First, you should evaluate your own business. Determine if your business has the capabilities to handle additional work.  Many times suppliers want to do government contracting, but when they get involved in the process, they realize that maybe their business is not ready to take on a new contract.

Also, you need to determine if your company is financially sound. Do you have cash flow issues? Does your company have enough money to sustain a contract, in the event that it requires you to purchase materials up front to start the contract? If your business is struggling financially, it is not recommended to get involved in government contracting at this time.

If you are able to answer yes to both of those questions, then you can move forward in the government contracting process. Next, you will want to decide who you want to market your business to, whether it is federal, state, or local government contracting, or all three. Each type of government can purchase differently than the other. When you decide which agency(s) that you want to market your business, you will need to register your company in their respective websites. Federal and state have their own separate websites, but local government can be several different websites, depending on which agencies you are interested in marketing your business.

Doing business with the federal government requires that you register in the Systems for Award Management (SAM) website – www.sam.gov. This website does require that you have a Dun & Bradstreet number, also known as a DUNS number, before registering. You can request a DUNs number from the Dun & Bradstreet website – http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. Make sure that you request a DUNs number for doing business with the government, so that it is free to your business.

If you decide to market to the State of Indiana, you will need to register your business at the Indiana website – http://www.in.gov/idoa/2464.htm. There is a list of information on this website that you will need prior to registering.  It is recommended to have this information available when you begin your registration.

Also, on the Indiana website, if you meet the criteria, you may be able apply for certification as a Woman Business Enterprise (WBE), or Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), or as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) with the Indiana Department of Transportation. All of the certification information is located at http://www.in.gov/idoa/2489.htm.

As I stated, local government contracting may require multiple registrations, depending on which agencies you are interested in marketing, but here is a link to a list of a few different agencies and how they do business – http://www.in.gov/idoa/2488.htm.

There is also a link for becoming a subcontractor for the Kentucky-Indiana Bridges Project – http://www.kyinbridges.com/.

One last tip for getting involved in government contracting is to contact the Indiana Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). They provide a bid match service that searches federal, state, and local websites for bid opportunities and compiles the bids into one email that can be sent to you daily. Their contact information is listed below.

Indiana PTAC

http://www.piccorp.org
5209 Hohman Avenue
Hammond, IN 46320
Phone: (219) 750-1200

For additional help with working through the government contracting process, feel free to email southeast@isbdc.org.

First, WBE which stands for “Women’s Business Enterprise,” is an independent business where at least 51% of the company is controlled by one or more women who are US citizens or are Legal Resident Aliens. Also, the company’s management and day to day operations have to be handled by one of the women owners.

MBE which stands for Minority Business Enterprise, is defined as a business that is at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by one or more American citizens who fall into 4 ethnic minority classifications – African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, or Native American.

As far as the certification process for either the WBE or MBE certification? This is a rigorous one and involves confirming that the business is actually “what it says it is” – that is the business is owned, managed and controlled by either the woman or minority listed.

Are there benefits?

In the state of Indiana, as a certified minority or woman owned business, your company can qualify for WBE/MBE subcontracting opportunities or state contracts in Indiana, receive access to training opportunities as well as receiving notification of state business opportunities among others.

A few quick starting steps? Your Small Business Development Centers (ISBDC) can provide some starting points.  Companies need to register with the Indiana Secretary of State, and also obtain a Bidder Registration number (register with the Procurement Division) and then also obtain the certification application. The application is detailed and for more tips, take a look at http://www.in.gov/idoa/2489.htm.

Cindy Bertram is a Business Advisor for the Northwest Indiana Small Business Development Center, an organization with the mission of having a positive and measurable impact on the formation, growth, and sustainability of small businesses in Indiana, and to develop a strong entrepreneurial community. Cindy can be reached at cbertram@isbdc.org.