Government Contracting Basics

3 Simple Rules of Government Contracting

Essential Things to Know Before You Start Government Contracting

David Daniel
Small Business Government Contracting
3 min readSep 19, 2020

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Female Signing Contract
Small Business Government Contracting is Different! | Image: Shutterstock

The lagging economy and impacts of the pandemic to the US economy have forced many businesses to look for more stable ways to keep their teams working. Managers who have either never considered government contracting, or individuals who have found themselves with lots of skills and few opportunities, are ‘discovering’ public sector contracting may be a viable option for the future.

Jumping in can be a pretty intimidating thing! There is a host of specialized jargon, byzantine documentation requirements, and a LOT of competition to consider.

I suggest my clients who are new to contracting write down these three basic rules and keep them handy for then you need them most. Particularly, write the first one on a Post-It note and stick it to your mirror, computer screen or any place else you will see it clearly. Experience has proven time and time again, you will need to remind yourself…

RULE #1: DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED!

There is a path from zero to your first award. It is a well-known journey and not a particularly difficult route to follow. Quite literally, thousands of others have gone down this…

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David Daniel
Small Business Government Contracting

Small Business Mentor | 8(a) SDVOSB | GovCon | Startup | NGO | Strategy | Business Development | Former: EDS, IBM, PwC | Managing Partner: proposal-foundry.com