|
Federal Market Intelligence for Small Business |
|
|
|
|
Column: Schedule these New Year’s Tasks for Completion in OctoberBy Tom Johnson, publisher, Set-Aside AlertFiscal year 2022 is staring us in the face! Now is the perfect time to update your government paperwork: SAM (System for Award Management) and DSBS (Dynamic Small Business Search) listings, contracting reports and filings, and saved searches in federal databases. The number of new opportunities on the street has decreased rapidly--as it typically does following the end of the federal fiscal year each Sept. 30--so take advantage of the slowdown to review your registrations and filings. Here is the annual checklist of things to do now to maximize your federal contracting success. Confirm your NAICS Codes Bring up your SAM registration (SAM.gov) and review all of your NAICS codes (North American Industry Classification System codes). Can you confirm every one of them? Do you have too many NAICS codes listed? If you are claiming a wide variety of industry codes, your registration may be suspect. What NAICS codes have you entered into SAM.gov for your saved searches of opportunities? And what other NAICS codes are you watching, “just in case”? Are you in the wholesale or retail distribution market? Did you know that NAICS codes in the range of 42xxxx (wholesalers and distributors), 44xxxx and 45xxxx (retail) series are ignored in federal acquisition markets, and you should register yourself under the relevant manufacturing codes? Have you covered everything you do? There are some “umbrella” codes that also may apply to you. For example, in the construction series, Industrial Building Construction might be used when the job is really only painting or carpentry. Alternatively, a project may be listed as Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611) when it is actually Office Administrative Services (561110). Be alert for these nuances and tweak your codes accordingly. One way to verify your choices is to do a search of opportunities in SAM.gov utilizing alternative NAICS codes and see what comes up. Is it work you are capable of doing? Confirm product/service codes We learned long ago that Product/Service Code (PSC) searches were often more reliable than NAICS code searches. PSC codes were designed for federal procurement use, while NAICS codes were designed for Census purposes. PSC codes are part of almost every SAM.gov bid listing. The full PSC list is at https://bit.ly/3uDdQfA. If you are not sure which codes apply to you, search the SAM.gov opportunities by PSC code to see if they fit your business. DSBS listing The DSBS pages (see http://dsbs.sba.gov) are used by many contracting officers and small business specialists across the government to identify and qualify small businesses. Your company information was automatically posted in DSBS when you completed your SAM registration, and is updated each time you update SAM. Compare your DSBS registration with those of a couple of your competitors. If a contracting specialist is looking for bidders, which one will he or she select? Does your company fade away against the competition? Search your company in DSBS (1) by name and (2) by telephone number – be sure to test it both ways. Is your listing up to date? Put your best foot forward:
Make note of any content that is missing or needs updating. Go to SAM.gov to enter changes, except for address changes (next section). Address change If your business has a new address, post the change to your Dun & Bradstreet DUNS number listing to at https://iupdate.dnb.com. Check back in a few days to ensure your changes were processed into SAM and DSBS. SAM.gov listing You will need a username and password to access SAM (http://www.SAM.gov) to edit the DSBS database. Allow some time for this effort since the login and updating processes are cumbersome. Work your way through the SAM editing process, checking your registration. Look for inaccurate data, old contact information, missing NAICS codes and other gaps. Make the necessary changes. As you finish your updates, before you submit your updates, you will be given an opportunity to link to your SBA Profile. Click on “Register or Update SBA Profile” to get to the editing function for DSBS. Use the edit function to enter any necessary updates to your DSBS listing. Be sure to add keywords, past contract history, special equipment and industry certifications. Then, click the link to return to SAM, and the final step is to submit all the updates. SAM.gov review Another important step is reviewing how you monitor SAM.gov opportunities. Are you looking at all small business set-asides, not just 8(a), HUBZone or woman-owned? Our Set-Aside Alert daily Contract Opportunities e-mails make it easy for you to be sure to see all available federal set-aside jobs. Conclusion The pace of new solicitations typically slows at this time of year. It is a good time to fine-tune your listings and assure your company is displayed at its best in the government databases. Tom Johnson is the publisher of Set-Aside Alert and president of Business Research Services. He can be reached at tjohnson@setasidealert.com.
|
Washington Insider:
|
Copyright © 2021 Business Research Services Inc. All rights reserved.