The Small Business Administration was established to assist small businesses in succeeding to promote a better economy and provide jobs for everyone. The agency has assistance programs which help small businesses secure working capital from banks, and train company executives to run a competitive business.

One program which has been highly successful for women minority owned businesses competing for federal government projects is the MBE/WBE 8(a) program. By becoming certified through the SBA as an 8(a), businesses can compete for the thousands of federal contracts listed on the FedBizOpps.gov Website.

Certification as an 8(a) begins with a visit to the Small Business Administration office in your metropolitan area where you can get the necessary forms and receive coaching in preparing the application package and business strategy. Companies entering this program must have been in business for two years, and the certification process can take about a year. Once the forms are filled out and submitted, the application passes through a local approval process, then a regional approval process in San Francisco, and finally a federal approval process in Washington DC. When granted, 8(a) certification is a nine-year program with oversight from the SBA which gives the company certain advantages in the competitive bidding process.

However, businesses with 8(a) status do not typically win contracts alone. 8(a) companies usually begin working with a “mentor” or a company which has done contract business with the government agency before. The new 8(a) company may compete as the prime contractor or as a subcontractor, but the mentor company should have at least five past performance projects in their portfolio to include in the proposal, and the potential for winning the contract will be based on the mentor’s past completed work which is relevant to the contract being pursued.

The 8(a) will have to contact likely mentor companies which have outstanding track records completing government projects. By forming a joint-venture with a new 8(a) business, the mentor will become more competitive in getting contract work, and the 8(a) will begin to create a work history of past performance projects. The competitive advantage lasts a maximum of nine years, at which point the 8(a) will lose its status, but should have enough past performance work to compete effectively without the advantage, or may choose to become a mentor to another 8(a) firm. 8(a) firms can choose to work with different mentor companies in pursuing different government contracts.

Government agencies usually know what services are available and what they cost before they put the contract to bid, and may have an idea of what company will win the bid. Requests for Proposal (RFPs) are sent out to keep vendors competitive, and find out what new companies have to offer. As a business submitting a proposal to the federal government, regardless of whether you have 8(a) status or not, you are entitled to contact the federal agency, introduce your company, and discuss how the contract will be awarded. And if you don’t win the contract, you are also entitled to know where your proposal was weak compared to the company which won it.

When pursuing federal government contracts, it is a good idea to become familiar with the contracting agencies and your contract competitors, and maybe doing a joint-venture project with one or more which have done this work for the client before would be a way to start.

One of my clients, a government contractor, has been awarded $750 million in government contracts this year with the proposals and presentations I designed. A typical proposal requires two or more binders of information covering every aspect of the proposed work including a thorough description of the scope of work, a plan for implementation, specific design approach to solving problems inherent in the work, description of the team of individuals responsible for each part of the work, description of previous experience which qualifies the team to undertake this project, and tables for all costs involved.

Well-designed proposals which feature a comprehensive assessment of the proposed project with graphics which visually support the company’s credibility are required in getting a large contract award. How well the proposal information is presented is viewed as an indication of how well the company can follow through with the actual work, even if that work may be about moving dirt or building a runway. Several copies of this set of information are delivered to the contracting agency in advance of the due date so that various decision makers each get their own copy. For one proposal project, I produced a total of 108 binders of information (54 were delivered in cartons to the agency, and a duplicate set of 54 were available to express ship in case the first set is lost in transit).

After the proposals are reviewed, my client has hopefully been selected to present an oral presentation in person to the agency. For that, I produce PowerPoint presentations, or printed marketing collateral which can be left with the interviewers to help sell the company after the interview. So far 2009 has been a successful year for my client, with the potential of adding to the list of contracts they have won.

Some companies have their own staff of engineers, designers and editors to prepare their proposals, presentations and marketing materials. I am available on a freelance basis to contractors who need to outsource their proposal design services. Call Jim Hance at 619-203-0522 to discuss your proposal project and needs.