Office for National Statistics
Winning Government Contracts
Book

Winning Government Contracts

How Your Small Business Can Find and Secure Federal Government Contracts Up to $100,000

Malcolm Parvey and Deborah Alston
Career Press, 2008

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Written by a consultant with thirty years of experience in helping small businesses acquire contracts to supply the U.S. government with products and services, this unique manual is especially designed for newcomers who don’t know how to find opportunities or use the system. It’s not exactly pleasure reading, and anyone misguided enough to try to read it all at once will quickly become overwhelmed by acronyms and forms. Nevertheless, the book is a useful reference. It presents opportunities you probably didn’t know existed and examines the most important forms in detail, explaining exactly what kind of information to provide and which boxes to check. getAbstract recommends this resource to small business managers looking for an experienced, helpful consultant to guide them through their first deals.

Summary

Selling to the U.S. Government

The U.S. government buys about one-fifth of all the goods and services produced in the country. As a small-business owner, you can take advantage of the government’s enormous buying power. Federal regulations require it to buy all goods and services worth between $2,500 and $100,000 from small businesses. These relatively small purchases amount to nearly 23% of federal purchases – a lot of money, and a great opportunity. In addition, the government classifies purchases of less than $2,500 as “micropurchases,” which it can buy from any kind of business without going through a competitive bidding process.

Unfortunately, acquiring government contracts can be intimidating for small business owners. Many have misconceptions about what it involves. They believe

  • They are too small.
  • The process is too time consuming.
  • They don’t have the right contacts.
  • They won’t make a profit.
  • They won’t be able to keep the necessary records.

Take heart. None of these stereotypes is true. Learning to navigate federal procedures is not easy but it is well worth your time. The U.S. government can become...

About the Authors

Malcolm Parvey consults with small businesses about obtaining U.S. government contracts. Deborah Alston co-wrote the book with Parvey.

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