Government contracting has helped millions of businesses increase their bottom line and secure financial stability during uncertain economic times. Becoming a successful vendor to the federal government requires a significant investment of time and resources. Mismanaging your strategy can be devastating to any business, but small businesses are especially vulnerable due to their limited resources. Thankfully, there are a number of steps business owners can follow to increase their odds of success and efficiently utilize their resources.

Before taking any other steps, businesses need to look inward and determine whether they are ready for federal contracting. It is also helpful to research the federal government's need for the products and services the business produces. There are many online resources to help accomplish this, including the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS), FebBizOpps (FBO), USASpending.gov, and Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS).

Next, the business will need to register in all appropriate federal databases. While you may already know about the System for Award Management, or SAM, this is not the only place you should be registered. Before you even start your SAM registration, you'll need to obtain a DUNS number. If your business is considered small according to SBA standards, you will also want to include your information in the DSBS. Depending upon what set asides you may qualify for, what industry you're in and which agencies you'll be targeting, you may need to register on several other websites as well.

The last step to ensure success is to build your marketing strategy. The most effective way to market to government buyers is a two part approach: research upcoming projects and network with purchasing officers. Many vendors skip this step, expecting that all they need to do is register and contracts will come rolling in. Unfortunately, vendors who make this assumption rarely win contracts and waste valuable time, money and resources while they wait.

Recognizing the importance of this strategy, US Federal Contractor Registration has developed their Simplified Acquisition Program. By combining proven strategies with expert training, this program has helped generate millions of dollars in contract awards for small businesses. The Simplified Acquisition Program takes advantage of the simplified acquisition threshold and procedures laid out by Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 13. US Federal Contractor Registration's program includes everything a vendor needs to start winning contracts as quickly as possible.

US Federal Contractor Registration, the world's largest third party registration firm, has helped thousands of small businesses successfully register to conduct business with the United States federal government. They offer a complete suite of services covering everything from initial SAM registration to GSA registration to marketing. Their clients have included national businesses, major universities, city and state government offices, non profits and other charitable organizations.