Weirding Word®

Smaller Pond for Better Fishing: Narrowing Focus Grows Government Business

A guest blog by Anna Urman

If I had a dollar for every time a small IT contractor told me that they "can really do any IT project for any agency," or that their ideal client is the Department of Homeland Security . . . well, I would have a good start towards my kid's college fund.

I do not mean to cast doubt on their technical expertise. In fact, I understand that many services, business practices, and technology processes are easily replicable across commercial and government markets.
 
However, the government is a buyer's market. They have their choice of companies of every size and specialty competing for work -- often, small businesses against very large corporations. And while each business type and size has its own advantages in the competition game, one thing that program managers and contracting officers look for is competent firms that can perform correctly, on time and within budget.

So, when a Fortune 500 company says that they can do "everything", they can prove it with past performance, customer recommendations, resumes of experts with narrowly focused specialties, and success stories. When, on the other hand, a 50-person company claims a broad spectrum of expertise, they come across as "a mile wide and an inch deep", raising serious doubts about their ability to do a wide array of services well.

It is the job of small and new government contractors to present themselves as competent and reliable businesses that will help a government client meet its needs and excel in its mission -- and here's how it should be done:

Specialize in a narrow area. Identify a core competency with which you can demonstrate an expertise and show a record of success. That does not mean that you will be unable pursue other types of work, but it will begin to establish credibility in a defined area.

Concentrate on a few target customers, and dig in. Who within the government is most likely to use your services? What are the characteristics of your ideal client? Because your time and financial resources are limited, it’s unrealistic to pursue every federal, state and local agency in the US.

Differentiate yourself from the competition. The first step is knowing the competitio. The second step is making yourself stand out against the crowd. For example, if most of the other vendors are large firms, use your size as an advantage. Or, if your competitors are generalists, carve out a specialty for yourself.

Be present when your customer agencies do vendor outreach. Attend industry days, make yourself available to answer questions, or provide information (such as white papers) that showcase solutions to their problems to cement your role as a valuable partner.

Pay Attention to what your customers are doing. You must know what is going on with relevant agencies and programs. Stay aware of budgets, ongoing programs, and current vendors. Understand and offer specific ways to fix your customer's under-performing programs, and ask specific questions that show an understanding of your customer's needs.

For more information on finding your market, identifying opportunities, performing competitive intelligence, or creating a capture/account plan for public sector sales, contact Tactical Insight.

Weirding Word®, a division of G.L. Honeycutt Consulting, LLC, is a virtual publication department that provides editing, freelance writing, and publication and web design services.

Copyright 2007-2010 Gaea L. Honeycutt. All rights reserved.

CBC Foundation Guide to Stimulus Funds

Is the whole Stimulus Thing making your head spin? Everyone knows that there are large capital disbursements, discretionary funds in each Federal agency, pending grants and contracts in Federal agencies, and massive amounts of funds that will be distributed by states as the Recovery Act is implemented. But how do you access those funds for your own business or nonprofit?

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation has published a guide, The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009:  A Resource Guide for African Americans. Drawing on information from an Obama-Biden Administration briefing for small business and other materials and resources, CBCF has highlighted critical issues and identified agencies responsible for administering funds and programs.  It includes targeted programs by topic/issue area, a description about how funding is determined, and a listing of where jobs can be created or saved.

The introduction emphasizes, "One of the most important components of this legislation is that it is designed to provide funding quickly . . . the funding will also go to projects and programs that demonstrate that the funding can be utilized quickly and effectively to improve communities."

In a NCBCP Black Women's Roundtable meeting yesterday, CBCF CEO Dr. Elsie L. Scott and Senior Research and Policy Analyst Dr. Alana C. Hackshaw reminded participants to monitor grants.gov, fedbizopps.gov and recovery.gov, as well as individual agency and state Recovery Act websites to stay abreast of developments and opportunities.

Download a copy from the CBCF website.

Gaea Honeycutt
blog@weirdingword.com

Weirding Word®, a division of G.L. Honeycutt Consulting, LLC, is a virtual publication department that provides editing, freelance writing, and publication and web design services.

Copyright 2007-2009 Gaea L. Honeycutt. All rights reserved.

Government Contracting: Opportunities and Trends

The Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce convened a timely seminar on the keys to successful government contracting, the 8A program and the BRAC transition at the McLean Community Center. The expert panelists were Christopher Jones, a Business Development Specialist with the U.S. Small Business Administration; Dr. Andrea Y. Morris, Coordinator of Arlington's BRAC Transition Center; and William Welch, an attorney at General Counsel PC who specializes in government contracting and Federal procurement.

The main lessons emphasized for all business owners were:

• Understand the basics of starting your business

• Register with the Federal government through CCR (linked through the SBA site), and be sure to register with governments in the jurisdictions where you do business, including Virginia's eVA
• Obtain every minority, woman, and small business certification you can for the jurisdictions where you do business

Mr. Jones stressed the importance of marketing to contracting officers and hunting for the work, telling attendees, "Apply for anything on FedBizOps that you have the capacity to do." He also encouraged businesses to request a debriefing when they don't win a contract. And, Mr. Jones outlined some of the standards for obtaining an 8A certification.

Dr. Morris emphasized the opportunities available through BRAC, "One-third of the market is affected in just Crystal City, not to mention the rest of Arlington County." The mos ted affected industries right now are construction, plumbing, electric, furniture, research and technology, security, and geospatial. She told attendees to get on the websites every day to keep track of new opportunities.

"Form your business entity properly, get all of your licenses, and be clear on the steps and forms needed to operate in each jurisdiction," said Mr. Welch. A business owner needs to establish strong foundations and make sure she hires an attorney and an accountant who each know the specific industry.

With so much to cover, NVBCC will be holding more sessions this summer.

Gaea Honeycutt
blog@weirdingword.com

Weirding Word®, a division of G.L. Honeycutt Consulting, LLC, is a virtual publication department that provides editing, freelance writing, and publication and web design services.

Copyright 2007-2009 Gaea L. Honeycutt. All rights reserved.