Small Business Government Procurement

By Michelle Loredo

Are you a small business owner looking to do business with government agencies? If you are, there are many opportunities to work with a governmental agency.

According to the Small Business Administration, the federal government aims to reserve 23 percent of prime contracts for small businesses, three percent for women-owned small businesses, 5 percent for disadvantaged businesses, three percent for HUBZone small businesses, and three percent for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses.

We have put together all you need to know about government contracting and tools to guide you in the right direction.

What Is Government Procurement?

Government procurement or government contracting is doing business with governmental agencies. To work with the government agencies, you have to request a proposal, wait for your bid to be evaluated, and be chosen to participate in the contract.

There are different types of contracts available:

Competitive Set-Aside Contracts
Joint Ventures
Sole-Source Set-Aside Contracts

Competitive set-aside contracts are when contracts are exclusive to small business owners. These contracts happen with federal contracts that are under $150,000. Joint ventures are when multiple small businesses come together to form a winning contract. A sole-source aside contract is contracts that do not have to go through the competitive bidding process. To find sole-source contracts, you must register with the System for Award Management contracting program.

Receive Help from UH PTAC

The SBDC Network and the UH APEX Accelerator can help guide you in your procurement venture. The UH APEX helps small businesses with comprehensive client advising. They will help you register, research, and respond to contract opportunities. They are currently helping virtually, and you can reach them via their phone number or email, 713-752-8477 and uhapex@central.uh.edu. To receive their help, you have to apply to receive their services. If you are approved, they will assign you an advisor. Here is the link to apply.

Your advisors will assist you with:

Accounting System
Bid Match Service
Business Consulting
Business Training
Certification
Government Accounting System Requirements
Marketing Assistance
Registrations

Here is a list of SBDC recorded webinars that can help you with government contracting: