Using Electronic Commerce in Marketing to Government
The use of electronic commerce has become an integral part of marketing
goods and services to federal, state and even local government entities.
Most government buyers are now using government credit cards for smaller
purchases and are paying invoices for larger purchases through electronic
fund transfers. Therefore, the days of having to wait several weeks,
or even months, to get paid by the government are over. This makes it
much easier for smaller businesses to take advantage of the vast multi-billion
dollar government marketplace.
Use of the Internet now makes it possible for the small business to
handle many business transactions online, including registering as a
federal contractor, conducting market analysis, determining requirements
to do business, obtaining sources for solicitations, reviewing solicitations
or synopses online, downloading solicitations, submitting bids online,
corresponding with the government buyer, reviewing procurement histories,
receiving specifications, and receiving notification of awards.
Firms wanting to pursue government contracts should register at three
free Web pages. All of these Web sites allow for the buyer to find your
business by county, city or key words.
- Central Contractor Registration (CCR) is required for Department
of Defense contracts (www.ccr.gov).
- Small Business Administration provides a Web site for small
businesses called Pro-Net (www.pro-net.sba.gov).
This site is extremely user friendly and allows you to list everything
the buyer would want to know about your firm, even references!
- Missouri Market Place (www.missourimarketplace.org)
Web site for Missouri business only!!
Pro-Net also provides links to government Web sites, which list many
opportunities for small business to provide goods and services to the
federal government. Simply click on opportunities and resources
for prime contracts or subcontracting opportunities if you would
prefer to be a subcontractor to a larger company already doing business
with the government. Although Pro-Net links to the various agencies,
Commerce Business Daily and Federal Business Opportunities
are two links which cover the majority of the federal solicitations.
Simply enter a keyword for the product your business sells and search
to see if there are any current solicitations or needs for your product
or service. You might be surprised at what the government actually does
buy.
Small businesses often think they can't compete with larger companies
doing business with the government, but this is not necessarily true.
Government agencies are required to purchase certain percentages of
goods and services from small business, minority-owned business, and
HUBZONE (an economically distressed area) business.
Electronic commerce is a powerful tool for small business! However,
the barrage of paperwork, terminology, and learning to use the Internet
can be overwhelming. Help is available. The Missouri Procurement Technical
Assistance Center (www.moptac.net)
assists businesses, including small, disadvantaged and women-owned firms,
in obtaining federal, state and local
government contracts. Services include daily automated bid matching,
procurement counseling, assistance with bid preparation, registration
with buying agencies, and any special requirement that your business
might have for assistance in marketing to the government. Offices are
located throughout the state. Check the Web site for contact information.
If your business is ready for marketing in the 21st century, don't
let the vast government marketplace go untapped. Opportunities exist
for those businesses that are ready to conduct business in the new millennium.
Send this article to a friend
Authored by: Willis Mushrush, Business and Industry
Specialist, University of Missouri Extension
Source: Creating Quality Newsletter, Volume 11,
Number 2, February 2002
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