related questions is the same as the answer to how to learn about any new market: focused market research. There are a number of public, free resources that can assist you with understanding government markets.
The Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP) was set up by the Defense Logistics Agency to assist companies navigate the sometimes daunting task of understanding government procurement practices. The program consists of 94 Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) at various locations around the country. One such center is located with the Widener University Small Business Development Center. The PTAC offers counseling and education on how to use online resources to find out what agencies buy what goods and services, how to find contacts in government and how to position your company for government sales.
The first step is to find information to decide if the effort to develop a government marketing plan has sufficient potential to be worth it. Without this preliminary research you may miss great opportunities by being lost in the process or spend valuable time and other resources to find out that government sales are not for you. Some simple and straightforward research can go a long way in making an informed decision.
