Federal Government Contracting

Opportunities Don't Always Knock

But they may come via email ... Online email alert services ... Free subscriptions to online resources that provide announcements of contracts, bidding opportunities, cancellations ... in Searchable databases ... and more ... Below are a few places to look.

• Portals, Gateways, Search Engines
• Business Opportunities
  • Small, Disadvantaged & Minority-Owned
  • DoD, General
  • DoD, Agency-Specific
  • Non-DoD
• Research & Development
• E-Business & E-Commerce

• Acquisition & Procurement

  •  OMB Circular A-76

Table of Contents

Portals, Gateways, Search Engines, etc.

The Business to Government Market
Receive government bids that match your product or service ... Research and track teaming partners or competitors ... Know the agency you are targeting ... use the Government Bid Opportunities Search to review federal contract histories, analyze purchasing histories of government agencies, learn about companies who have been selling to the government, and more. Find bid opportunities from federal, state, local government agencies plus international governments by receiving bid notification emails or searching them instantly. Some services require subscription.

DoD TechMatch
DoD TechMatch is a web-based portal aimed at industry and academia to improve access to research & development opportunities, licensable patents, and information on nearly 120 DoD Labs located across the U.S. Users can either browse or search for information. With registration, users can receive a daily e-mail taking them to their matching R & D opportunities from FedBizOpps, Grants.gov, SBIR/STTR solicitations, calendar events, and licensable patents.

Department of Defense Procurement Gateway
An integrated collection of automated systems providing oversight for the management of procurement data. The Procurement Gateway allows prospective government contractors to perform comprehensive and detailed searches against Request for Quotation (RFQ) and Award documents. Flexible search options permit the user to identify RFQs and Awards using a variety of search criteria including solicitation, Purchase Request Number (YPI), and National Stock Number (NSN). Users may also search the Procurement Gateway by providing keywords, data ranges, and Federal Supply Class (FSC). All RFQs and Awards are stored in digital format and may be viewed online.

FedBizOpps. com
Government point-of-entry (GPE) for Federal government procurement opportunities over $25K. As of July 1, 2003, all DoD solicitations requiring notice can now be found here. A portal for commercial vendors seeking Federal markets for their products and services: Search, monitor and retrieve opportunities solicited by the entire Federal contracting community.

Fedmarket.com
Services include Government Bidding Opportunities, Business Development Roadmaps, Market Intelligence Products, Buyer Contact Products. Includes a free Resources page with links to newsletter archives, expert advice, articles and contracting news (requires registration). E-newsletter service is free. BidAlert, the instant bid opportunity alert system, requires purchase.

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Business Opportunities

Small & Disadvantaged Business

MARCORSYSCOM Small Business
US Marine Corps Systems Command
Marine Corps Systems Command is responsible for providing research, development, and acquisition of equipment, information systems, training systems, and weapon systems to satisfy all approved material requirements of the Marine Corps. Links to current opportunity notices.

Navy Small Business Innovation Research Program
This program provides funding to stimulate technological innovation in small businesses to meet DoD research and development needs. Includes information on who can participate, how to get started, solicitations, a searchable database, and more.

Small Business Administration (SBA)
Guidance and other information on doing business with the Federal government. Information on marketing, small business programs, and other basic information pertinent guidance to small businesses. Also includes subcontracting opportunities.

SUB-Net Small Business Administration
Prime contractors use SUB-Net to post subcontracting opportunities. These may or may not be reserved for small business, and they may include either solicitations or other notices. Database of solicitations is searchable by NAICs code, description, or solicitation number.

USAF Small Business
Air Force Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU)
Resource-rich page with links for SB to information on getting started, current opportunities, tools, and more. Subscribe to bulletin for news to your desktop.

Department of Defense - General

Central Contractor Registration
Prospective vendors must be registered in CCR prior to the award of a contract. CCR was created to be the single repository of vendor data for the entire DoD to avoid administrative duplication and allow contractors to take responsibility for the accuracy of their own important business information by supplying it directly to the government through a single registration.

Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)
Source for vendors interested in competing for Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization (DITCO) telecommunications and information technology requirements and solicitations. Provides vendors with up-to-date information regarding contractor actions. Registered vendors receive direct orders via email and the web. Vendors can upload quotes through the Contracting Opportunities site.

Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) - Business Opportunities
Lists of links to customer-focused and vendor-focused web sites. Includes link to the Department of Defense Procurement Gateway

Department of Defense Contracts
Contracts valued at $5 million or more are announced each business day at 5 p.m. Contract announcements issued within the past 30 days are listed here. Older contract announcements are available from the contract archive page. Announcements are also available by e-mail subscription. Go to DoD News for more information and for links to other news items.

Department of Defense - Agency-Specific

Air Force Contracting
Exhaustive links list on all aspects of Air Force contracting.

MARCORSYSCOM Business Opportunities
US Marine Corps
Current contract opportunities, updated procurement information, links to the small business office, technical sharing information, and information about upcoming Marine Corps programs and requirements. MARCORSYSCOM manages major systems for the Marine Corps.

Naval Logistics Library
Naval Supply Systems Command
Contains Navy publication knowledge management features and provides supply support for Navy publications, instructions, directives, technical manuals, forms, and other digital documents. Click on Pubs/ Products/ Tools, check out the Virtual Bidroom.

Navy Business Opportunities Search
Navy Electronic Commerce Online (NECO)
Database which contains current procurement transactions such as Request for Quotations (RFQs) and Request for Proposals (RFPs) as well as amendments and cancellation notices.

Navy Small Business Innovation Research Program
This program provides funding to stimulate technological innovation in small businesses to meet DoD research and development needs. Includes information on who can participate, how to get started, solicitations, a searchable database, and more.

Office of Naval Research (ONR)
Includes the Navy Acquisition, Research and Development Information Center (NARDIC), and a How to Do Business With the Navy page of links.

Non-DoD

National Science Foundation
The Division of Acquisition & Cost Support within the Office of Budget, Finance, and Award Management, is responsible for solicitation, negotiation, award and administration of NSF contracts; for NSF proposal and award policy development, coordination and issuance; and for overseeing NSF procurement systems, processes and guidance.

Research & Development/Technology Transfer

Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)
How to apply for grants or contracts, research opportunities, minority business and small business opportunities, forms, publications and more.

Army Research Laboratory (ARL)
Under the Research Opportunities link, view the current Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) as well as current opportunities in the Collaborative Technology Alliance program, and other opportunities made possible through the ARL Technology Transfer Office.

Army Research, Development & Engineering Command (RDECOM)
RDECOM coordinates research activities around the world for the Army.

Army Research Office (ARO)
The ARO program is the designated organization for the entire spectrum of Army activities extending from research to development to acquisition. The Publications section contains the ARO-in-Review (2003 and 2002) , which contains a brief review of ARO research strategy, statistical information on 6.1 funding and program proposal activity, selected tasks of significance performed under the Scientific Services Program, and research trends and accomplishments of the individual ARO scientific divisions (Chemical Sciences, Life Sciences, Physics, Materials Science, Electronics, Mathematics, Computing and Information Sciences, Mechanical and Environmental Sciences).

Army TACOM-Picatinny Procurement Network (ProcNet)
Business opportunities, contracts, vendor information, fact sheets and more. The Electronic Library links to numerous other resources.

Construction Engineering Research Laboratory
Army Corps of Engineers
Includes technical documents and reports from the various programs and divisions on topics of interest to the Corps. Also includes contracting information for the Laboratory.

Defense Research & Engineering
Office of Director Defense Research & Engineering
Contains a PDF version of the "Technology Readiness Assessment Deskbook" as well as links and information on various initiatives such as Energy and Power Technologies, Surveillance and Knowledge Systems, and the National Aerospace Initiative and various research offices with the DoD.

Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC)
Army Corps of Engineers
Publications section has reports and links to the various R & D labs for the Corps. Productions section has special and technical reports, factsheets, and other PDF documents.

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer
Nationwide network of federal laboratories that provides the forum to develop strategies and opportunities for linking the laboratory mission technologies and expertise with the marketplace. Site resources include search engine, FLC Technology Locator, Library, Opportunities, and more.

Federal R & D Project Summaries
The U.S. Government is accountable to the public for its multi-billion dollar R & D investment; this system is a consortium of federal agencies providing R & D summaries ... DOE, NIH, NSF ... Search across databases with a single query.

Information Technology Laboratory
Army Corps of Engineers
Development and application of advanced information technology for military engineering and Army civil works.

Naval Facilities Engineering Command
Contains the strategic plan for 2003-2009 and their publications section contains other technical documents.

Naval Research Laboratory - Doing Business With NRL
Technology transfer, contracting and small business information.

Office of Force Transformation
Office of the Secretary of Defense
The Library contains articles, book reviews, briefings, etc. on transforming the military; free registration required. Also contains information on other initiatives like Network Centric Warfare.

Research, Development & Acquisition (RDA)
Department of the Navy
Download list of programs, full text of 1999-2004 Strategic Plan.

Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR)
Includes FORCEnet - the Navy's idea of their future - as well as fact sheets on the various programs and products. The Reference Library contains many handbooks, biographies, and other sources.

Technical Support Working Group (TSWG)
Forum that identifies, prioritizes, and coordinates interagency and international R & D requirements for combating terrorism. The About section contains the 2002 Program booklet which explains each of the areas of the TSWG. There are also GAO documents on terrorism.

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E-Business and E-Commerce

Acquisition Community Connection
Defense Acquisition University
A collaborative online resource for professionals in the field, registration required.

Defense Business Board Established in 2001 as a complement to broader efforts at transformation in the Department of Defense. The Defense Business Board consists of approximately twenty private sector executives with a vast range of experiences in business management and provides independent advice and recommendations on effective strategies for the implementation of best business practices of interest to the Department of Defense. Includes case studies and other information.

eStrategy
Office of Electronic Government and Technology (GSA)
Laws, regulations, policies, security issues, emerging technologies, & more.

eTools
U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)
Direct access to many interactive capabilities that facilitate doing business with GSA or finding specialized information available from GSA. Tool categories include Buildings, Property Disposal, Supply & Procurement, Technology, Transportation, Travel, Vehicles.

Navy Electronic Commerce Online (NECO)
Register, view opportunities, submit a bid -- online.

Virtual Bidroom (USN)
Allows vendors to respond to selected solicitations online: you must sign up to obtain a Digital Certificate.

Acquisition & Procurement

General

Acquisition Community Connection
Defense Acquisition University
Acquisition, technology and logistics information from DAU.

Acquisition Overview
Office of Acquisition Policy (GSA)
Links to:Acquisition Best Practices and Tools; Acquisition Major Initiatives; Acquisition Policy; Acquisition Regulations; Acquisition Workforce Programs

AcqNet
Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP)
Acquisition Reform Network (ARN)
Extremely comprehensive resource: the Virtual Library has links to everything from Pre-Solicitation to Awards, Laws, Policies, Administration, and more.

Federal Acquisition Institute (GSA)
Provides information and management tools in support of the Federal acquisition workforce; seeks to ensure availability of exceptional training, provide compelling research, promote professionalism, and improve acquisition workforce management. Online documents include publications, research and policy in PDF and HTML formats.

Federal Procurement Data System (GSA)
Now superseded by the Federal Procurement Data System - Next Generation (see next entry). Central repository of statistical information on Federal contracting prior to 2004, with detailed information on contract actions over $25K and summary data on procurements of less than $25K. For contract information, go to Other Reports and Queries ...

Federal Procurement Data System - Next Generation
Federal Procurement Reports available for download. Replaces Federal Procurement Data System (See previous entry). FPDS-NG, an addendum to the FPDS, is now in Beta. It includes over 12 million legacy contract actions, which were migrated from the FPDC system and are now available in FPDS-NG including FPDC transactions back to 1979. http://www.fpds-ng.com/

Federal Technical Data Solution
Includes printable Vendor User Guide, and list of links to Technical Data Sites. Access to some resources requires registration.

The National Institute of Governmental Purchasing
Nonprofit educational organization; research section has reports, survey results and other free content. Other resources require membership. Online documents in PDF format.

Office of Federal Procurement Policy
Office of Management & Budget in the White House; several important documents available in PDF format. Also a Users Guide to The Federal Activities Inventory Reform Act (FAIR).

Procurement Reference Library
Good source for FAR supplements, including Agriculture, Interior, Transportation, etc.

Seven Steps to Performance-Based Services Acquisition
A cooperative project of several government agencies, these pages offer a seven step guide to establishing a team approach to acquiring services based on performance.

Where in Federal Contracting
Acquisition and assistance information such as contracting laws and pending legislation, current and proposed regulations, guidance, courts and boards of contract appeals, bid protest decisions, contracting newsletters, selected analysis of federal acquisition issues, federal assistance policy, daily listings of grants and cooperative agreements, archived listings of grants and cooperative agreements, and federal assistance sites.

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OMB Circular A-76

OMB Circular No. A-76 sets the policies and procedures that executive branch agencies must use in identifying commercial-type activities and determining whether these activities are best provided by the private sector, by government employees, or by another agency through a fee-for-service agreement. The term typically used to describe this process is "competitive sourcing." On May 29, 2003, the Office of Management and Budget unveiled long-awaited revisions to OMB Circular A-76, which went into effect immediately.

A-76 Cost Comparison Overview (DoD)

The Competitive Sourcing Program (sometimes referred to as the Commercial Activities, or CA, Program) is to implement OMB Circular A-76 to create cost savings for DoD. A-76 mandates that the government obtain commercially available goods and services from the private sector when it makes economic sense to do so. Government policy dating back to 1955 establishes that the Government will only provide what its citizens (i.e. the private sector) cannot.

A-76 Competitive Sourcing Internet Library & Directory
Defense Logistics Agency

Includes publicly releasable A-76 competitive sourcing information; easy access to regulatory guidelines, policy statements, press releases, lessons learned, commercial activities solicitations, sample Performance Work Statements and other related documents. Links to other resources; reference books, training courses, and consultants. Includes DLA Commercial Activities (A-76) Competition Guidebook, the DLA OMB Circular A-76 Independent Review Guide, the DLA Post-MEO Review Guide; links to publicly releasable documents for on-going studies at the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service, the Defense Distribution Center, and other organizations such as the Document Automation & Production Service.

A-76 + Outsourcing
GovExec.com

News, Guidance & Reports, and Resources.

Share A-76
Department of Defense

A place for people throughout the Department of Defense community to share knowledge and experience about the A-76 cost comparison process. This site contains guidance, sample documents, best practices, and tools to help you find knowledgeable peers.