Doing Business with the Government

Is your product or service useful to the government? The government buys everything from paperclips to aircraft carriers. Taking the time to fill out the paperwork necessary to become a certified Women-Owned Small Business can increase your range of business opportunities and your profit margin. The following information will begin to help you understand how to market your business to the state and federal governments.

Contract Assistance for Women Business Owners (CAWBO)
Marketing to Federal Agencies and Prime Contractors

CAWBO
In October 2002, the Office of Federal Contract Assistance to Women Business Owners (CAWBO) was established at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) within the Office of Government Contracting and Business Development. Its mission is to work closely with the other federal agencies and federal prime contractors to open up more contracting opportunities for Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs), and to reach or surpass the established goals of five percent of awards in both federal contract and subcontract dollars. www.WomenBiz.gov

To aid new or established Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs) seeking more federal related business, Office of Federal Contract Assistance to Women Business Owners (CAWBO) and the National Women’s Business Council, in cooperation with the other federal agencies, developed a web-site, www.WomenBiz.gov. This web-site provides over 100 links to federal procurement and subcontracting information, opportunities and registration sites for bidders’ lists. Included are the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Central Contractor Registry (CCR), PRO-Net, www.fedbizopps.gov, and federal mentor-protégé programs for small businesses. It also provides information on obtaining WOSB federal or private certifications and a list of the Offices of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBUs) at the different federal agencies.

PRO-Net and the CCR
PRO-Net is SBA’s free on-line database of small businesses. It is searched by contracting officers and prime contractors seeking small businesses in particular, industries and locations, often by the type of ownership, e.g., WOSB. It is an excellent marketing tool for WOSBs to gain instant and wide exposure to the federal contracting community. A firm may self-certify that it is small and woman-owned (meaning that at least 51 percent of the ownership and the control is by one or more women). A firm may also provide information about the services or supplies it provides, plus a listing of awards or other favorable past performance information. Firms may access information regarding their correct industry code(s), the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code(s) for their products or services at www.census.gov/naics. The correct NAICS code(s) are essential for registration in PRO-Net and for certain contracting requirements.

The CCR has become the single point of vendor registration for the federal government, including PRO-Net. Although PRO-Net interfaces with the CCR, it remains the authoritative source for certified 8(a) businesses, Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDBs) and Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) small businesses. Registration in the CCR is required to participate in DoD procurements. Therefore, prospective DoD contractors must register in the CCR, at www.ccr.gov. Beginning in the fall of 2003, payment by any federal agency will require registration in CCR. Small businesses seeking federal contracts or subcontracts should also register in the CCR. Registration by small businesses in the CCR will automatically result in registration in PRO-Net. A DUNS number and yearly updates by each registrant will be required. (DUNS numbers are assigned by the Dun and Bradstreet firm, which maintains financial data on registered firms.) Both websites may also be accessed through www.WomenBiz.gov.

Subcontracting
Government subcontracts provide marketing opportunities for small businesses. Federal prime contractors are required to use their best efforts to subcontract to Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs) and other small businesses, including veteran-owned, SDB and HUBZone small businesses. SBA’s Subcontracting Opportunities Directory, www.sba.gov/GC/contacts.html, lists contacts for many of these large firms, as does www.WomenBiz.gov. Look under “Small Business Liaison Officer” (SBLO) or “Supplier Diversity Program” for their subcontracting offices. The www.sba.gov/GC/contacts.html web site also lists SBA Government Contracting staff, including Procurement Center Representatives (PCRs) and Commercial Market Representatives (CMRs), who assist in marketing to federal buying activities and their prime contractors. PCRs are procurement professionals who assist small businesses in identifying contracts at federal buying offices. Businesses may also search the new SBA SUB-Net Program (part of PRO-Net) for subcontract opportunities at web.sba.gov/subnet/. Further, firms are encouraged to contact the prime contractors’ Small Business Liaison Offices or Supplier Diversity Program offices, give their status as a WOSB, and provide a capabilities statement and a record of the firm’s past performance.

Certification
At this time there is no certification procedure required for women-owned businesses for federal procurement. Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs) may self-certify for procurements, and may register as WOSBs in PRO-Net. However, some prime contractors do require third-party certification. There are two private national women’s business organizations that certify qualified women-owned businesses. One of these is the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). See www.wbenc.org., or call 202-872-5515. The second is the National Women’s Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC). See www.nwboc.org, or call the NWBOC at 561-881-7364. Each organization has an extensive list of large corporations that accept its certification. They each charge a yearly fee of several hundred dollars for certification.

While it is not necessary to be certified to participate in federal contracting, it is a requirement to participate in certain procurement programs. SBA has several procurement assistance programs that eligible Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs) are encouraged to use. They are the Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Program at www.sba.gov/hubzone, the 8(a) Program (8(a)) at www.sba.gov/8abd, and the Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) Program at www.sba.gov/sdb. An additional certification program, with different criteria, is offered by the Department of Transportation. Details of certification requirements and procedures for these are given at www.WomenBiz.gov, under “Getting Started”. Scroll down to “Additional Information…” and click on “SBA’s Certification Programs”.

Other Assistance
Help with starting or growing a small business or finding contracting opportunities is available through the many Procurement and Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs), Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) around the country. These and other resources are listed under the “State Directory of Small Business Resources” (under “Getting Started”) at www.WomenBiz.gov. They can help firms register for various federal bidders’ lists. PTACs can also help firms match their capabilities with procurement opportunities.

SBA also has 70 District Offices, over 900 Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), over 80 Women’s Business Centers (WBCs), and six SBA Area (procurement) Offices with a staff of experienced procurement specialists. For a complete list and the nearest resources, go to www.sba.gov and select “Your Local SBA Office.”

Marketing to Specific Federal Agencies
The General Services Administration (GSA) is the major civilian agency that buys on behalf of the federal government, with ten Business Service Center Regional Offices around the country offering assistance. Firms interested in GSA contracts should contact the GSA Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization or call the GSA Federal Consumer Information Center weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. eastern time. The toll-free number is (800) 688-9889; TDD: (800) 326-2996. GSA also manages the Federal Supply Schedules Program. Federal Supply Schedules are indefinite quantity contracts that allow federal agencies to order commercial products and services from approved vendors. Information is available at www.fss.gsa.gov GSA also manages www.fedbizopps.gov the single entry point for federal procurement opportunities, with a search engine for solicitations.

The Department of Defense (DOD), through procurement centers throughout the country, buys fifty percent of all the federal contracts awarded to Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs). DoD procurement opportunities are available at www.dodbusopps.com/. The principal buying agencies can be located in “Selling to the Military,” at www.acq.osd.mil/SADBU. WOSBs should contact those DoD buying activities that are potential customers and request that their firms be placed on those bidders mailing lists. As stated above, to be considered for a contract, prospective DoD contractors must be registered in the CCR; the preferred method is registration at www.ccr.gov.

The GSA SmartPay Purchase Card
This card, available through partnering banks, provides an excellent way to get started with federal procurement. More than 250,000 federal government employees are using the GSA SmartPay purchase card, which is a preferred government method of payment. Therefore, all small businesses, including Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs), should be ready to accept one or more of the four cards under this program in order to increase contracting opportunities. Accepting all four cards will maximize these opportunities. For more information, visit GSA’s website at www.pub.fss.gsa.gov/services/gsa-smartpay, or call (703) 305-6658.