Tag: osdbu

174: Transforming Federal Contracting: Innovating the Customer Experience with MYSBCX with Wayne Berry

Posted on by Eric Coffie

In today’s episode, we have Mr. Wayne Berry who has over 20 years of Federal service in Contracting across the departments of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Health and Human Services (HHS). He is an expert in data analytics for Federal contracting and creating exceptional customer experiences.

Mr. Berry holds a FAC-C Level III certification in Contracting and a FAC-C Level II certification in Project Management, showcasing his extensive expertise in these domains. He has played a crucial role as a technical advisor in the development of the HHS OSDBU system known as MYSBCX. This web-based program has revolutionized the way OSDBU efficiently and securely routes HHS program and Contracting staff requests, including small business program and subcontracting reviews, along with all the necessary supporting documents.

A Small Business Specialist serves Contracting and agency program officials as the subject matter expert for the Federal small business program. These duties include monitoring contracts awarded to small businesses and maximizing contracting opportunities for small businesses. For those of you who do not know, HHS has 12 operating divisions, including nine agencies in the U.S. Public Health Service and three human services agencies.

Mr. Berry currently serves at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA). Let’s welcome our next giant, Mr. Wayne Berry.

If you want to connect with Mr. Berry, you can click these links:

Website: https://osdbu.hhs.gov/ 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayne-berry-3a042b1/ 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-department-of-health-and-human-services/ 

HHS Website: https://www.hhs.gov/ 

The Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization: https://www.hhs.gov/about/agencies/asfr/ogapa/osdbu/index.html

Angela O’Byrne: Award Winning Architect and President of Internationally-Known Perez APC

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Learn how to win local and international federal contracts with award-winning architect and CEO of Perez APC, Angela O’byrne!

BACKGROUND

Angela O’Byrne came from Cali, Columbia where she was born and moved to the United States years later. 

She then earned two master’s degrees in architecture from Tulane University and in real estate development from Columbia University, respectively. 

Meanwhile, she became part of the Perez APC, a U.S. based architecture and planning company with international reach. A few years later, she was asked by the owner to take over the company. 

Currently, O’Byrne is a licensed architect in 15 states, a licensed general contractor in two states, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and a LEED Accredited Professional.

She has also successfully led complex design and construction projects around the world, including a $500 Million USAID contract in Afghanistan— the largest infrastructure construction contract awarded to a women-owned business to date by the USAID-Afghanistan Mission.

With all of these, she was named as the 2016 Small Business Person of the Year in New Orleans and the first runner-up for the National Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

“Keep going around the world and keep doing more and more.”

ADVICE FOR BUSINESSES

1. Bid but ask for a debrief. 

O’Byrne doesn’t think that bidding is a bad strategy, in the sense that it’s a way to get your name in front of people. The only thing that you should do is ask for debriefs.

Although you don’t win every bid, you will be able to learn a lot from it through asking what’s wrong with your proposal and it also helps agency decision-makers learn from your company. 

“Like everything, if they don’t know who you are and they’ve never met you, at some point, you do have to look on FedBizOpps and start submitting proposals… You’re not going to win it the first time because they don’t know who you are.”

2. Market to international missions.

It’s not enough to just go after contracts in Washington D.C. because there are far more opportunities in the international market. 

With this, why not market to missions because these basically have their own budgets. 

Apart from that, you can meet people who are doing these jobs for years and learn from them. Although you will be spending money on marketing, the return on investment is far more advantageous.

3. Find the ones who want to help.

Avail all the resources that you can use in building your business and these include organizations and people who want to help you. 

In fact, it was years on being in the 8(a) program when O’Byrne got their first contract and she would have never done that without the help of their Procurement Technical Assistance Center person. 

So, you really have to find the ones who really care and then latch onto those people and they will help you. They really will. 

“You can tell quite quickly who in those agencies and which OSDBUs actually care about the mission and want to help you. And you can tell which ones don’t care. So, don’t waste your time with the ones that don’t care because they will waste a whole lot of time.”

ARE YOU COMMITTED ENOUGH?

Building a business is really difficult and it is easy to get discouraged, so O’Byrne recommends to do some soul searching and decide whether you’re committed enough to stick it out.

You have to decide, “Are you committed enough to stay the course?” Because if you’re not, don’t do it. 

Don’t put yourself through this because it’s going to be tough. There are going to be a lot of ups and downs. You never arrive, you’re always striving, and it’s always going to be difficult. 

“It’s not for everybody. You know, you really need to be real with yourself and don’t do it, if you don’t really feel like you’re up for it.”

RESOURCES

If you want to learn more on how to win local and international federal contracts with Angela O’byrne, then be sure to click the resources below. You can also visit the GovCon Giant website or the new GovCon Edu where you learn everything about government contracting!

005: Angela O’Byrne – Award Winning and Internationally Known Architect

https://govcongiants1.wpengine.com/podcast/2019/05/28/005/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbcwfN57Y9Y

 

How to win government contracts as a small business?

Posted on by Eric Coffie

You might already be asking yourself on how to win government contracts. Well, there are a handful of routes that you can take in order to start working with the federal government and that’s going to be the focus of today’s blog. 

PREPARE YOUR BUSINESS.

Primarily, you need to make sure that your business is prepared to work with the government by meeting the necessary requirements.

These include having all the required business information such as the DUNS number and NAICS code in registering on the System for Award Management (SAM) database. 

Also, part of your SAM registration is uploading your capability statement and identifying that you have met the size standards to be considered as a small business and be able to take advantage of small business programs.

This is of utmost importance because before awarding the contract, each agency does a research first to see if you have the necessary resources in place. If you think, you are not qualified in doing so, then this should be the stage to see what you can do to make you more qualified. 

UNDERSTAND THE BIDDING PROCESS.

Before you land into a contract, you will most likely need to undergo a bidding process so it is key to understand how the bidding process works and what the types of government solicitations are there. 

To give you an idea, the four types of government solicitations include the request for a quote, request for proposal, an invitation for bid, and request for information. 

Regardless of the type of solicitation the government agency asks, you need to provide a responsive bid or proposal that complies to the procurement requirements and procedures.

Most importantly, you need to make sure that whatever the requirements are, you have looked upon it and resolved any issues that might compromise the project before agreeing on doing the contract. 

BUILD YOUR NETWORK.

Attend small business training workshops either online or offline to improve your understanding of how government procurement works and to assess the products and services each agency needs as well as communicate with other government contractors and learn from their experiences in the field.

Also, look for a mentor who can help you navigate the contracting process and to guide you on your decisions.

In doing so, the SBA is offering free workshops that you can join regardless of what state you are located and there are a handful of government contractors and consultants who are willing to assist you. 

FIND A CONTRACT.

There are a handful of platforms that you can use to find contracts and one of these is the Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) which is mainly used by government agencies. You can also use this to search for subcontractors to do half or a little portion of your overall contract. 

Then, there are also other federal business opportunities listed in the FedBizOpps.gov which is now under the SAM database that government agencies ought to use to advertise all contracts over $25,000

Lastly, you can also secure a contract with the  U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). However, you first need to pay for a Past Performance Evaluation report and also provide six to 20 email addresses of your past customers. 

SEARCH FOR SUBCONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES. 

If you are a small business and you don’t have the experience in becoming a prime contractor, there are a handful of subcontracting opportunities that you can look at on SubNet. 

The SBA, GSA, and the Department of Defense also maintains a directory of prime contractors with subcontracting plans.

Lastly, you can also search for contracts over $25,000 on the Federal Procurement Data System, USASpending.gov or on any small business offices such as the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) or the Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP). 

RESOURCES

If you want to learn more about winning in this federal contracting arena, then be sure to click the links below.

https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-guide/how-win-contracts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_-uiGSnkSQ

https://govcongiants1.wpengine.com/can-you-successfully-win-government-contracts/

Find Local Opportunities Near You!

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Leverage these local opportunities to provide products and services to the government! Here’s a guide to tell you how.

LOOK FOR LOCAL OPPORTUNITIES

While looking for potential projects for my potential client, one of the agencies that I was looking at is the National Park Service.

Good thing, I  had the privilege of speaking with someone from the Denver Service Center and this person gave me some ideas on how we could potentially land a contract with the National Park Service.

1. Look for DOI’s forecast list.

The first thing that you should do is visit the Department of Interior’s website to see their forecast list. 

With this, type the term “Department of the Interior Forecast list” on your search bar. The first results should be about the procurement opportunities on their website, so click on that. 

Afterwards, you will then be transported to their Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization’s procurement opportunities page. Scroll down past that and you will see the document of their procurement opportunities within that year. 

2. Download the forecast document. 

Once you click that document, it will then be downloaded to your computer. 

Then, when you pull up that spreadsheet, it will provide you a list of different opportunities organized by contract types. It also gives you the name of the opportunity, the value range of the job, where the place performance is, and the point of contact and their numbers. 

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OPPORTUNITY!

For a lot of people out there who are looking for simplified acquisition or micro-purchases, this is a great opportunity for you to solicit directly to a national park in your local area and to also find a potential opportunity to work with local government agencies near you.

In fact, I want to compare this opportunity to more of like a state or a local contract because it’s close in terms of proximity to your actual physical location.

However, the good thing is, you’re getting federal past performance and federal jobs although these are just smaller projects. 

You could easily sort this forecast list by state and you could pick or choose the ones that are closest to you. There might be 10 or 15 local contracts within your area that you can easily reach out to. 

And even if you’re not successful in landing something right now, you still have the opportunity to make connections and build relationships with agencies and clients near you. 

“From my understanding, if the person at the local level is, right, they like you and they want to do business with you,they can then refer that back up to the Denver Service Center for larger contracts, for larger opportunities, for set aside jobs, for negotiating type proposals.”

So, this is your tip for today. Take advantage of using a forecast list with over a thousand of opportunities in order to identify potential future clients, future jobs, and future opportunities coming up!

RESOURCES

With this in mind, if you want to learn more about doing business with the government, then join us here at GovCon Giants.

Just visit our website and other social media platforms or check the new GovCon Edu where you learn everything about government contracting!

You can also check these resources below:

Find local opportunities with National Park Service (NPS) Department of Interior

https://youtu.be/8kWibjZ5wjo

https://govcongiants1.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Find-local-opportunities-with-National-Park-Service-DOI.pdf

 

Break the Government Contracting Code Using an OSDBU, Small Business Specialist!

Posted on by Eric Coffie

The OSDBU is where you find your small business specialist, but who is this person and what is the use of this office? Read this blog to learn more!

WHAT IS AN OSDBU?

Each federal agency has an Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) that acts as a liaison between the small business entity, the SBA, and the government buyer.

They help prepare you to do business with that agency and connect you within their network of opportunities and to their organizations and people that help further your particular mission.

WHY WOULD YOU NEED AN OSDBU?

1. Gain access to the forecast list. 

A forecast list is an agency’s projection of all upcoming projects. This is where an agency puts all the costs, the contacts, any of the products and services they wanna buy in the upcoming fiscal year. So, why not ask about this list directly to that agency’s OSDBU?

To learn more on how to find what agencies are buying using a forecast list, then check this video that we created. 

2. Win contracts and be a subcontractor.

The small business specialist would likely know some of the players at that agency and who’s winning the contracts on a regular basis. 

3. Learn about non-public bid opportunities.

There are tons of bid opportunities that don’t reach the public and if you want to know about this, you better contact that agency’s small business specialist.

4. Find out who can help you grow within that agency. 

As the liaison between the small business entity and the government buyer, the OSDBU will be able to tell you where you can go.

This way, you can introduce your company and your service to the direct people who need what you offer.

HOW DO I FIND AN OSDBU?

1. Type the agency’s name and add OSDBU. 

You can actually just go to any search platform like Google or visit usa.gov and type the agency’s name and add the keyword OSDBU. 

Afterwards, you will be presented with that agency’s website and OSDBU page. Just then, you can navigate their page and learn about their tools and resources, services, and contact information. 

2. Call the Washington headquarters. 

You can just actually call the Washington headquarters and ask the person at the headquarters for the contact information for the particular OSDBU office in your territory or region.

WHEN SHOULD I CALL AN OSDBU?

Immediately after you’ve built your target market list, you should call an agency’s OSDBU because at that point, you already know who buys your products and services. What you just need is that agency’s forecast list of upcoming projects that you can do. 

Aside from that, you can also call them when you’re actually ready to start doing contracts because that’s when you can actually start making connections and on roads within that particular agency.

WHAT TO DO IN MEETING AN OSDBU?

Before the Meeting

The things that you need to prepare and bring to the meeting is your capability statement, that agency’s forecast list to discuss specific opportunities, a list of potential prime contractors that you can connect or subcontract with, and any document or certifications that highlight what you do.

During the Meeting

What you should expect during the meeting is that the quality of the OSDBU person depends on their level of experience.

Apart from that, expect that this person will give you insight on how that agency buys goods and services and on how to sell these to their agency, as well as provide you directions in making connections with contracting officers, officials, and other contractors within that agency.

On the other hand, you should not expect that that person will remember you once you leave, be impressed with your capability statement, or to give you a contract and a referral.

“Just remember that people are people. They’re human beings first. You’re not gonna resonate with every and each individual that you meet. However, the point is to make a connection and to start taking steps towards that direction.”

After the Meeting

After that, you need to take into consideration all of the recommendations of the small business specialist and make a follow up after taking the actionable steps that they recommended.

Also, you want to stay on top of any specific forecast list projects coming out in the near future and be part of any particular industry event.

WHAT IS ERIC’S EXPERIENCE WITH AN OSDBU?

More than five years ago, we were doing a lawn maintenance contract at Homestead Air Force Base. 

Now, before being awarded that contract, we actually went to meet with their OSDBU person and let them know about our services and what we were doing. However, that person just told us to join SAME and participate in the monthly luncheons at the SAME events. 

Well, a few months later, that small business specialist called us and let us know that the particular agency who awarded the contract was not happy with the contractor, so they asked us if we could step in and take over their existing contract.

Well, within probably a three to four month window, we had negotiated a contract and we ended up getting the entire landscape maintenance contract over at Patrick Air Force Base. 

So, that’s the story of how connecting with the OSDBU and a small business specialist could yield some really significant results.

With this, I’ll leave this quote by Zig Zigler:

“It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.” 

RESOURCES

Again, you should only trust the process. Go out there, get the target market list, schedule meetings with the OSDBU, and start making yourself known within a government agency.

With this in mind, let me help you become an incumbent and achieve your goal and your lifetime dream of earning all that you can in the federal marketplace.

Join us here at GovCon Giants by visiting our website and other social media platforms or check the new GovCon Edu where you learn everything about government contracting!

You can also check these resources below to learn more about the topic above:

Break the Government Contracting code using an OSDBU! Small business specialist!

https://youtu.be/uvZzGzwFxvo

https://govcongiants1.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Break-the-Government-Contracting-code-using-an-OSDBU-Small-business-specialist.pdf

 

Find Out What Agencies are Buying Today Using Your Forecast List!

Posted on by Eric Coffie

What is a forecast list and why do you need this? Continue reading this blog to learn more and to know what your target agency is buying today!

WHAT IS A FORECAST LIST? 

A forecast list essentially a projection of all upcoming projects for a given department or agency. A lot of times, this list goes from year to year, but sometimes it goes for a few years or if not, they break it down by quarters.

Some of the information that you can get from an agency’s forecast list may include the units, the solicitation release date, the award date, and the total amount that’s gonna be awarded in the contract.

“The forecast list, in my opinion, is the start of your networking and your marketing with agencies within the government. This is where the rubber hits the road. You wanna actually concentrate heavily on putting in the work here so that you can start finding out who the people are that you need to talk to, meeting with them, and start planting those seeds. That’s what’s gonna help drive your future contract opportunities.”

WHEN DO YOU NEED A FORECAST LIST?

When you already have your target market list and you understand who your customers are, that’s when you need a forecast list because now, you’re already ready to talk to agencies.

Still, this is assuming that you have your stuff together, meaning, you have suppliers, contacts, team, an experience or past performance, and lastly, you’re already ready to get into federal contracting.

If you don’t know what a target market list is, better check this video that we created. 

WHERE DO WE OBTAIN OUR FORECAST LIST?

1. Acquisition Central

Acquisition Central probably has the widest range of forecast lists from different government agencies. Still, consider that it might not have the complete lists of agencies in their database. For instance, the Department of Defense is not there. 

In order to look for the forecast list, you basically need to visit the website and scroll down and click on the “Procurement Forecast button.” Then, you will then be redirected to the Agency Recurring Procurement Forecasts where it lists the results from different agencies. 

After that, you can then click that agency’s forecast list on the right side of the page and you will be redirected to their forecast page wherein they put the file of their forecast list along with other information. 

2. Agency’s OSDBU website

The second way is going to the agency’s website and going directly to their OSDBU page as this office mainly has small business specialists who are responsible for handling businesses that want to work with that agency.

All you have to do is just look for their OSDBU page or looking directly for their Procurement Forecast page or through searching the keyword “forecast list” on their search box. 

3. Agency OSDBU Office

If you can’t find that agency’s forecast list in those two ways, then it would be best to actually pick up the phone and email their office or call their OSDBU hotline.

They will either point you in the direction of the list or they’ll actually send you to maybe a particular small business region that’s more specifically focused on the criteria that you want. 

Still, you should consider that these three ways will be of no value if you call and ask for a particular NAICS code that they aren’t buying. You should know beforehand what products and services they want. 

HOW TO READ FORECAST LIST?

Apart from using the forecast list as a way to inform you about future projects of a specific agency, you can also use this to actually learn about certain information that you might need in doing your paperwork. 

This is essentially because aside from the basic information of the solicitation release date and the award date, this also tells you about the pricing and structure, as well as gives you understanding on how the contract reads for your particular industry. 

HOW DO I USE THIS INFORMATION?

1. Create networking opportunities. 

The forecast list mainly helps you make a  connection with the small business specialist because when you meet with them, you already have particular opportunities that you want to discuss.

Aside from that, it also helps you connect with the incumbents who are already doing business with that specific agency.

You can then reach out to them and actually talk about specific products and services that you offer within his particular contract vehicle.

2. Gain decision makers’ contact information. 

Aside from contract opportunities, the forecast list also lists different points of contact and their contact information.

In fact, that information is pretty much across the board on every forecast list of every agency. 

3. Lunch and learn. 

The people who are usually putting the contracts out don’t know how each project works. This is why they’re always looking for people and companies that do this day in and day out. Hence, this is where you can lunch and learn with them. 

With this, you can start communicating with them for them to learn about you while you also learn about specific contracts or a particular forecast where you can showcase your expertise.

4. Determine the events to attend. 

You need to be in places where the engineers and points of contacts are gonna be. That’s how you help determine the events to go to.

RESOURCES

Now that you know what a forecast list is and what to do with it, the next thing to do is to actually actually communicate with your small business specialists and other target people. 

Again, you should only trust the process. Get your target market list and your agency’s forecast list, schedule meetings with the OSDBU, and start making yourself known within a government agency.

With this in mind, let me help you become an incumbent and achieve your goal and your lifetime dream of earning all that you can in the federal marketplace.

Join us here at GovCon Giants by visiting our website and other social media platforms or check the new GovCon Edu where you learn everything about government contracting!

You can also check these resources below to learn more about the topic above:

Find out what agencies are buying TODAY using Forecast List!

https://youtu.be/aMqYvftdZAE

https://govcongiants1.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Find-out-what-agencies-are-buying-TODAY-using-Forecast-List.pdf

Where Do I Start? List of GovCon Videos to Watch!

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Working in the federal marketplace can be a journey, so to help you better learn where to start, GovCon Giant made this list of videos to watch for you to follow!

THIS IS OUR STORY

Before we dive into some lessons, find out who is Eric Coffie and what is our mission here at GovCon Giants.

Listen to Eric Coffie’s 2020 Challenge video and learn our story and see why we believe that every small business on the planet should be doing government contracts!

“My name is Eric Coffie and it’s my mission in life to help small businesses achieve overwhelming success in the federal marketplace… I know that by creating an army of excellent contractors that operate ethically, we’ll provide the optimum value and best price for the government, we can curb this deficit spending trend, and start solving some of the life’s real challenges that this country faces you.”

BUSINESS BASICS

1. Learn the basics of government contracting. 

Before you start your company, learn the marketplace first. Remember, the government arena is different from the commercial marketplace.

With this, we give you a little summary of the fundamentals. This video will give you an overview of the basic building blocks to successfully win federal contracts.

2. Form your company.

Before doing business with the government, you need to incorporate your business. Remember the U.S. is a capitalistic society, even if you don’t have a tangible business, get incorporated now.

Still needs more reasons to incorporate? Watch this video: Six (6) Reasons to Form your corporation. 

3. Get your DUNS number. 

A Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) is a nine-digit identification number assigned to identify your business and to track your company’s credit record.

While the SAM database is extending the transition from using the DUNS number to the New Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) in April 2022, you still need to get your DUNS number before registering to the database. 

Want to know more about how to do it? Check this video on how to apply for a DUNS number. Please note that getting your DUNS number is absolutely FREE and you don’t have to pay someone to get this done.

4. Choose your NAICS code. 

A North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is a six-digit long code that helps classify the types of products and services that you supply.

The government actually permits having multiple NAICS codes, if you provide a wide variety of supplies. However, be careful in choosing because choosing the wrong NAICS code can cost you millions.  

5. Register in SAM.

The System for Award Management (SAM) database is a platform to properly represent your business in the federal contracting arena.

Depending on the complexity of your business, your registration might take about an hour and it can also take an average of 7-10 business days to process it in the database. You can check more information about the SAM.gov database here. 

If you want to learn more on how to register, then check these SAM Registration Tips. We also have a registration playlist in both Italian and Spanish language. 

WINNING TIPS AND STRATEGIES

1. Consultant or Contractor?

Now, there are two paths that you can take… be a consultant or a contractor. A consultant is a person who represents a firm and helps you win contracts, meanwhile a contractor is the company that actually does the work with their team. 

If you want to be a consultant, then check this video on how to get started as a consultant or check this playlist on consulting.

2. Where to look for contract opportunities?

After you create your company, you’re probably looking for a few ideas of how to make money using the power of the government. Here are a few places to start: How to make money online – no sales required.

3.  Are you eligible for these?

The federal government allocates 23% of all contracting dollars to small businesses. That’s a whopping $156 billion dollars!

So, if you have a woman-owned small business, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business, a small disadvantaged business, or a Historically Underutilized Business, then check these small business programs!

You can also check our playlist about the 8a program which offers a broad scope of assistance to small firms.

BUSINESS ADVICE

1. Business is like a jungle. 

Once you start learning how to make money, be careful because there will always be people who will try to take you down. Business is like a jungle, as they say. 

“They’re out there and they’re looking to take you down. Again, they’re coming from the bottom, they come up from the top, and if you can get through that jungle and you could make it on the other side, then you’re going to be successful in business. Just keep in mind that they’re all there to stop you from your pursuit of getting out the other side.”

2. Pain is positive. 

Scared to say the wrong things? Afraid to make mistakes? Faced with mental struggles? Our life can be compared to evolution and adaptation. Remember, the strong survive and the weak shall perish. Learn more why I say that pain is positive and helps you ascend to new heights!

3. Fair and failure are cousins. 

If you think that everything is too much for you, understand that fear and failure are cousins. These two are causing the death of many good ideas that never materialized. So, learn how to handle fear in this video.

4. Success does not discriminate. 

Don’t worry about the naysayers, the doubters, and the haters because regardless of your background, they will always say something negative towards you. 

Remember this, all of my rich friends started with no experience. Some of them are former criminals, most have no college degree, and little formal education. But they are all successful. Why? Because success does not discriminate.

GET INSPIRATION FROM US!

Starting is not easy, but it is necessary. Throughout the journey towards success, you will face a lot of setbacks. With this, you can learn from the personal philosophy that I use to develop a mental foundation.

You can also learn from these techniques that I use to become the smartest persons in the room.

Consider that all of those things that you are feeling right now are normal for a business owner, but you should not focus too much on these matters. 

If you want inspiration, you can check the story of how I leveraged the techniques above to land more than $1.5 million in contracts.

You can also check other GovCon Giants who have already gained success in the government arena through our podcast.

“I was born in a very poor community down in Miami, Florida… It was a predominanty black community and I grew up and we saw guns and knives, and we saw prostitution and drugs. And you know what? I chose a different path for myself. I chose a different way… I started a business, I started a company, I jump into real estate, I bought property, I made investments. And so, I’m telling you that I’m living proof of it.”

10 Things they don’t want you to know about Government Contracts!

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Let me put you up on the game when it comes to government contracts.

JOIN THE GAME OF GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING!

There are some things in life that we know to be true; then, there’s also some stuff that your parents or teachers didn’t teach you at home or in school.

These things are how to make money and how to take advantage of the largest economic system in the world.

To give you an idea, the United States (US) is the greatest creator of personal fortunes and wealth in the world, by all accounts. But, you can’t take advantage of its benefits if you don’t know how to make money out of it. 

This is why we have government contracting. But what really is it? To give you more ideas, take a look at these 10 things you probably don’t know about government contracts.

10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW!

1. These places are the richest.

The largest source of wealth creation in the US has some of the  richest zip codes in the country in terms of household income. These places are mostly behind Wall Street, Silicon Valley, Washington, D.C. and its surrounding area. 

2. This stuff is easy.

In this marketplace, we are basically dealing with different agencies in the government, so all of the forms and documents are standardized. 

The whole system and process is standardized to make dissemination of the information uniform. If they wouldn’t do that, it would be impossible to facilitate millions of contracts yearly.

So, if you want to look on some forms that you may use in government contracting, just look at these standard forms.

3. Anyone can do this. 

You can easily start doing business with the government, no college degree, no federal certifications required.

Consider this, my college friends are not millionaires and my millionaire friends don’t have college degrees. So, better start grinding right now. 

4. You don’t need money to start.

Everything you need to start government contracts is at your disposal. The only thing you need is to  do is start communicating with your target clients and build relationships with them. 

5. They owe this to you.

Chances are, the government probably owes this opportunity to you because their purpose is to basically help the people and recycle the money. 

This is why, small business programs are created to try to extend a helping hand to the less fortunate. Now, it’s your time to claim your stake of this trillion dollar behemoth!

6. No agency is meeting all the requirements.

The government is ensuring that they are providing opportunities for small businesses, but according to our research and data from sources across the web, they are not entirely hitting their goals.

To give you an idea, each government agency has their scorecards in which they check the boxes if they have provided contracts to different small businesses. 

However, because some small businesses are within two or more programs, that agency will be able to check more of their boxes, which is essentially against what their goal is. 

And because of this, large companies have continuously been taking small business contracts for many years and continue to do so, if there will be not enough small businesses to participate.

7. They are not bidding at the highest levels.

With nearly 50% of all contracts going to 1 or no bidders; large primes are using specific contract vehicles like GWAC, STARS II, MATOC, and SATOC to avoid bidding open market. 

You can get into these vehicles too, you can just learn the techniques and you can do the same.

8. The government prints money.

The government spends money every year just to make sure that government projects and contracts are fulfilled. In fact, Obama spent $8 trillion during his term and Trump may have spent more than that. 

The money is going somewhere, so why not let it flow down to your coffers?

9. Grants are good, contracts are great.

People want grants, but these are only good for one time and don’t create a recurring revenue stream. 

Contracts, on the other hand, can last anywhere from 1 to 5 years with $100M cap. Besides, more than 4,000,000 contracts are made each year.

10. Huge companies participate in this game.

Fortune 500 companies are also doing business with the government. Why? Because government contracting is lucrative and these companies realize the consistency and stability of a recurring revenue stream.

START YOUR GOVCON JOURNEY NOW! 

Now, of all these things we tell you, don’t you want to be part of this marketplace? Remember, this market is wide open for hungry businesses looking to capitalize!

So, if you are like this and want to capitalize what you have, then we have a handful of resources to help you. Just click the resources below. 

You can also visit the GovCon Giant website or the new GovCon Edu where you learn everything about government contracting!

Where do I start?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpoNXwhZDuw&list=PL6-jBNNcc98vgItLSmWLW2nZfNv9gOFeJ

Win Your 1st Government Contract

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqfX2ZBg2Ck&list=PL6-jBNNcc98tilGNNd9Q0BRGttl2egns6

Small Business Tips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXNLfpNOmgg&list=PL6-jBNNcc98s8Wokfs6Gg03bCuthc8bkk

Bid Opportunities

https://govcongiants1.wpengine.com/blog/bid-opportunities/

Govcon Tips

https://govcongiants1.wpengine.com/blog/govcon-tips/

GovCon Giants Podcast

https://govcongiants1.wpengine.com/podcast/

Life and Business is Like The Legend of Zelda

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Here’s why the game “The Legend of Zelda”has something to do with your business and your life!

LESSONS I’VE LEARNED FROM PLAYING ZELDA

Zelda is one of the games that children used to play before. In the game, for you to get to the other side of the door and go to the next level, you need to find a key. 

However, finding the key is not easy, you might need to read a clue, turn a rock over, look for hints, and other things. 

Business is much the same way. You don’t worry about what happens after you get into the other side of the door or to get on to the other phase of your business because your main focus as of now is to open that door. 

We should look at business in this manner: that the larger vision is to accomplish the mission. If you need to do several tasks in order to accomplish it, then do it.

Still, remember that the tasks and activities should not set you back or stop you. Rather, it should move you towards your goal. 

“You would continue until, you know, you found that key to get to the door. And because you knew that that was just the next step and your journey to reaching your goal of going to the next level.”

FOLLOW THE AWEME PHILOSOPHY

1. Associations

Who are you connected to? Who are you around? Who are you associated with?

In order to gain success in life, you need to surround yourself with highly motivated successful types of people who will expand your ideas, beliefs, and confidence.

2. Work

Successful people work around the clock, but they don’t consider themselves workaholic. Why? Because they have a burning desire and bigger purpose that drives them to continue working. 

“I know someone who works seven days a week for 20 years… Right now, this person continues to work no less than six days a week even though they’re already a multi-millionaire and they continue making millions of dollars. They, in fact, what they did was, they actually just renewed their purpose and their goals and now they’re no longer financial base, they’re more achievement base.”

3. Effort

It is true that once you put value on something you do, you put maximum effort in achieving it. So, how hard are you really trying right now?

Remember, the guy who chose to dedicate his effort to become a licensed contractor becomes the master. Meanwhile, the other person who does not put in the effort becomes the servant of the master. 

4. Money

You should be conscious about how you spend, lend, and borrow money. In order to grow a healthy thriving business, you need reserves because if you spend everything you earn, you are basically the employee and not the employer. 

“You know when I jumped into construction, I could not understand why these older people were working for me? I didn’t really get that. Well, what I found out was, you know, they can’t save money. You know, I don’t know where their money was going but for whatever reason, you know everything that came in their hands had to go right away. And so since they couldn’t save money, they end up having to work below younger people who were more financially responsible.”

5. Education

We should constantly seek out new ideas from books, podcasts, and other successful people. We should also put value only to those who are experts in this marketplace. 

Remember, if you at least spend your effort and time learning about new things, you’re gonna be 90% smarter than everyone else out there. 

With this, here’s a quote from Jim Rohn:

“My millionaire friends don’t have college degrees. My college friends don’t have millions. Formal education will make a living, self education will make you a fortune.”

RESOURCES

If you want to gain more perspective on this concept and its effect in your life and business, then be sure to click the resources down below. You can also visit the GovCon Giant website and social media platforms or the new GovCon Edu where you learn everything about government contracting!

Is your personal philosophy, poor me? Find out how to change that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1fdnEAwOow&feature=youtu.be

Success Habits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_oZkcwF6tw&t=2137s