Doing Business With the Government

Government agencies spend billions of dollars on goods and services every year and any company, regardless of size, is eligible to compete for these contracts. The majority of federal purchases under $100,000 are set aside for small businesses, which opens new opportunities for many Idaho firms. Opportunities also exist to do business as a subcontractor to larger businesses doing prime government work.

Nightforce Finds 25 Million Reasons to Seek Government Contracts May 12,2010 Nightforce Inc., Orofino, Idaho, was awarded a $25,767,124 firm-fixed-price contract May 10 for family of dayscopes, spares, repairs and upgrades, the U.S. Department of Defense reported on its Defense.gov Web site. Dayscopes will be used by special forces for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and by Marine Corps snipers. The work, to be performed in Orofino, is expected to be completed by April 2015, the department said. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was competitively procured and solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities Web site, with one offer received, the Department of Defense said. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity (N00164-10-D-JQ23).

TechHelp helps Idaho producers do business with the government in several ways:

• We are an outreach arm for Idaho's Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) and  the Department of Defense TechMatch Program. Both programs help companies with government procurement issues.
• Through our statewide network of Manufacturing Specialists, we help Idaho businesses prepare to do government work through advanced programs such as Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, ISO Certification and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).
• Our New Product Development operation at Boise State University helps businesses create and fine tune products that can be sold to the government.

Idaho companies that have a good prospect of selling to the government can apply for the Process Improvement Program (PIP) offered through PTAC. The PIP program partially subsidizes the work of TechHelp manufacturing specialists helping companies prepare for government sales.

A Pathway to Government Contracting

Listed below are some steps that will help position you for successful government contracting. You can take many of the following steps on your own or with the assistance of TechHelp or the Idaho Business Network.

1. Make use of your in-state resources:
   1. Contact TechHelp at 208.426.3767 or techhelp@boisestate.edu. We get you started by lining you up with the right people and services.
   2. Contact the Idaho PTAC directly at (208) 334-2470 or ptac@commerce.idaho.gov or at http://commerce.idaho.gov/business/business-development/government-contracting/.  Register with PTAC to set up a business profile and receive regular announcements of government bid opportunities in your area of expertise. You will also be invited to PTAC's government contracting workshops and the annual Business Opportunity Conference - a "reverse trade show" where you can visit a host of government contractors.
2. Secure a DUNS Number. The D&B D-U-N-S Number is a unique nine-digit identification sequence, which provides unique identifiers of single business entities, while linking corporate family structures together. The U.S. government requires their suppliers and contractors to have a D-U-N-S Number. You must have a DUNS number to register with CCR. To obtain a DUNS go to: http://www.dnb.com/US/duns_update/
3. Register with (CCR) Central Contractors Registration. The federal government utilizes the information found in the CCR database to find potential vendors and to process contract payments electronically. Being registered in CCR is now mandatory if you want to work for the federal government. To learn more, utilize the following link: CCR Registration
4. Learn about (ORCA) On-line Representations and Certifications. ORCA is an e-Government initiative that has been developed to replace the paper based Representations and Certifications (Reps and Certs) process. To find out more, utilize the following link: ORCA - Login
5. Apply for your (MPIN) Marketing Partner Identification Number. The Marketing Partner ID Number (MPIN), the Government Business Point of Contact (POC), and the Alternate Government Business POC are now mandatory for all CCR registrations. Marketing Partner ID (MPIN) is a personal code that allows you to access other Government applications such as the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS), FedBizOpps, FedTeDS, Orca, and grants.gov. The MPIN acts as your password in these other systems, and you should guard it as such. The MPIN must have 9 digits containing at least one alpha character (can be entered in upper or lower case) and one number (no spaces or special characters permitted). To learn more, utilize the following link: Central Contractors Registration - Handbook

 TechHelp Services Funded by PIP:

It is important to note that PIP funds subsidize ONLY SERVICES PROVIDED BY TECHHELP MANUFACTURING SPECIALISTS. PIP Funds can not be used to pay for materials or third party services. PIP funded activities include:

• New product development services such as product design, materials analysis, rapid prototyping, design for manufacture, product testing and creation of product and process manuals
• The compilation and delivery of a quality manual (a requisite in doing business with the government)
• Process improvements such as Lean Manufacturing and Lean Office
• Quality initiatives such as ISO certification and Six Sigma activities
• Assistance with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) 
• Human performance issues such as hiring, training and motivation
• Business systems assistance
• Marketing and Web development services

DoD TechMatch, at www.dodtechmatch.com , can help Idaho manufacturers and inventors respond to specific Research and Development needs of the U.S. Department of Defense. Registered users will find their technology areas of interest cataloged in an easy to use, customized interface. Government Program Managers and Program Executive Officers can quickly and efficiently broadcast their technology needs to industry, government, and academic registered users. TechMatch now has 6,700 registered users and averages 50,000 site visits each month.

DoD TechMatch provides a centralized location for DoD technology transfer/transition information. The organization provides registered users with R&D opportunities from FedBizOpps, Grants.gov, and SBIR/STTR solicitations. The service also provides information regarding licensable patents, hot technologies, success stories and calendar events.

Because DoD TechMatch is a Partnership Intermediary, the service is free. DoD TechMatch uses a keyword matching system to push all of this information to registered users. This saves time and money so they do not have to search through pages of irrelevant opportunities and information. About 10% of DoD TechMatch opportunities are related to manufacturing.