Doing Business with the Federal Government

GSA and TVC Partner to Assist Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses!

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Many Veteran and Service Disabled Veteran business owners recognize the potential that government contracts offer small businesses. Getting started in the federal contracting arena, however, can be quite daunting. This is in part due to the sheer size of the federal government. Here are a few key considerations to keep in mind:

First:

Determine your North American Industy Classification System (NAICS) code - any agency you desire to work with will require your NAICS code, which identifies your business category. You can learn more about NAICS codes and look up the appropriate code for your business here.
Obtain a DUNS number. The "Data Universal Numbering System" is used by the government to identify contractors and their locations. The number is also required to register with CCR (see below). Request a DUNS at no charge online or by calling 1-800-333-0505.
Obtain a Federal Tax ID number from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) .
Register with Central Contractor Registration (CCR), the primary vendor database for all Federal agencies. All vendors are REQUIRED to be registered in CCR before they can be awarded a Federal Government contract. To register, go to www.ccr.gov. Please keep in mind, CCR registration is not a short process - have all of your numbers (see above) handy, and be prepared to invest a few hours of time on the registration process.

Identify your customer. Considering the numerous agencies that make up the federal government, your first step is to identify an agency with which you would like to work.
Determine the OSDBU point of contact. Each federal agency has an Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization for assistance. The SBA operates more than 1,100 Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and America Somoa. Find the nearest SBDC. In addition, The Department of Defense administers Procurement Technical Assistant Centers (PTACs) throughout the United States. These serve as local resources to help businesses market their products and services to the Federal, State and Local governments. Find your local PTAC.

Finally:

List your company in the TVC's Veterans Business Directory. As a Veteran or Service-Disabled Veteran business owner, when you join The Business Directory, potential customers and contractors will be able to search the directory and find your business to support. In addition, the directory is a way for Veteran business owners to locate and support fellow Veteran owned businesses.
Think about the differences between a subcontractor and a prime contractor. There are several top federal contractors that the Federal Government often works with, and it is often easier for a small business to become a sub-contractor under one of these, rather than try to become an entirely new prime contractor. Start off by learning about the Department of Defense's mentor-protege program between prime contractors and small businesses, and by browsing the Department of Defense Subcontracting Directory.
Consider listing your firm on a General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule. Many federal agencies contract directly from these schedules, making it easier for your customers to reach you. Learn how to get on a GSA schedule here.

It's a challenge to locate all the pertinent contracting information for each federal agency. To assist you, we have compiled a list of links (on the right side of this page) to key federal contracting resources and databases. Keep an eye on this page as we will be updataing our resource list regularly.