Guam Business Resource Guide

9.1 BASICS
The U.S. government is the world's largest buyer of
products and services. Purchases by military and
civilian installations amount to nearly $200 billion a
year, and include everything from complex space
vehicles to janitorial services to cancer research. In
short, the government buys just about every category
of commodity and service available. Learning
how the Federal government buys, understanding
the responsibilities of contractors and recognizing
subcontracting and procurement opportunities are
the first steps to navigating this complex world of
contracting.
The government applies standardized procedures
by which to purchase goods and services from suppliers
who meet certain qualifications. That is, the
government does not purchase items or services in
the way an individual household might. Instead,
government contracting officials use
procedures that conform to the Federal
Acquisition Regulation (FAR), or in the
case of NASA, the Department of Defense,
the Department of Homeland
Security and others, procedures that
conform to the FAR and supplemental
regulations specific to those agencies.
The FAR is a standardized set of regulations
used by all federal agencies in
making purchases. It provides procedures
for every step in the procurement
process, from the time someone in the government
discovers a need for a product or service
to the time the purchase is complete. Agency specific
supplemental regulations compliment the FAR
however they do not contradict the FAR. The FAR
can be accessed electronically at http://
acquisition.gov/far.
By law, federal agencies are required to establish
contracting goals, such that 23% of all government
buys are intended to go to small businesses. In addition,
contract goals are established for womenowned
businesses, small disadvantaged businesses,
firms located in HUBZones and service disabled veteran-owned
small businesses. These governmentwide
goals are 5%, 5%, 3% and 3%, respectively.
Even though these are mandated goals versus mandated
results, they are important because federal
agencies have a statutory obligation to reach-out
and consider small businesses for procurement opportunities.
It is up to you to market and match
your business products and services to the buying
needs of federal agencies.
While federal procurement procedures may have a
different set of rules and regulations, many of the
same marketing techniques and strategies you already
employ may work here. Use your common
business sense. Some tips: Get to know the agency
and understand the context in which your product
or service could be used. Obtain available information
on past awards, quantities, costs and awarders.
You may conduct research on the federal marketplace
by geographic area or products and services
through the Federal Procurement Data System
which is available on line at www.fpds.gov.
Become known to potential purchasers and the end
users they represent. Before going forward, take a
moment to think about your company's
products and services. Take a
close look at your company and consider
what the government will look
for when considering your company
for a contract award. Financial
status, staff capabilities and track
record are all areas of interest to
the government.
9.2 PREREQUISITES
The U.S. Government is increasing
the use of single entry portals for those seeking access
to the federal marketplace. One very important
portal is Central Contractor Registration
(CCR). Your firm must be registered in CCR as a
prerequisite to being awarded a contract with the
federal government and more importantly, a current
registration ensures your firm will be promptly
paid upon the delivery and acceptance of the product
or service you provided to the government.
The first step to becoming registered in CCR is to
register your company with Dun and Bradstreet
(DNB) who will issue your firm a D-U-N-S number.
If your firm is based in one of the U.S. Territories
or possessions located in the Western Pacific, you
must obtain your D-U-N-S number through DNB –
Australia. DNB-Australia’s website is located at
www.dnb.com/au. All other U.S. companies should
obtain their D-U-N-S number through the domestic
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