Federal Acquisition Regulations require Contracting Officers to make every effort to find qualified small business vendors, and to document their efforts to reach out to small, disadvantaged, 8a, woman-owned or veteran-owned small businesses. The Contracting Officer may use various methods to conduct Market Research, including:
- Posting notices in FedBizOpps or agency sites – RFI, Sources Sought, Market Research.
- Attending trade events, hosting site visits or industry days.
- Searching various Market Research databases, such as the System for Awards Management (SAM); the SBA’s Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS); FedBizOpps; the Federal Procurement Data System; GSA’s Federal Supply Schedule – eLibrary & Advantage; the VA’s Veteran Vendor Information Page; and commercial search engines.
What You Can Do
- Respond to Sources Sought and Requests for Information notices.
- Add your company name to the Interested Vendor tab on FedBizOpps.
- Attend trade events, industry days and other opportunities to meet potential buyers.
- Create a professional, government-oriented Capability Statement.
- Make sure that your company profile in SAM and DSBS is current, includes company qualifications, NAICS codes, certifications, skills and experience. Make full use of key words and descriptions.
- If you have a GSA contract, make sure your Advantage catalog is up-to-date, products/service descriptions include relevant keywords, specifications, photographs, and a valid Point of Contact.
- If you have a GSA contract, make sure your company website includes the GSA logo, and is designed specifically to encourage government buyers to browse your site.
- If you have a GSA contract; check the eBuy notices regularly. Even if you cannot bid on an opportunity, you should still give a ‘No Bid” response, rather than ignoring it – you will be able to list the reason you cannot bid, and the buyer knows that you are active in the market.