If your organization wants to work on contracts for the government or defense industry, it’s important to understand that the requirements are more rigorous than compared to the private sector. In fact, to place a successful bid, there are a few items that any company must first have in place. This is not surprising considering the importance of these projects which are largely paid for by tax dollars.

Here are a few things your company needs to square away before bidding on any government or defense contract work. Leverage this advice to improve your business’s chances at winning its bid. Good luck!

Understand What Your Company Does Well

Work with your leadership on a self-assessment of your company’s technical skills, project successes, and visions for the future. After this work is completed, determine whether bidding on government contract work fits with your short-term and long-term organizational goals.

Keep in mind that you will be bidding against other businesses experienced in this kind of work. At the minimum, the right skills and similar project familiarity needs to be in place or you are simply wasting time. This effort also ensures you choose the right contracts to bid on for your company.

Register With the System for Award Management (SAM)

Any company who wants to do business with the government needs to register in the System for Award Management (SAM). In addition to informing the feds of your business’s desire for contract work, IT companies working on government and defense contracts. This analysis provides some keen insights on your competition. Registration is free and needs to be renewed on an annual basis.

Working as a Subcontractor

One option worth exploring is subcontracting with another company experienced in government project work. This approach serves your business well in the short term while offering insights on what it takes to earn larger contracts. It will also assist in building your past performance portfolio, which is an integral contributing factor during the award evaluation process. Research the government website for projects to learn about smaller jobs to bid on, as well as the larger initiatives where subcontracting opportunities might be available.

Networking is Also Important

Attending conferences related to government and defense IT work is another must. This helps you build a network of technical professionals already experienced in this work, and potentially find out about subcontracting opportunities. This human element needs to be part of your company’s strategy for bidding on government projects.

If your IT company needs an experienced partner to guide you through the process of working with the government, speak with the knowledgeable team at Sentient Digital, Inc.. We fully understand what it takes to be successful in this arena, and can help your firm with potential subcontracting opportunities.