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Small Business Guide for Marketing to the Department of Defense (DoD)

http://www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/doing_business/DoD_Contracting_Guide.htm
This website provides a step-by-step guide for entering into the DoD Marketplace. It includes essentials such as:

  1. Identifying Your Product or Service: It is essential to know the Federal Supply Class or Service (FSC/SVC) codes and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes for your products or services.
  2. Register Your Business:
    • Obtain a DUNS Number: The Data Universal Number System (DUNS) Number is a unique nine character identification
    • If you do not have a DUNS Number, contact Dun and Bradstreet to obtain one.
    • Register with Central Contractor Registration (CCR/PRONet): You must be registered in Central Contractor Registration (CCR) to be awarded a contract from the DoD. CCR is a database designed to hold information relevant to procurement and financial transactions. CCR affords you the opportunity for fast electronic payment of your invoices. On January 1, 2004, CCR assumed all of SBA's PRO-Net search capabilities and functions. Small businesses will now only need to register with CCR. Contracting officers, contract specialists, etc. utilize the CCR, as well as the Dynamic Small Business Search side of the CCR, to identify small business concerns for potential prime and subcontracting opportunities.
  3. Identify Your Target Market within DoD: Research DoD Personnel & Procurement Statistics. Of particular interest to small businesses is the Standard Tabulation (ST) 28 report of products and services purchased each fiscal year by the DoD. Data on the ST28 are sorted by FSC/SVC code and provide name and location of DoD contracting offices. This report is found at the bottom of the Procurement Statistics page and can be cross-referenced with the list of Small Business Specialists within the Army, Navy, Air Force and other Defense Agencies (ODAs).
  4. Identifying Current DoD Procurement Opportunities: Identify current procurement opportunities in your product or service area by checking the electronic version of the Federal Business Opportunities website, which can assist you in identifying DoD, as well as other Federal procurement opportunities.
  5. Familiarize Yourself with DoD Contracting Procedures: Be familiar with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS).
  6. Investigate Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) Contracts: Many DoD purchases are, in fact, orders on Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contracts. Contact the General Services Administration (GSA) for information on how to obtain a FSS contract.
  7. Seek Additional Assistance as Needed: There are several important resources that are available to assist you in the DoD marketplace:
  8. Explore Sub-contracting Opportunities: Regardless of your product or service, it is important that you do not neglect our very large secondary market, subcontracting opportunities with DoD prime contractors. This directory provides, by state, the names and addresses of DoD prime contractors, the names and telephone numbers of Small Business Liaison Officers (SBLOs), and the products and services supplied to the DoD. The report is generated from data mined through DoD prime contractors’ contracts and subcontracting plans. Please note that the DoD OSBP does not maintain the data on this website. The directory reflects data as of September 30, 2005. We encourage you to investigate potential opportunities with these firms. Many also have websites that may be useful and we encourage you to explore teaming options. In addition, many of the larger organizations may have subcontracting opportunities at the lower tiers (beyond the first and second tiers). The SBA's SUB-Net is another valuable resource for obtaining information on subcontracting opportunities. Solicitations or notices are posted by prime contractors as well as other government, commercial, and educational entities.
  9. Investigate DoD Small-Business Programs: There are several programs that may be of interest to you such as: Veteran-Owned, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, HUBZone, Small Disadvantaged, Woman-Owned, Small Business Innovation Research, Small Business Technology Transfer, Mentor-Protégé, and Indian Incentive. Information on all these programs is available on the DoD Office of Small Business Programs website.
After you have identified your customers, researched their requirements, and familiarized yourself with DoD procurement regulations and strategies, it is time to market your product or service. Present your capabilities directly to the DoD activities that buy your products or services. Realize that, like you, their time is valuable and if the match is a good one, you can provide them with a cost-effective, quality solution to their requirements. Additional helpful resources, posted on our website, include Government Contracting: The Basics [PDF] and Marketing to the Department of Defense: The Basics [PDF].

Small Business Guide for Marketing to the Air Force
http://www.airforcesmallbiz.org
This site is the U.S. Air Force Office of Small Business programs web-based initiative that aims to improve connectivity between the small business community and the Air Force. Links include locating an Air Force small business specialist, a user-friendly search for current and future procurement opportunities, calendar of events, and much more. Explore this website for the resources you need to make contact and connect with the Air Force for business opportunities. In addition to features such as the Long Range Acquisition Estimate (LRAE) and the Locate a Small Business Specialist tool, this site offers your business the capability to connect with the Air Force through these tools:

  • Register Your Small Business – Here you can register for an account and provide information about your capabilities and other company data.
  • Ask a Question – This section allows you to ask a question that will be automatically forwarded to the appropriate subject matter expert.
  • Event Participation Request – This tool allows you to request a small business specialist to participate in your event.

Small Business Guide for Marketing to the Army
https://acquisition.army.mil/asfi/
This site is the Army’s Single Face to Industry (ASFI), the U.S. Army’s designated site to host all Army contracting opportunities. Army contracting personnel use the ASFI to post procurement notices. Vendors, also referred to as 'industry', use the ASFI to locate and respond to Army solicitations for goods and services. Although the ASFI is a publicly-accessible site, some features are restricted to government personnel only and require ASFI registration and approval to use these features. To use most of the ASFI industry features, vendors must have an active Central Contractor Registration (CCR) [https://www.bpn.gov/ccr ] profile.
Contracting Opportunities Search – The Contracting Opportunities Search feature allows vendors to easily locate opportunities and submit offers/bids online if electronic submission is authorized.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – The FAQ feature allows vendors to view frequently asked ASFI questions
Vendor Notification Service – The Vendor Notification Service allows vendors to request email notification of solicitations that meet their contracting opportunities search criteria based on contracting office and/or NAICS code. Solicitation NAICS codes are compared to the NAICS codes established by the vendor on their CCR profile.
BRS Users Guide (.doc) – The Bid Response System (BRS) guide for solicitations that display the 'Start Offer/Bid' button’, vendors may use the ASFI to respond to Army opportunities via the secure Bid Response System. To use the Bid Response System, vendors must have an active Central Contractor Registration (CCR) profile. This is validated each time a bid response is initiated within the ASFI.
Vendor Bid History – Vendors may access their solicitation bid history for summary information on offers/bids placed within the last 60 days.
Procurement Notifications – Procurement Notifications allow vendors to search for solicitation award postings. Note – not all award postings are available on the ASFI. Vendors should also search for award postings at Fed-BizOpps (www.fbo.gov).

Small Business Guide for Marketing to the Coast Guard
http://www.uscg.mil/acquisition/business/smallbusiness.asp
Departmental oversight and authority play a very important role in U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) acquisition processes. That oversight and authority is sought and exercised at key project milestones, or Acquisition Decision Events. All Level 1 acquisition projects (valued at greater than $1 billion lifecycle cost) require a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) decision authority before proceeding at each of those milestones. The Coast Guard cannot succeed without complete and appropriate transparency of processes to oversight authorities, including agency leadership, DHS executive authorities and Congress. This website provides useful information on the U.S. Coast Guard’s approach to providing maximum practicable opportunities in small business acquisitions, including Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), HUBZone Small Business (HUBZone), Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), and Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) concerns.
Resources include:

Points of Contact – Users can identify local USCG small business representatives and DHS prime contractor information.

Outreach – this link provides information on vendor outreach sessions and other opportunities for small businesses to meet with small business specialists from DHS procurement offices.

Resources – This link offers additional resources such as Frequently Asked Questions, the DHS Small Business Web site and the Small Business Administration Web site.

Opportunities – This link provides information on Coast Guard contracting opportunities, forecast of Coast Guard contracting opportunities, and opportunities for specific small business programs.

Small Business Guide for Marketing to the Marine Corps
http://www.marines.mil/unit/logistics/Documents/Doing_Business/doingbusiness.html
The Marine Corps contracting has two elements—the Marine Corps Field Contracting System (MCFCS) and Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC). The Marine Corps Field Contracting System provides base, camp and station support to Marine installations everywhere as well as supporting the needs of tenant commands at every base. Marine Corps Systems Command provides major weapons systems and their support.
This site provides an excellent generic step-by-step approach for marketing your business to the U.S. Marine Corps.

    Steps:
  1. Identify your product or service
  2. Obtain a DUNS Number, register in the CCR System, and obtain a CAGE Code
  3. Familiarize yourself with Federal, DoD, Navy and Marine Corps contracting procedures
  4. Identify the Marine Corps contracting activity that purchases your product or service
  5. Identify current and future procurement opportunities
  6. Consider a Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contract
  7. Review small business programs
  8. Explore subcontracting opportunities
  9. Seek additional assistance as needed
  10. Respond to inquiries from Field Contracting Offices

Marine Corps Field Contracting System (MCFCS)
http://www.marcorsyscom.usmc.mil/vendor/
This site is the Marine Corps Field Contracting System’s (MCFCS’s) "Vendor Information" website for MCSC-specific information and contains links to important websites to needed for marketing your small business, or any business, to the Marine Corps.
Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy (DPAP) –DPAP has broad responsibility for acquisition policies and focuses on procurement and acquisition as an integrated acquisition process.
Acquisition Center for Support Services (ACSS) – ACSS is vested with the responsibility for developing, implementing and executing a comprehensive Advisory and Assistance Services (A&AS) program for the MCSC by coordinating requirements, establishing contractual relationships, providing analytical and procurement planning services, and ensuring appropriate regulatory compliance.
Contracts – This site supports MCSC in developing and implementing integrated and innovative business solutions to meet the needs of warfighters/customers and expectations of taxpayers.
Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) – MCSC OSBP is responsible for providing research, development, and acquisition of equipment, information systems, training systems, and weapon systems to satisfy all approved material requirements of the Marine Corps.
Navy Electronic Commerce Online (NECO) – NECO provides contractors direct on-line access to Navy procurement requirements; publishes current procurement summary information for selected sites; provides registered users email notification of new solicitation postings; and provides general Navy information on electronic commerce initiatives.
Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Knowledge Sharing System (AKSS) – AKSS supplies mandatory acquisition reference documents and a wealth of other relevant acquisition resources.
DoN Acquisition One Source — This site is the single authoritative source for Navy and Marine Corp acquisition policy and guidance. Managed by the DASN Acquisition Management team located in the Pentagon, the web site offers many features to the acquisition workforce.

Small Business Guide for Marketing to the Navy
http://www.donhq.navy.mil/osbp/
This is the site for the U.S. Department of Navy - Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP). The site offers information about NAVY OSBP, Navy small business programs, conferences, contacts and other general information.
Specific sites include resources for:
The Navy’s eleven major Small Business offices –

  1. Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps
  2. Marine Corps Systems Command
  3. Military Sealift Command
  4. Naval Air Systems Command
  5. Naval Facilities Engineering Command
  6. NAVSUP Weapon System Support Center
  7. Naval Sea Systems Command
  8. Naval Supply Systems Command
  9. Office of Naval Research
  10. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command
  11. Strategic Systems Programs
Navy SBIR/STTR – The Navy's SBIR/STTR programs are primarily mission oriented, providing companies the opportunity to become part of the national technology base that can feed both the nation’s military and private sectors.
Small Business Conferences – This site provides information and links to current and future small business conferences.
Frequently Asked Questions – The FAQ feature allows small businesses to view frequently asked questions about marketing to the Department of the Navy.

Disclaimer Information in this document was taken from the included public websites and is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied on in lieu of direct contact with the organization or other professional advice.

© Copyright AFCEA Hampton Roads Chapter 2007