Federal Contracting Made Easy - Softcover

Stanberry, Scott A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1567263887 ISBN 13: 9781567263886

Publisher: Management Concepts, Inc, 2012

Synopsis

Federal contracting . . . easy? With the fourth edition of Federal Contracting Made Easy, it is! Whether or not you consider federal contracting easy, it is certainly easier with this guide. Used successfully by thousands of contractors and feds, this book offers practical, hands-on, no-nonsense advice. Now in its fourth edition, Federal Contracting Made Easy lays out the entire federal contracting process in a readable and easy-to-understand style. This book covers how government procurement works, what you can do to cut though the red tape to speed your way to winning a contract, who the key players are, and tips for overcoming obstacles. New in this edition: • Discussion of government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs) • Updates on women-owned small business • New status of service-disabled veteran-owned small business • Expanded list of relevant websites and resources • Introduction to the new System for Award Management (SAM) Whether you are about to enter the competitive world of federal contracting or have been bidding for contracts for years and are now looking for updated information and ideas, this is the book you need. The federal government awards billions of dollars in contracts for goods and services every year. This book will help you win a piece of that business.

About this title

About the Author

Scott A. Stanberry has been working with government contractors for more than 20 years. He specializes in providing auditing and accounting services for commercial clients with federal government contracts and in assisting government agencies in the administration of federal contracts. Scott is a certified public accountant.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Federal Contracting Made Easy

By Scott A. Stanberry

Management Concepts Press

Copyright © 2013 Management Concepts, Inc.
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-56726-388-6

Contents

Preface, 
PART I: WHAT IS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING?, 
Chapter 1: How Does Federal Government Contracting Work?, 
Chapter 2: The Rules of the Game, 
Chapter 3: The Key Players, 
PART II: HOW YOUR BUSINESS SIZE OFFERS OPPORTUNITY, 
Chapter 4: Opportunities for Small Businesses/Independent Contractors, 
Chapter 5: Small Business Preference Programs, 
Chapter 6: Subcontracting Opportunities, 
Chapter 7: Federal Supply Schedules and GSA Schedules, 
PART III: HOW TO FIND GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES, 
Chapter 8: How to Market to the Federal Government, 
Chapter 9: Support Programs and Services for Contractors, 
PART IV: HOW THE GOVERNMENT ISSUES PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITIES, 
Chapter 10: Simplified Acquisition or Small Purchase Procedures, 
Chapter 11: Sealed Bidding, 
Chapter 12: Negotiated Procurements, 
Chapter 13: The Uniform Contract Format, 
PART V: CONTRACT TYPES AND ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS, 
Chapter 14: Fixed-Price Contracts, 
Chapter 15: Cost-Reimbursement Contracts, 
Chapter 16: Other Contract Types, 
Chapter 17: Contract Administration, 
Appendix A: Acronyms, 
Appendix B: Federal Agencies and Departments, 
Appendix C: Glossary, 
Index, 

CHAPTER 1

How Does Federal Government Contracting Work?

What's in this chapter?

* The big picture

* Top buyers

* Future of federal contracting

* Can you sell to the federal government?

* Should you sell to the federal government?

Federal contracting is big business. By any measure, the U.S. government (a.k.a. Uncle Sam) is by far the largest consumer in the world. No other nation, or corporation for that matter, can begin to match its purchasing power.

Generally we hear only about government purchases for multimillion-dollar aircraft or those infamous $1,000 toilet seats and $500 hammers. But are you aware that there are currently over 350,000 government contractors receiving more than $500 billion worth of contracts each year — $100 billion of which goes to small businesses?

The federal government enters into contracts with American citizens like you to acquire the supplies and services needed to run its operations or fulfill its mission requirements. It uses a specific process designed to give business concerns the maximum practical opportunities to participate in federal contracting. Each year (actually, fiscal year, which begins on October 1 and ends on September 30), the federal government spends billions of dollars buying from nonfederal sources, or commercial contractors.

The government initiates or modifies more than 9 million contracts each year, two-thirds of which it grants to contractors outside the Washington, D.C., area. The key to getting a piece of the pie is to understand how the federal government does business and to position your company accordingly.

Ready? Set? Let's go win some government business! This chapter provides an overview of what federal contracting is all about.

THE BIG PICTURE

Look at it this way: Every 20 seconds of every working day, the federal government awards a contract, with an average value of $495,000. And Uncle Sam must tell us what, from where, and from whom it buys.

The government purchases a mind-boggling array of products and services, ranging from high-technology items like homeland security programs,

Edition details

• Publisher: Management Concepts, Inc
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1567263887
• ISBN 13: 9781567263886
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 4
• Number of pages: 344