Sam Fields:
Hello and welcome to FedBiz’5… I’m Sam Fields.
Sam Fields:
Here is a question that can completely change the way you pursue federal contracts.
Sam Fields:
When do you think the competition really starts?
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When the RFP hits SAM.gov?
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When proposals are due?
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When you start writing?
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Actually… for some of the most important decisions, you may already be late.
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Because before that RFP ever appears, the government may already be deciding something that dramatically changes who you will compete against.
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Should this requirement be set aside for small businesses?
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Should it be an 8(a) competition?
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A HUBZone set-aside?
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A Women-Owned Small Business set-aside?
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A Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business set-aside?
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Or should everybody, including the big guys, be allowed to compete?
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And here is the part a lot of small contractors miss.
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You can have a legitimate role in shaping that decision.
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Not by lobbying for special treatment.
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Not by trying to convince an agency to build a solicitation around your company.
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By giving the government something it actually needs to make the decision:
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Evidence.
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Evidence that capable small businesses exist.
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Evidence that they understand the work.
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Evidence that they have the people, systems, experience, capacity, and partners to perform it.
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And evidence that the government can get competitive pricing from the small-business market.
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That is what we are talking about today.
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How to get involved before the RFP drops… while the acquisition strategy can still move.
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Let’s start with the Rule of Two.
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For acquisitions above the Simplified Acquisition Threshold, which is currently $350,000, the current FAR generally requires a total small-business set-aside when the contracting officer reasonably expects to receive offers from at least two responsible small businesses and make an award at fair market prices.
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And above that threshold, contracting officers are also required to consider the socioeconomic programs first.
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That means 8(a), HUBZone, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, and Women-Owned Small Business opportunities may all be part of the discussion.
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The phrase that matters is “reasonable expectation.”
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Because the contracting officer cannot just say, “Eh, I bet a couple of small businesses can probably do this.”
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They need support for the acquisition file.
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They conduct market research.
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They review past procurements.
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They search for contractors.
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They may talk with agency small-business specialists.
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They may consult SBA Procurement Center Representatives.
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And very often, they ask industry.
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That is your opening.
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Now, one of the easiest ways to become part of that evidence happens before you ever respond to a notice.
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It is your SBA Small Business Search profile… SBS.
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SBS is what used to be called Dynamic Small Business Search.
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And SBA currently tells contracting officials to use it as part of their market research.
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Think about what that means.
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Your profile is not just administrative paperwork sitting somewhere behind your SAM.gov registration.
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It is market intelligence about your company.
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If a contracting officer searches for businesses under a particular NAICS code or capability and you do not appear… you may not get counted.
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And appearing is only half the battle.
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Imagine they find you, open your profile, and your capabilities narrative says something generic like:
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“We provide innovative, customer-focused solutions to public and private-sector clients.”
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Okay.
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What solutions?
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For whom?
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At what scale?
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Where?
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With what experience?
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For what mission?
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The contracting officer is doing research, not solving a riddle.
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Your SAM.gov record, SBS profile, capability statement, website, certifications, NAICS codes, keywords, and past performance should tell basically the same story.
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The easier you are to understand, the easier you are to count as a credible source.
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Now let’s get to one of the most overlooked tools in government contracting.
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Sources sought notices.
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A sources sought notice is not an RFP.
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You are not submitting a proposal.
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There is no contract waiting for somebody at the end of it.
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And that is exactly why a lot of contractors ignore them.
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Big mistake.
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Because the government may be asking:
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Are there enough qualified small businesses to set this aside?
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Can small companies perform the entire scope?
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What kind of past performance exists in the market?
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Can companies handle the geography?
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Can they staff it?
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Do they have bonding?
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Clearances?
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Cybersecurity credentials?
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Supply-chain capacity?
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Can they do the work at a fair market price?
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If capable small businesses do not respond, what evidence does the contracting officer have?
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Silence tells its own story.
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And sometimes that story is:
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“We looked. We could not establish a reasonable expectation of adequate small-business competition.”
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Now you may be staring at a full-and-open solicitation competing against companies with 10,000 employees.
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That is why sources sought responses are part of capture.
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Same thing with an RFI, or Request for Information.
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An RFI may ask broader questions about capabilities, pricing, delivery, acquisition structure, technical approaches, or whether the government's proposed requirement even makes sense.
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The current FAR actively encourages these early exchanges with industry.
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RFIs.
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Draft RFPs.
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Industry conferences.
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One-on-one meetings.
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Presolicitation notices.
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Site visits.
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The government wants information before it locks everything down.
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Your job is to show up when it is asking.
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So what does a strong response actually look like?
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Not a 12-page corporate brochure with beautiful stock photography and three paragraphs about your CEO’s vision.
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Answer the questions.
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Every one of them.
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And prove six things.
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First… eligibility.
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Are you small under the anticipated NAICS code?
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What certifications do you hold?
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Are they current?
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Second… capability.
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Can you actually perform the requirement as the prime?
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Do not say, “We can meet all requirements.”
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Show how.
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Third… capacity.
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How many people can you deploy?
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Where can you perform?
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How fast can you mobilize?
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What facilities, equipment, clearances, bonding, licenses, systems, or suppliers do you have?
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Fourth… past performance.
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And specificity wins here.
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“Provided IT support” is weak.
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“Supported 2,400 users across 18 locations while maintaining a 98% on-time ticket resolution rate” tells the buyer something.
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Give scope.
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Scale.
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Your role.
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Contract size when appropriate.
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And an outcome.
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Fifth… pricing reality.
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If the government asks for pricing information, give them something useful.
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Maybe it is a range.
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Commercial rates.
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Labor-category pricing.
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Unit pricing.
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Catalog pricing.
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Or a rough-order-of-magnitude estimate with assumptions.
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Remember what the contracting officer may be trying to prove.
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Not just that two small businesses can perform.
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That an award could reasonably be made at a fair market price.
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And sixth… team depth.
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If you need subcontractors or partners, that is okay.
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The government does not expect every 10-person company to have every capability sitting in-house.
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But your team needs to be credible.
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Who is doing what?
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How does the team cover the complete requirement?
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Can the small-business prime actually manage and perform its required share?
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That is much stronger than pretending you can perform everything everywhere by next Tuesday with a heroic amount of coffee.
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Now… where do you find these opportunities early enough?
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Do not search SAM.gov only for active RFPs.
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Search for sources sought.
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RFIs.
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Presolicitation notices.
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Special notices.
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Draft solicitations.
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Then look at agency procurement forecasts.
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Acquisition.gov currently provides links to agency procurement forecasts across the federal government.
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A forecast can give you months of runway.
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You can identify a future requirement.
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Research the incumbent.
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Study the buying office.
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Figure out the likely NAICS code.
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Look at previous awards.
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Identify potential partners.
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Talk with the agency small-business office.
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And start building a response strategy before everybody else suddenly discovers the contract on SAM.gov.
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That is a completely different competitive position.
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And here is another important point.
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Influence does not mean complaining.
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Maybe you see a draft requirement with a 30-day transition period and you know 60 days is operationally realistic.
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Explain why.
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Maybe three unrelated services have been bundled into one enormous scope that few small businesses could perform.
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Do not just say, “This is unfair.”
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Explain the market problem.
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Show how the work could potentially be divided by geography, task area, phase, or contract line item without increasing risk to the government.
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Useful feedback is persuasive.
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Complaints are just complaints.
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And if you think there are at least two capable small businesses that could perform the requirement at fair market prices, say that.
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Explain why.
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Help the contracting officer document the market.
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Because the best time to shape the competition is before the competition officially exists.
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Now, this is also where FedBiz365 can help.
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FedBiz365 helps small-business contractors identify procurement forecasts, sources sought notices, RFIs, recompetes, expiring contracts, and other early buying signals instead of only discovering opportunities after the final solicitation appears.
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It can also help you research buyers, incumbents and competitors, identify potential teaming and subcontracting partners, understand the contract context, and organize those early opportunities into a real pipeline.
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Because the goal is not simply to find the RFP faster.
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The goal is to know the requirement may be coming before it becomes an RFP.
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So here is the takeaway.
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Do not treat pre-RFP activity like optional reading.
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It is capture.
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Make your business findable.
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Monitor forecasts and early notices.
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Respond when the government asks for market information.
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Use evidence instead of broad claims.
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Show capability, capacity, past performance, pricing reality, and credible teaming.
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Because if the government is trying to determine whether a healthy small-business market exists… make sure your company is part of the answer.
Sam Fields:
If you want help strengthening your federal visibility or want to see how FedBiz365 can help you identify opportunities earlier, call FedBiz Access at 844-628-8914 for a complimentary demonstration.
Sam Fields:
Thanks for listening to FedBiz’5… and until next time… get there early, make your case, and keep winning in government contracting.
