The Complete Government Contracting Bootcamp

Learn to win government contracts by building trust with the actual people behind offices, recognizing risk-averse buyers, meeting key decision-makers, and timely sharing capability statements and follow-ups.

Meet the small business specialist, the agency contact who answers questions, shares information on purchases, and helps you find buyers, though they cannot award contracts.

Learn to engage agency reps by researching the agency and clearly describe your capabilities and benefits, then ask about purchasing frequency, quantities, schedules, last price paid, and future needs.

Understand how the contracting officer signs contracts for the government, and how contract specialists draft solicitations, administer contracts, and handle day-to-day dealings.

Identify the end user and their requirements early to understand government needs and purchase amounts. Listen, learn their language, and align your offerings with the forthcoming solicitation.

Learn how government micro purchases under the threshold let non-contracting employees use purchase cards for small jobs. Build relationships to pursue bigger contracts by delivering fabulous work.

Identify other contractors as potential teaming partners by researching past contract awards and primes’ small-business offices, then pursue alliances with firms that already have government connections.

Register your business in sam.gov to bid on government contracts, as registration can delay proposals; set up your sam user account and learn to search opportunities using NAICS codes.

Register your business in sam.gov to obtain the unique entity identifier and Cage code, as the government now uses the UI instead of the old Duns number.

Sam.gov is the official U.S. government site; signing up for a Sam user account is separate from registering your business, and Login.gov provides a personal single login.

Register your entity in sam.gov, complete entity validation, upload documents to prove legal name and address, and prepare NAICS codes to bid on federal contracts.

Identify your Nate's codes (NAICS) on census.gov and understand how small business size standards vary by code. List primary and multiple secondary codes in Sam to capture bid opportunities.

Enter worldwide receipts and employees, apply five-year employee averaging, obtain an EIN, provide bank and MPIN details, and set three points of contact for accounts receivable, electronic, and government.

Verify your Sam registration status by signing in to Sam, navigating to workspace, and checking entity information for an active registration; contact the government's help desk at fsd.gov if needed.

Learn how sam.gov serves as the hub for government contracting, letting you search contract opportunities and notices such as RFPs and RFQs, with a free account for saved searches.

Navigate SAM.gov to find contracts open for bid, using advanced filters, notice types, NAICS codes, place of performance, and saved searches with email notifications.

Learn to quickly skim a federal solicitation, focusing on the statement of work, instructions to offerors, and evaluation criteria. Identify the right RFQ or RFP, set-aside status, and proposal requirements.

Prepare the cover page for a government offer using the SF 1449, download from sam.gov, fill required fields, note solicitation details, NAICS, and pricing sheets.

Learn to price government contracts by filling unit price and total on the pricing sheet, using the scope of work and base and option years, and ask clarifying questions.

Submit questions by the solicitation due date to the provided email, including the solicitation number in the subject line of your email; the contracting officer posts anonymized Q&As and amendments.

Acknowledge amendments before the deadline and include signed amendments with your bid. Prepare reps and certs, using Sam outputs when possible, and follow the submission instructions to deliver your proposal.

Learn how to craft compliant government proposals by following exact instructions, organizing by the agency’s order, addressing evaluation criteria, and using a compliance matrix to ensure nothing is missed.

price government contracts by calculating total cost—direct and indirect costs plus fringe benefits—then consider contract type, risk, and competition to win and profit.

Learn how the government evaluates proposals using LPTA and best value criteria. Craft bids by maintaining the lowest technically acceptable price.

Learn to bid on best value contracts by evaluating technical capability, past performance, and price, and making a best value tradeoff where higher price may be justified.

Explore the 8(a) certification, eligibility rules (51% ownership and control by disadvantaged individuals), and how mentor-protege joint ventures win set-aside and sole-source contracts.

Explore the women owned small business program and edwosb, enabling set-aside and sole source contracts, SBA eligibility: 51% ownership and control by women who are U.S. citizens, and NAICS codes.

Certify as a veteran owned small business (VOSB) or service disabled veteran owned small business (SDVOSB) to access sole source and set aside contracts, VA and federal opportunities, surplus property.

Explore hubzone certification, which bases eligibility on location, not owner traits, and access set-aside contracts and preferential competition by meeting 51% ownership, hubzone address, and 35% employee residency.

Register your small business in sam to self-certify eligibility and bid on contracts listed as small business set-asides, including total or partial set-asides.

Learn seven key things about set asides and certifications in federal contracting, including competitive set asides, sole source contracts, and women owned and service disabled veteran owned programs.

Learn what a sources sought notice is and why you should respond. Discover how your response can influence the acquisition, the statement of work, and potential set-asides.

Learn to locate sources sought notices on sam.gov by filtering by notice type, dates, agency, and NAICS codes, then download or save searches and review notices.

Walk through a sources sought notice for hvac replacement at White Swan, Washington, including scope of work, NAICS 238220, and response requirements from the Indian Health Service.

Learn to craft organized responses to sources sought notices by following the notice order, including required company details, past projects, and scope-aligned experience.

Identify common mistakes in sources sought responses and tailor each submission to the government's need, avoiding extraneous information, generalities, and canned templates while presenting specific, relevant examples.

Learn how to find what the government pays for products and services using GSA Advantage and GSA Elibrary, including price lists and hourly rates.

Learn to access DSBS through the SBA Connect portal and build a compelling SBA profile with keywords and a capabilities narrative to help buyers find you.

Craft your elevator pitch with a four-point template to show value and credibility, then network with government buyers for follow-up meetings.

Learn three methods to find government outreach events to meet buyers and teaming partners: agency small business events, a keyword search on sam.gov, and local apex matchmaking notices.