Every year, federal government buyers actively search for thousands of small business vendors who are ready to meet their procurement needs, ensuring projects are completed efficiently 'on spec, on time, and on budget'. As they seek out trustworthy small business partners, your small business profile will come under scrutiny. Your marketing assets are the face of your company – especially your 6-second Capability Statement, your 5-10 minute Capabilities Briefing deck, DSBS profile, company website, and your personal and company LinkedIn profiles. These a ..read more

Are you getting the maximum value from long-range acquisition forecasts (LRAFs) for the federal marketplace? These procurement forecasts alert small businesses to future opportunities and contain a wealth of government contracting market research for small business vendors. On January 17, 2024, 100 people joined Neil McDonnell for a LinkedIn live training called “A Beginner's Guide to Federal Agency Long-Range Acquisition Forecasts in 2024."  In this review, we walk step by step to illustrate how to get the most value from t ..read more

 If you are a small businesses seeking federal contracts in 2024, you must prioritize your visibility and attractiveness to federal buyers. If they can't find you, they can't buy from you! The first step in the 7 Step Process for Federal Success is making your small business visible and easy to find. When federal buyers are looking for a partner to meet their program requirements, you want to be the first company they see. Next, your business profile must be "attractive enough" to hold their attention, must have a cleared, focused offering, and show you understand the buyer's needs ..read more

Did you know that federal agencies are required to provide a forecast of expected contract opportunities, including those that small businesses can fulfill? The Business Opportunity Development Reform Act of 1988 requires federal agencies to compile and make available projections of contracting opportunities that small businesses (including minority, women-owned, HUBZone, veteran-owned, and service-disabled veteran-owned) may be able to perform. These projections, called Long Range Acquisition Forecasts (LRAFs or LRAEs), are previews of potential opportunities before they're official ..read more

In the world of government contracting, your success is frequently determined by the strength of your team. Reliable and capable partners can significantly enhance your chances of winning federal contracts. When you build strong teams, you will absolutely be able to compete against other small businesses chasing the same opportunity. In a recent LinkedIn live training "How to Build a Strong Team of Government Contractors That Can Win Contracts" Neil McDonnell focused on his 7-step process to help you build strong teams and improve your competitiveness in the market. Watch t ..read more

Government agencies ramp up their spending at the end of each fiscal year and this creates a spike in contract opportunities for 8(a) firms and minority-owned government contractors.  Of the 16,116 sole-source contracts awarded in FY2022,  67% were awarded in the 4th Quarter  In today's live training, GovCon Chamber president Neil McDonnell dove into the data on USASpending to identify which agencies are most inclined to sole source contracts to 8(a) firms in the fourth quarter. Learn how to identify which federal agenci ..read more

Social Selling has emerged as a powerful strategy to engage with federal agency buyers and teaming partners. Small businesses who learn to embrace the power of Social Selling become the go-to experts in their specific domain. It is just a process.   How Can You Make Your Business 'Findable' and 'Attractive? Today, Neil McDonnell demonstrates how to engage online with both known and unknown leads. Next he explains when and how to engage to become 'findable' and 'attractive' to potential buyers.  Watch the video to see how Neil engages with both known ..read more

The real purpose of a capability statement is to open doors.  Capability statements are the most important marketing tools for small business government contractors. A well-written statement will open doors and persuade government small business specialists to connect you with program officers.  This is just one of the 6 Essential Marketing Assets for Small Business Government Contractors in the Federal Marketplace In the market research phase, government buyers are just trying to collect a pool of 'generally qualified' vendors and don't have time to read lengthy documen ..read more

FEDERAL ACQUISITION follows a 3 step process that leads to repeatable and predictable results. Business Development – the process of identifying opportunities and building relationships;  Capture Management – the pursuit of a single opportunity at a single agency;  Proposal Management – writing compelling proposals that win federal contracts  When the entire team aligns their efforts, they are more likely to deliver winning proposals.    How do BD, Capture Managers and Proposal Writers Work Togethe ..read more

Winning a prime contract with a federal agency can be hard if you're new to the federal government market. Fortunately, subcontracting offers a lucrative path for many small businesses. Remember there are 3 Paths to Federal Revenue as a government contractor. Related training "3 Paths to Federal Revenue – How to Win on Each Path"  If you are just getting established or if you just don't want to be a prime, you can still build a $10 million revenue stream by repeatedly subcontracting on existing federal contracts.  Subcontracting on a contract that ..read more