Getting Started with Government Contracting
Online Step-by-Step Guide
Below are the basic requirements/steps to help your business get started contracting with the government. As you work through these steps, please feel free to call us with any questions at 916.334.9388 or 866.382.7822 toll-free. We can help you with all aspects of government contracting.
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| 1. Make sure you have a business plan |
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Need help? Contact a Small Business Development Center (SBDC),
SCORE: www.SCORE.org, or the U.S. Small Business Administration
(SBA): www.sba.gov/starting_business. |
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| 2. Get your
Data Universal Numbering System
(D-U-N-S) Number |
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Call Dun & Bradstreet at 1.866.705.5711 to obtain your D-U-N-S Number.
The process to obtain a D-U-N-S Number via phone takes about
10 minutes and is free of charge. |
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| 3. Research your North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and U.S. Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Codes |
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a. Go to the Bureau of the Census website:
http://www.census.gov/epcd/naics07/index.html
And look up all the NAICS/SIC codes that identify the types of contracts your business can perform.
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b. Go to the SBA's table of Small Business Size Standards: www.sba.gov/idc/groups/public/documents/sba_homepage/serv_sstd_tablepdf.pdf, download the table, and match
your code(s) with the matching size standard(s). |
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4. Set up Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) with your bank or
financial institution |
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You will need the EFT information to register your company in the Central Contractor's Registration (CCR) (step 5). For more in-depth information
about EFT, go to www.ccr.gov/handbook.asp. (See the "Financial Information"
section of the CCR Handbook.) |
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5. Register your company online in the Central Contractor's
Registration (CCR): www.ccr.gov |
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We recommend you print out the entire CCR Handbook for reference. For details on the information to gather before you register, see the section, "Information Needed to Register." If you have all the necessary information
on hand, the online registration takes approximately one hour to complete, depending upon the size and complexity of your company. During the registration process, you will assign your own Marketing Partner ID Number (MPIN) in the CCR. |
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| 6. Complete your Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA): http://orca.bpn.gov/ |
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ORCA is an e-Government initiative that was designed by the Integrated Acquisition Environment (IAE) to replace the paper based Representations
and Certifications (Reps and Certs) process. Your CCR registration (see number five above) must be completed and accepted first. You will need your D-U-N-S Number and MPIN to login. Click on “Help” for the handbook. |
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7. Complete the Veterans Employment and Training Service Report
(VETS-100): https://vets100.vets.dol.gov/ |
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Any entity who receives a contract(s) or subcontract(s) from the federal government in the
amount of $100,000 or more, must file a VETS-100 Report on an annual basis. File your report online by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking "File VETS 100 Report Online." If this is your first time to file, click on https://vets100.vets.dol.gov/HowCompanyNumber.pdf to obtain a company number. |
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| 8. Apply for Certifications |
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a. Small Business Administration (SBA) Programs - For help with the SBA programs, register for one of our free Upcoming Classes |
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i. Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) Program: www.sba.gov/sdb/ |
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ii. Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Program: https://eweb1.sba.gov/hubzone/internet/ |
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iii. 8(a) Business Development Program:
www.sba.gov/8abd/ |
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b. State of California Certifications |
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i. Small Business Certification:
www.pd.dgs.ca.gov/smbus/certapps.htm |
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ii. Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) Certification: www.pd.dgs.ca.gov/smbus/dvbecert.htm |
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c. California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Disadvantaged Business
Enterprise (DBE) Program: |
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www.dot.ca.gov/hq/bep/ |
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d. California Public Utilities Commission Supplier Clearinghouse |
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www.asianinc.org/clearinghouse.html |
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| 9. Search for Government Contracting Opportunities (Website Examples) |
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| 10. Sign up for a Bid-Matching Service |
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a. State of California Subscription Outreach Service (Free) -searches
California contracting opportunities only |
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www.cscr.dgs.ca.gov/cscr/premium_services/info/premium_
services_information.asp |
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b. Federal Notices (greater than or equal to $25,000) - go to https://www.fbo.gov and create a user name and password. Once you have established a free account, you may create "Search Agents" that will generate free notices. |
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c. GovLink Bid-Matching ($199/year) - provides a customized search
of over 780 federal, state, city, county, and municipality contracting opportunities |
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www.TheFTC.org/bid-matching |
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| 11. Sign up for one of our FREE government contracting classes. |
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See our list of Upcoming Classes |
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| 12. Call us at 916.334.9388 or 866.382.7822 toll-free (in California) to schedule a free government contracting counseling session. |
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