DOING BUSINESS WITH THE GOVERNMENT

There are nearly 29 million small businesses in the United States, and 11% of them are owned by veterans, according to 2016 data from the U.S. Small Business Administration. More and more men and women are turning to entrepreneurship after serving in the military, increasing the number of veteranowned small businesses.

Offering your product or service to the government may provide you with new sources of revenue. Keep in mind that government contracting can be confusing if you try to navigate it alone.

Why reinvent the wheel when you don’t have to?

With the help of the SBA under the Veteran Federal Procurement Entrepreneurship Training Program (VFPETP), veteran business owners will acquire the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in government contracting. As part of the program, the National Center for Veteran Institute for Procurement (VIP) offers three different courses based on your level of experience:

PTAC – Procurement Technical Assitance Center / APEX Accelerators

This is a Program that helps entrepreneurs enter government procurement by providing consultants and resources at no cost.

A Small Business Set-Aside Allows You to Directly Bid to

the Government.

Contracts set aside specifically for small businesses are called small business set-asides. Their goal is to help small business owners find, bid on, and win contracts with government agencies

Federal Business Opportunities Website

You can find government customers through the Federal Business Opportunities website. Business owners can register for free, which provides various benefits, including monitoring opportunities.

Government Procurement vs Private Sector Procurement

As a business owner you also may want to consider registering and acquiring a Private sector Designation/ Certification. Private companies who participate in Diversity programs and have a commitment to provide contracts to small companies. The Certification for private sector procurment may be a great option when entering the procurement field.

Who can apply for the Private Sector Procurement™

The private sector procurment verification and certificate is awared to companies who self-designate as VeteranOwned company Female-Veteran Owned company, Native American Veteran-Owned Company, Low Income Zone Entrepreneur, Micro/Solo Entrepreneur, WomenOwned Company and a few others. The verication and Certificate is awarded by the Veteran Diversity Supplier Council and the National Veterans Chamber.

The Process

Companies are requiered to submit documentation that verifies their status. Documentation is reviewed by Members of the Veterans Diversity Supplier Council. Once approved companies receive a certificate of validation.

Education and Training

It is critical that you become familiar with both markets, Government and Private Sector Procurement. Use Chat GPT to search for Locan and or National trainng courses and events where you will have the opportunity to learn and network with other likeminded entrepreneurs.

If you need assitance on where to start, just send us an email at: veteransccsd@gmail.com we will be happy to provide a free consultation and go over the different options for you.

The Veterans Show:

• Be our guest on the show – click the link: www.vccsd.org/radioshow.html

• If you have any ideas or a project that you would like to Develop in collaboration with the National Veterans Chamber, send your ideas to: veteransccsd@gmail.com