Federal Government Contracting
Information Search Strategies
The Library of Congress offers a variety of resources for
locating information on federal government contracting. They
include the online catalog, which is available both on site
and off site on the Web, as well as other other open-access
Web resources listed below. Our subscription idatabases are
only accessible to patrons while they are on site at the Library of Congress, either from an LC public workstation or from a personal wireless-enabled device.
Some databases may have full text, and we have tools to help
you identify them. When in doubt, you can always consult
a reference librarian.
Open Access Sources Subscription
Resources Further Reading
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New Jersey Turnpike, 1952.
From the Gottscho-Schleisner
Collection
Reproduction Number: LC-G613-T-62221
Table of Contents
Introduction
Information Search Strategies
Rules of the Game
Opportunities Don't Always Knock |
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LC
Subject Headings |
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Materials in the LC catalog are described using LC
Subject Headings, and using these to search is the
most effective strategy for using the catalog. Some suggested
Library of Congress Subject Headings:
In addition to LC Subject Headings, Keywords on
the topic of federal contracting may also be useful, especially
when searching other Web resources.
Some suggested Keywords:
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Portals & Gateways |
Broad area search services on the Web are useful
for beginning any search for government-generated information.Below
are some recommended sites:
DLA Internet Bid Board System (DIBBS)
Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)
"A web-based application that provides the capability to search for, view, and submit secure quotes on Requests For Quotations (RFQs) for Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) items of supply. DIBBS also allows users to search and view Request For Proposals (RFPs), Invitations For Bid (IFBs), Awards and other procurement information related to DLA."
Government
Industry Data Mart (GIDM)
Portal for government/industry data exchange; annotated
links, electronic documents, procurement/ contracting data
links, library of forms, publications and guides (DLA).
Access to the CCR - The Central Contractor Registration
(CCR) system, the BINCS - Business Identification Number
Cross-reference System, and others.
FDsys (Federal Digital System). GPO
Official information from all three branches of the Federal
Government: FDsys full text databases include Budget
of the United States Government, Code
of Federal Regulations, Federal
Business Opprtunities, the Congressional
Record and many other publications.
National
Technical Information Service
NTIS is the federal government's central source for the sale
of scientific, technical, engineering, and related business
information by or for the U.S. government and complementary
materials from international sources. Approximately 3 million
products are available in a variety of formats including
online, electronic, multimedia, CD-ROM, paper, and microfiche.
You can access information on more than 750,000 of these
products from this Web site.
SearchGov.
com
Links to any and all government agencies, independent agencies,
and state and local governments. Searchable by internet
domains.
STINET
Multisearch
Defense Technical Information Center, Scientific & Technical
Information Net work.
Access pertinent scientific and technical information over
a wide range of sources by selecting up to 10 databases
to search simultaneously or click on a database name for
direct access to a single database.
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Subscription Databases Other Search Tools for E-journals and Articles |
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Abstracting & indexing services and full-text databases are often the best sources for current
information with a narrow scope, such as articles in journals,
newspapers, conference proceedings, and numerous other
sources publishing on a periodic basis. You can also use specialized databases for finding information on companies involved in government contracting.
These electronic
databases are purchased on a subscription basis, and to
access them you must be in the Library of Congress, using
any public workstation or your personal laptop through wireless connection. To see the complete list of currently
available databases, go to the Library of Congress E-Resources Online Catalog.
Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA)
National Technical Information Service
Access to the latest U.S. government-sponsored research and
worldwide scientific, technical, engineering, and business-related
information. The National Technical Information Service is
the central source for the sale of unclassified and publicly
available information from research reports, journal articles,
data files, computer programs and audio visual products from
Federal sources (most reports cited in NTIS can be obtained
from the LC Technical
Reports & Standards section). NTIS also has a web-based search
engine. 1964 - current; updated weekly, with approximately
3,500 new records added.
Dow Jones Factiva
Factiva
Factiva is a vast full text archive of publications and up-to-the-minute reports and news focusing on global developments and business. Combines over 9,000 sources from the Dow Jones Interactive and Reuters Business Briefing to provide premium business content from 118 countries and in 22 languages. Factiva is very strong in trade journals and company reports.
Dun & Bradstreet
Hoovers Relationship Manager (formerly Selectory and Million Dollar Database)
Information on approximately 1,600,000 U.S. and internatonal public and private businesses. Company information includes industry information with up to 24 individual 8-digit SICs, size criteria (employees and annual sales), type of ownership, principal executives and biographies.
EBSCO Research Databases
Academic Search Premier
Full text for more than 3,600 scholarly publications, as
well as indexing and abstracts for all 4,500 journals in
the database. Updated on a daily basis. Coverage: 1965 to
present.
EBSCO Research Databases
Business Source Complete
Provides bibliographic and full text content for thousands of the most important scholarly journals, magazines, and trade publications covering all disciplines of business, including marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance and economics. Additional full text content includes financial data, books, monographs, major reference works, book digests, conference proceedings, case studies, investment research reports, industry reports, market research reports, country reports, company profiles, SWOT analyses, faculty seminars (videos), and more. Indexing and abstracts for 1,300 scholarly business journals date back to 1886.
Gale Cengage®
Business Insights: Global
Detailed company and industry news and information, including
company profiles, company brand and product information,
rankings, investment reports, company histories, news articles,
industry associations, and legal issues.
Gale Cengage®
General OneFile
Articles from more than 7,000 scholarly, trade, and general-interest
periodicals, including 3,000 full-text. Coverage: 1980
to present.
Gale Cengage®
RDS Business Reference Suite
The RDS Suite allows you to search one or more of the databases
from Responsive Database Services: Facts, figures and key
events for international public and private companies, industries,
products, and markets for manufacturing and service industries.
Includes Business & Industry® , Business & Management
Practices , and TableBase™ . Covers
over 1360 leading trade magazines, newsletters, and the general
business press to international business dailies. Coverage:
1995 to the present.
EBSCO
Business Full Text
A full text database that indexes and abstracts articles from English-language periodicals published in the United States and elsewhere, including the leading business magazines and trade and research journals, plus the full text of selected periodicals. Coverage: 1983 to the present.
infoUSA
ReferenceUSA
Directory information for publicly and privately owned companies
in the United States and Canada, as well as information about
individual consumers in both countries. Compiled from over
5,000 Yellow page directories, Business White Pages, Corporate
Annual Reports, SEC 10K reports, Chamber of Commerce Directories,
state directories, and other public information sources.
Searchable by Yellow Page heading, Industry group, SIC code,
city or geographic area, employee size, sales volume, and
consumer name.
Mergent
Mergent Online
U.S. company data for over 15,000 public companies and their
SEC filings and U.S. annual reports. Also contains International
company data for approximately 17,000 companies, including
international annual reports, FactSheets, and country information.
ProQuest
Policy File
PolicyFile is the only electronic database indexing research
and publication abstracts addressing the complete range of
public policy research. PolicyFile draws its content from
public policy think tanks, university research programs,
research organizations and publishers. Coverage: 1990 to
present; updated weekly.
ProQuest
ABI-INFORM Global
Bibliographic citations, abstracts, and full text of articles
appearing in international business and management publications,
academic journals, and trade magazines published worldwide.
Coverage: 1971 to present.
ProQuest
Hoovers Company Profiles
Company overviews, financials, histories, news, officers,
employees, locations and subsidiaries, products/operations,
and competitors on more than 18,500 public and private
U.S. companies and international companies.
ProQuest
Newspapers
Full text of 300+ U.S. and international news sources. Includes
coverage of 150+ major U.S. and international newspaper collections
Coverage:1986 to present.
Standard & Poor's
NetAdvantage
Information for the investor on markets and the economy.
Includes data and analysis of industries, companies, stocks,
bonds, mutual funds, indexes, and current news.
ThomasNet 
Product information for U.S. and Canadian manufacturing companies
and the food service industry. Information for approximately
174,000 companies, compiled from the Thomas Register and
three volumes of the Thomas Food Industry Register, as
well as the Directory of Factory Automation, Products
Systems and Services, the Office Automation
Guide, and Industrial Equipment News.
Full-Text Newspapers
This page offers links to full-text newspaper databases that provide access to current issues of hundreds of newspapers as well as digital archives that go back to the 17th century.
The following services allow searching or browsing journals by title and provide links to subscription services at LC which include those titles with full-text options.
These materials are in constant flux; for up to date information
on holdings, consult a reference librarian.
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Books |
Amtower, Mark. Selling to the government : what it takes to compete and win in the world's largest market. Hoboken, N.J. : Wiley, c2011.
LC Call Number: HD3861.U6 A484 2011
LC Catalog Record: 2010037953
Bonthous, Jean-Marie. Bibliography
of business/competitive intelligence and benchmarking literature. [Washington,
D.C.], Washington Researchers, c1994. 246 p.
LC Call Number: Z7164.O7 B66 1994 (Business Reference Collection)
LC Catalog Record: 95168955
Cole, Peter S. and Joseph W. Beausoleil. Past
performance handbook. Vienna, Va., Management
Concepts, c2002. 320 p. Includes bibliographical references
and index.
LC Call Number: HD3861.U6C655 2002
LC Catalog Record: 2002018838
Appendix A-- Best Practices for Collecting
and Using Current and Past Performance Information.
Appendix B--A Guide to Collection and Use of Past
Performance Information.
Government contract awards : negotiation & nealed bidding. [St. Paul, Minn.] : West, c2010-
LC Call Number: KF842 .G667
LC Catalog Record: 2011207425
Parvey, Malcolm and Deborah Alston. The definitive guide to government contracts : everything you need to apply for and win federal and GSA schedule contracts. Franklin Lakes, NJ : CAREER PRESS, c2010.
LC Call Number: HD3861.U6 P35 2010
LC Catalog Record: 2010008888
Shannon, Rebecca A. Government proposals : cutting
through the chaos. Vienna, Va., Management Concepts,
c2001. 238 p. Includes index.
LC Call Number: HD3861.U6 S5
LC Catalog Record: 00067887
Appendix A--Checklists
Appendix B--Samples.
Stanberry, Scott A. Federal contracting
made easy. 3rd ed. Vienna, Va., Management Concepts, c2009.
351 p. Includes index.
LC Call Number: KF850.S73 2009 (Law
Library Reading Room)
LC Catalog Record: 2008024552
Whelan, John W. Federal government contracts : cases and materials. 3rd ed. New York : Foundation Press Thomson/West, 2007.
LC Call Number: KF848 .W45 2007
LC Catalog Record: 2007274413
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Serials & Selected
Articles |
Most serial publications may be found in print
or online (or both) formats. In some cases, older issues may
be available in microform.
Most recent print issues will be found in one of the following Reading Rooms:
BRS ... Business
Reference Services
LL RR ... Law
Library Reading Room
MRR ... Main
Reading Room
NCP RR ... Newspaper & Current
Periodical Reading Room
Contract management. [Vienna,
Va., etc.] National Contract Management Association. Monthly.
LC Call Number: KF842.C66 LL RR
LC Catalog Record: 79640277
Publisher's Web site: http://www.ncmahq.org/
Federal government contractor's
manual. San Diego, Harcourt Brace Professional
Pub. Annual.
LC Call Number: KF849.F363 BRS,
LL RR
LC Catalog Record: 2001202429
The Federal technology source
: who's who in government technology. Washington,
D. C., Government Executive. Annual.
LC Call Number: T58.5. F43 BRS,
MRR
LC Catalog Record: 94648412
Special annual issue of Government
Executive (see next entry).
Government computer news. Washington, DC. 1982- . Washington, DC : PostNewsweek Media Inc.,
Current issues only. NCP RR
LC Catalog Record: sv85027197
Articles available at the publication's web site.
Government Executive. Washington,
Executive Publications. 15 no. a year.
LC Call Number: JK1.G58 NCP RR
LC Catalog Record: 73006339
Online at http://www.govexec.com/
Includes: Top 200 Federal Contractors
Public Contract Law Journal.
Chicago, Ill. : Section of Public Contract Law, American
Bar Association. Quarterly.
LC Call Number: K16 .U17 LL RR
LC Catalog Record: 70618216
VARbusiness. Manhasset,
N.Y., CMP Publications. Biweekly.
LC Call Number: HD9696.C63 U59344 NCP
RR
LC Catalog Record: 87641551
Recent issues available online at http://www.crn.com/
Washington Technology. Vienna, Va. : Capitol Technology Read-Out, Inc., 1986-
Current issues only. NCP RR
LC Catalog Record: sn91003563
Articles and ranking like the Top 100 Federal Contractors available at the publication's web site.
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Selected Articles
The Basics of government contract administration. Contract
Management, June 2003, v. 43: 42A.
LC Call Number: KF842 .C66 LL
RR
LC Catalog Record: 79640277 Baur, F. Trowbridge vom. Early days of government
contract practice. Public
Contract Law Journal, March 1989, v. 18: 446-459.
LC Call Number: K16 .U17 LL RR
LC Catalog Record: 70618216
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Bruce, Agnes Rodriguez. United States v. Winstar
Corp.: a case study in institutional government ethics. Public
Contract Law Journal, Spring 1997, v. 26: 397-421.
LC Call Number: K16 .U17 LL RR
LC Catalog Record: 70618216
Garrett, Gregory A. What Small and Emerging Government Contractors Must Know to Win Business with the U.S. Government, Part 1. Contract
Management, October 2010, v. 50: 33-50
LC Call Number: KF842 .C66 LL
RR
LC Catalog Record: 79640277 Kathuria, Sandeep. Best practices for compliance with the new government contrator compliance and ethics rules under the Federal Acquisition Regulatione. Public
Contract Law Journal, Summer 2009, v. 38: 803-856.
LC Call Number: K16 .U17 LL RR
LC Catalog Record: 70618216
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Kelman, Steven. Remaking federal procurement. Public
Contract Law Journal, Summer 2002, v. 31: 581-622.
LC Call Number: K16 .U17 LL RR
LC Catalog Record: 70618216
Lindemann, Carl. How To Sell To the DoD -- Whether
you're a veteran or a neophyte, you can profit from
these six steps to success. VARbusiness,
June 10, 2002.
LC Call Number: HD9696.C63 U59344
LC Catalog Record: 87641551
Locaria, Dismas N. and John G Williams. The GSA Schedules: How to "Get on Schedule" and Broaden Your Business. Contract
Management, December 2009, v. 49: 30-38.
LC Call Number: KF842 .C66 LL
RR
LC Catalog Record: 79640277 -
Nagle, James F. A review of best proactices in the acquisition of a government contractor. Public
Contract Law Journal, Spring 2010, v. 39: 701-703.
LC Call Number: K16 .U17 LL RR
LC Catalog Record: 70618216
Wall, Richard J. and Carolyn M. Jones. Navigating
the rugged terrain of government contracts. Internal
Auditor, April 1995, v. 52: 32.
LC Call Number: Microfilm (o) 82/206 Request in the Microform
RR.
LC Catalog Record: 58038521 Microfilm
Record:
Whitley, j. GAO Issues Revised Yellow Book. Internal
Auditor, April 2007, v. 64: 16-18
LC Call Number: Microfilm (o) 82/206 Request in the Microform
RR.
LC Catalog Record: 58038521 Microfilm
Record:
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