If you’re interested in getting involved in Federal acquisition but you don’t know where to start, here are 3 simple steps to get you going

1. Register on Sam.gov

This is free and allows you to begin looking at contract opportunities and become familiar with the types of solicitations available to you. You will be able to see what kind of language is used by the USG and get a broad understanding of how they ask for things. You’ll also receive a Unique Entity ID (UEID) and Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code both of which you need to be awarded a USG contract.

• CAGE Code – a five-character ID number used by the Federal Government to identify vendors
• UEID – a USG provided number, like a tax ID number, that’s used to identify businesses eligible for federal grants, awards, and contracts

Once you’ve registered on sam.gov go exploring! You’ll be able to see a lot of information regarding open solicitations that may be related to your technology. Additionally, you can start to get familiar with the offices that are putting out the solicitations.

If this is your first exposure to the USG, the website will be overwhelming and probably full of acronyms you don’t understand. This is good! Start a list of things to research and terms to learn and understand. It will only serve you well should you decide to pursue selling your product in the Federal marketplace.

Instructions for this are located here

2. Begin to research your desired customer.

Regardless of whether you make a commercial software product relevant to the medical world or you’re a manufacturer with a new way to make tank tracks, you need to understand the federal space and the organizations within. If you believe you have a product that could be useful for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, start researching them. If you believe you have a product that could be useful for the Department for Health and Human Services, start researching them. If you believe your product will be applicable in the Department of Defense, start to consider which service is the best to approach first. If you’re not sure, do your research! Start to research the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force. Understand the basic structure and missions of each organization. This research will help you in many ways.

• You’ll have a better understanding of what type of assistance you’ll need from a consulting and advisement standpoint.
• You’ll be better able to create your sales pitch for how your technology meets the mission needs of your desired customer.

3. Ask yourself this question and write out the answer: How do you believe your technology will positively impact the Federal government?

Make your elevator pitch. Think about what success looks like and why you considered the federal government as a good customer in the first place. Why should the government invest in you? In what way will you improve operations or meet a current capability gap? If you are struggling to answer this question, go back to point #2. If you are struggling with point #2, it may be time to consider a consultant or Auxo Industry products.

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There are quite a few additional steps to getting started in Federal acquisitions. However, beginning with these 3 steps will be able to give you a good starting point to determine if federal acquisitions is appropriate for your long-term goals. There are a lot of pros and cons to working with the federal government but to understand those, you must understand a little bit about the USG as a customer.

This topic is one the founders of Auxo discuss often. In the future, you can expect more detailed content on how to get started in federal acquisitions and how to get started with Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards.

Keep moving forward,