Selling to the Government

2. Are you willing to learn how the government buying process works? At the federal level, most buying is done under contract. Do you have the time and interest it takes to properly follow procedures? A detailed description of the types of contracts used can be found at the Federal Aviation Administration's site. (One other way the government buys is discussed in question No. 8.)

3. Do you know what resources are available to help you out? One of your best resources will be the Defense Logistics Agency, which sponsors the Procurement Technical Assistance Program, which operates Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, or PTACs. A complete list of PTACs and many other Web-based resources are available at GovernmentExpress.com. Click on "Resources."

4. Do you know what a GSA "number" is or what it's used for? The General Services Administration, or GSA, does two major tasks for the government: It's the government's property manager and also its contract manager. The GSA Schedule is a collection of 43 contracts -- also known as schedules -- that each cover a group of products or services. Schedule 70, for instance, covers all information technology products. These individual schedules (or "number") are a contract that allows you to do business with any federal agency.

To get a GSA schedule, you must submit a proposal to the GSA. There are currently more than 12,000 schedule contractors, and in fiscal year 2005 (which covers the dates Oct. 1, 2004 through Sept. 30, 2005), GSA schedule sales accounted for $33.5 billion.

5. Do you legally qualify as a small business? The SBA sets the criteria for what is considered "small" by federal buying standards. To make a determination, go to this section of the SBA site. You'll need to know your NAICS (North American Industrial Classification Standards) code to be able to make this determination for your business.