Government Contracting Best Practices

1. Best practices in government contracting

2. know your market The public sector can seem daunting, with lots of hoops to jump through. Each of the states, cities, counties, school districts, etc., has its own way of doing business. Conversely, there’s more transparency there than in any other market. Whom the agencies worked with What they bought How much they paid for it All of this information is in the public domain.

3. Know your sales cycle Government agencies are some of the most reliable customers out there. They’re not going to skip town and not pay their bills. However, it can take longer to receive payment for government work — sometimes up to 30 to 45 days after the work is completed. Make sure you have the cost structure and budget planning to allow you to pay your bills while you wait for them to pay theirs.

4. Typical procurement process Where do I spend my time building relationships? Public Works Procurement Request Agency Procurement Office Conducts Competitive Bid/RFP Process City Council Seek Approval of Award Police Dept Procurement Request Authorize Award Procurement Request Health Dept

7. Find leads within ‘trigger events’ Major projects seemingly unrelated to what you sell can contain lucrative opportunities for subcontracting and partnerships. Look for RFPs that seek providers for a wide variety of products and services, such as those associated with the construction of a new school or police facility.

8. Find leads within ‘trigger events’ Search the RFP documents for mentions of your product or service and find out how much has been budgeted for it.

9. Use spending plans to ‘get in early’ With agencies’ capital improvement plans and annual budgets, you can… Identify projects years in advance of bids and RFPs Build a sales pipeline of future business Research and target the agencies that will be buying the products or services you sell.

10. SPENDING PLAN and budget REALITIES They aren’t like bids and RFPs (i.e., they require interpretation). They require more time to review and analyze. They require action (i.e., you need to contact the agency). They’re the only way to see what projects will be implemented in future years.

11. Validate upcoming purchases What’s being purchased? When will the project occur? How much will it cost? How will it be funded? Who at the agency is responsible for the purchase?

12. Next steps to take Research spending plans based on the agencies you want to do business with and the upcoming projects that may involve your product. Download the plans and validate the opportunities using the details pages (example at right) for your product. Contact the agencies to schedule calls or meetings.

13. THANK YOU! Onvia http://www.onvia.com 800-331-2320suppliersales@onvia.com