What Actually Counts as Past Performance When You Are a Brand New Business
New businesses often think only government contracts count as past performance, but the Federal Acquisition Regulation permits commercial, residential, subcontracting, prior employment, and volunteer work as valid evidence. The guide explains how to document and present these varied experiences to satisfy solicitation requirements. It also outlines strategies for firms with thin records, such as targeting micro‑purchases, simplified acquisitions, and subcontracting opportunities. By organizing existing work professionally, newcomers can break the perceived barrier and win their first government contract.
The Government Has Money Set Aside for Women. Ladies Let's Go Get It!
The U.S. federal government must allocate at least 5% of its contracting spend—over $26 billion in FY 2024—to women‑owned small businesses. Certifications such as WOSB, EDWOSB, and state‑level WBE grant access to set‑aside contracts with reduced competition across sectors like IT, healthcare,...
How to Price a Government Contract đź“Ś
The blog post highlights a common dilemma for contractors: either they have no clear price for a government bid or they drown in overly complex formulas. It clarifies that agencies expect a single price figure—not a detailed cost spreadsheet—and stresses...
I Set Up This Search Months Ago. Look What Just Came In: A Courier Route Contract
The author describes how a saved search on SAM.gov surfaced a new Air Force courier services RFQ, which he then dissected step‑by‑step. He walks readers through locating the solicitation, parsing the performance work statement, pricing sheets, and amendment documents, and...
How to Create a RFP Response
The author walked through a real janitorial services solicitation for a public library in Petersburg, Alaska, noting its unusually minimal requirements—no formal format, forms, or structured documents. To address the uncertainty such solicitations create, they developed an RFP Response Framework...