Top 7 Questions about eBuy Opportunities 

After winning a GSA contract and uploading their price list to GSA Advantage, many GSA contractors are excited to access the myriad of RFP’s (Request for Proposal) and RFQ's (Request for Quotation) posted in GSA’s eBuy system. While it is a boon to many a firm, you can spend all of your time responding to these opportunities with little to show for it.   So let's answer the top questions you should ask before responding. 

I recently asked government contracting officers what they would ask Santa for, if indeed there was a Santa just for government contracting officers.  In particular, I wondered what would be on their wish list of improved business practices from you, their government vendors?  I also asked them what you could do better to improve agency/vendor relationships and the value you deliver?

How Small Businesses Use Innovation to Thrive in Federal Contracting

I recently read an article in USA Today about how federal agencies are coming to realize that small businesses are innovation hubs whose creativity allowed them to deliver better solutions more cheaply.  The article discusses how NASA used a small, 40-person firm, Honeybee Robotics, to develop a robotic lab assistant for the Mars Curiosity Rover.  Some very important lessons can be learned and applied to small businesses seeking federal contracts in other industries.

Since 2009, thousands of small businesses have weathered the economic storm by taking advantage of federal programs designed to channel federal contracts to small firms.  Two of the more valuable programs include the GSA schedule program and the Simplified Acquisition Procedure program. 

Market Connection released its excellent 2012 Federal Media and Marketing Study, which presented facts and figures on how senior Federal decision-makers and employees obtain their news and information.  The purpose of the report is to aid subscribers in designing  federal marketing campaigns and selecting media outlets that are appropriate to the buyers preferences. I really like the demographics of the report, as 82% are aged 45 or higher, which suggests that these respondents are likely to have lots of authority or influence in their respective agencies.

Numerous  federal marketing experts such as Mark Amtower have been encouraging government contractors to increase their use of social media for several years now, and for good reasons.   Social media marketing helps you connect with agency users and buyers, establishes your firm as a thought leader, helps build brand, and generate leads.

The General Services Administration (GSA) was established in 1949 by President Harry Truman. The original mission of the GSA was to stockpile supplies for wartime, store and manage government records and dispose of surplus war supplies.

TurboGSA has petitioned the President of the United States to increase opportunities for small businesses to win Federal contracts by raising the Simplified Acquisitions ceiling to $500,000.  This petition was filed on the White House’s new “We the People” website.  This petition requires 5,000 votes for it to be considered by the White House.  Your support would be greatly appreciated. If a petition gets  enough support, the Obama Administration will issue an official response. You can view the petition by visiting the White House site here: http://wh.gov/gA3 

Many government contractors remain skeptical about the value of social media in federal marketing.  Others are uncertain about how to use social media to improve B2G marketing even while many smart federal contractors are using social media to increase marketplace awareness and generate leads with great success.