0816_TOEFL-Test-and-Score-Manual-1997

186 ● 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business
“Almost all large contractors have a mandate to reach out to work with
smaller contractors,” said Vicki Garcia, a marketing consultant who has
a contract with the airport authority to help small businesses become
subcontractors on the San Diego airport expansion project.
Garcia helps business owners understand the somewhat complicated
process. First, she said, you have to be certified as a historically underserved
business enterprise (HUBE). Most minority, veteran, or woman-owned
businesses will qualify for this designation, so check with your city and
county to learn how to get certified. Once you are certified, you will be put
on a list and authorized to submit bids for jobs.
“If you are interested in a project, you have to go to the prebid meeting,
or you can’t bid,” said Garcia. That meeting is a great place to meet the big
contractors and find out what they need.
The Federal Marketplace should be your first stop. To get started, check
out www.fedmarket.com. The site is rich with information on how to market
and sell products and services to Uncle Sam (really the General Services
Administration).
There are dozens of interesting articles on the site, including one that
wonders why there are only 20,000 companies qualified to bid on contracts
because the requirements are so tough for new businesses to meet.
If you want to get in line for federal contracts, the first step is to find a
Procurement Technical Assistance Center, which helps small companies
navigate the procurement maze to get to the Department of Defense and
other agencies.
There are a variety of programs that are supposed to help minorityowned
small businesses receive federal contracts on a sole-source or limited
competition basis.
The Procurement Automated Service System (PASS) is a database with
more than 200,000 small companies interested in doing business with the
government. PASS provides companies with a quick way to find small
suppliers.
Most government agencies have a special department dedicated
to helping you do business with them. Ask for the Office of Small and
Disadvantaged Business at any federal agency. The Small Business Administration
(SBA) also has special programs for veterans, including loan guarantees.