Once you’ve registered your business, and possibly certified as a small business and/or been awarded a Schedule contract, it’s time to research active contract solicitations for opportunities you want to pursue.
How to find the right opportunity
Regardless of the industry you’re in, you’ll find contract opportunities by searching:
Contract opportunities are published as “solicitations.” A solicitation details the government’s requirements, terms and conditions, and the evaluation factors they’ll use to award the contract.
Read the solicitation classification, description, and any associated documents carefully to know if the contract will be:
- Set aside for small businesses or a particular category of small business
- limited to an existing set of businesses
- Limited to businesses inside a geographic area
- Subject to any other competitive restrictions
The four common types of solicitations are:
- Request for proposals (RFP) is used to communicate the government’s requirements and requests proposals
- Request for quotes (RFQ) is typically used to obtain price, cost, delivery, and related information from suppliers when the government anticipates it can fulfill its requirements using simplified acquisition procedures
- Sealed bid solicitation, or invitation for bids (IFB) is usually awarded without discussions or negotiations. The contract is awarded to the qualified vendor offering the lowest price
- Sources sought or request for information (RFI) is a market research tool used to obtain price, delivery, capabilities, interest, etc. for planning purposes
U.S. General Services Administration