FedSubK Feature: Focus in FY25 - Be Seen and Be Heard
From the perspective of a Contracting Officer (CO/KO) and acquisition workforce member for over 30 years, I see small businesses every day chasing Government contracts without focus. FOMO is your nemesis and a resource killer.
As we head into the new fiscal year, let's "Focus in FY25" in a couple of areas. Our first is… Be Seen by Federal Buyers.
This may not be popular opinion in the GovCon community—particularly by those businesses that write these and charge small businesses a lot of money to do them, but...a great capabilities statement alone rarely gets you noticed.
Nine times out of ten if the subject line says "ABC Company - Capabilities Statement" the Government recipient is going to immediately drag and drop it into an email folder without reading it and, frankly, may never open it. This is why I caution businesses -- do not spend a lot of money paying for a cap statement. A few hours, your logo, some basic instructions that you can get from others here on LinkedIn, and an AI tool like Gamma, Canva, or PowerPoint get you the same thing.
INSTEAD...after your SAM registration is active, FOCUS on…
(1) completing your Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) profile, and
(2) polishing your website.
DSBS is where EVERY FEDERAL BUYER doing market research eventually goes to see how many small businesses identify under the NAICS code they are using for a buy AND how many of those smalls fall under each socioeconomic category. If you don’t have your DSBS profile filled out, you are missing out -- plain and simple.
DSBS has a place to put your business URL -- use it. There is a higher chance of the buyer clicking on your website link than opening your cap statement. Why? It's faster and from one look at your website they can see how "finished" and "polished" your business is with its messaging. A website says more than a cap statement in that regard.
Did I use cap statements in my market research as a CO/KO? Sometimes, but not often. Most often DSBS was my source because it is the authoritative source for socioeconomic status info and provides for quick queries and export of report results. SAM.gov Data Bank reports can also be used. Capabilities statements age and the data is always churning in new small business information. Contracting Officers must use information that is current within the past 18 months to inform their acquisition strategy analyses. They aren’t going to dust off a bunch of old emails to do their market research and cull through the long list they get.
Am I saying you shouldn't do a capabilities statement?
Not at all! It is a great exercise in objectively assessing and honing your written pitch to use in DSBS or orally when you meet people. It can also help you really stretch yourself to identify the true differentiators of your business from your competitors. These are the two areas in the cap statement that need the most work in those I review.
Want to know an even better person to send the capabilities statement to on a regular basis instead of the Contracting Officer?
A person that is charged to advocate internally for small businesses – the office Small Business Specialist. These specialists are charged with advising the Contracting Officer on small business matters. Every action under the Simplified Acquisition Threshold that isn’t going to a small business and every action over the Simplified Acquisition Threshold, regardless of dollar value or acquisition strategy, goes through the Small Business Specialist for review and sign off.
But with all that said, again...a great capabilities statement alone is rarely going to get you noticed. FOCUS on your DSBS profile and website.
Next let’s talk about how to…Be Heard by Federal Buyers
I meet so many small businesses concerned about interactions with the Government. They are worried about making a good impression, asking the right questions, coming across smart about Government contracting, but still getting answers to questions important to them. The worry results in a paralysis of sorts, particularly because so much of that communication is no longer in person but via email.
Trying to sort out what “GovCon Whisperer” to listen to is hard to decide. They all have their own take. But… have they been on the receiving end of these marketing emails from thousands of businesses? Ummm, probably not. Lucky for you, I have!
It's a good thing to be conscientious of making a good first impression; you only get one, as they say. But before you start firing off emails to Government acquisition personnel with cute snappy subject lines and a list of asks, then following up with daily, “Can we connect ASAP?” inquiries out of FOMO, let me give you some advice – that isn’t going to do anything but annoy the heck out of the Government recipient.
INSTEAD…Educate yourself on the different roles on the Government’s acquisition team and FOCUS on...
1) Asking the right people the right questions at the right time, and
2) Creating a cadence for regular communications.
The Right People
You can learn about the different roles involved in the Government acquisition process in the prior FedSubK Feature: Hate the Game, Not the Players – Know the Roles in Federal Contracting (Feb 2024). This article talks to the main function of each and their focus during a procurement.
The Right Questions
After you know the roles of who does what in the acquisition process, you know better who can best answer specific questions. You could ask the Contracting Officer to provide an interpretation of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) like an answer book. Or you can go to acquisition.gov, do a little research yourself, and instead ask for the Contracting Officer to confirm of your interpretation of a topic, situation, clause, etc. Even if that interpretation is wrong, you learned something in the process and you aren’t asking the Government to spoon feed you answers. Contracting Officer’s like that. And from a Contracting Officer’s perspective, there are no dumb questions. Most are there to help you because that helps them later.
The Right Time
You’ve heard the saying, “Timing is everything?” Well, that’s definitely the case in Federal contracting. Even if you know the right people and the right question, knowing WHEN to ask is important. Has the Government issued an RFI, RFP, or have you just heard a rumor something is coming? Where the Government is in the acquisition process will tell you when they can (or can’t) entertain or answer a question.
So how do you know when the time is right for a question? Generally:
Pre-Award: FAR Subpart 10.001 encourages agencies to engage with industry early during market research to gather info about potential solutions. Regardless of the question, expect to get broad answers equating to general information about agency mission needs and future requirements; no specifics about when an RFP will be issued, the acquisition strategy, or scoping information.
Solicitation Phase: FAR Subpart 15.201 states the limitations on exchanges with industry before receipt of proposals. The Government may issue an RFI, a draft RFP, hold a presolicitation conference, site visit, conference, or conduct one-on-one meetings with potential offerors among other methods.
During this time, specific questions can be asked to identify and resolve concerns regarding the acquisition strategy, including proposed contract type, terms and conditions, and acquisition planning schedules; the feasibility of the requirement, including performance requirements, statements of work, and data requirements; the suitability of the proposal instructions and evaluation criteria, including the approach for assessing past performance information; the availability of reference documents; and any other industry concerns or questions related to the information provided by the Government.
The Government may choose to share answers to industry questions without attribution to ensure a level playing field.
Evaluation / Award Phase: Communication and any exchanges with industry, particularly offerors, is severely restricted after receipt of proposals and must go through the Contracting Officer. This includes all communications before and after establishing a competitive range (FAR Subpart 15.306), the limitations on what information can be exchanged, to whom it can be exchanged with, when exchanges can occur, and award and unsuccessful offeror notifications.
Only interested parties (i.e., offerors) should ask questions and then, only when contacted by the Contracting Officer, following instructions for the response. Other parties should expect no response to questions or inquiries.
Post Award Phase: The Government will make a public announcement of award, when required in SAM.gov. After award the Government may answer general questions about the awardee (name and location) and the general scope of the work. Pricing and other source selection sensitive information will not be released.
Please do not try to coerce a Government official to tell you anything more than they can when they can. It shows you don’t understand the process or respect the rule of procurement integrity (i.e., keeping the playing field level). Remember that impression you want to make? Keep that in mind and don't let frustration over the silence get to you.
Also, be cognizant of the time of year it is in the Federal acquisition cycle. Don’t expect immediate responses to general inquiries July – mid October. After Thanksgiving through the end of the calendar year, most contracting offices are also operating with minimum staff. That’s because Contracting Officers are taking all the vacation time they can’t take in the summers with their family over the holidays every year.
Touching base is great. Offering to be a resource – great. But read the room and look at the calendar. And that leads me to…
The Right Cadence
Let me give you some advice. Do not send messages to government personnel on successive days in a row to follow up on an email. I repeat – DO NOT. If your GovCon advisor is saying that to you, they don’t know the mind of a Contracting Officer. There is a difference between persistent and pushy. You DO NOT want to be that business that makes the Contracting Officer cringe when they see your name pop up in their inbox.
So…what is a good cadence?
While you’re building a relationship, check in at least every 3-4 months minimum. Once you’ve established the relationship, check every 6-8 weeks max. For a Contracting Officer, time flies. If they get requests too often, you’ll become cringe-worthy again. Don’t do that.
If you’ve sent an email and are waiting for a response, remember, read the calendar.
- Was it sent on a Monday or Friday? A lot of Federal employees work compressed schedules and have alternating Mondays or Fridays out of the office.
- Was it sent within the last few days? Wait at least 4-5 days to follow up. Life happens, people are out with sick kids, sick themselves, have doctor appointments, bosses and other work that demands their time constantly, or the question may not fall high on the priority list that week. Be patient. And if you know their phone number, maybe try a call after a few failed email attempts. It’s always harder to tell you “no” on the phone than ignoring an email. A personal touch never hurts.
- Was it sent during a major conference period like the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) World Congress? They may be taking online classes or be at the one office trip they get a year.
Focusing on a few essential basics in FY25 is a great way to kick on the new fiscal year and get realigned with your business goals!
Check out small business training events, guides and templates, FedSubK Features and blog articles to add more focus in your Federal contracting journey at fedsubk.com
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FedSubK Feature: Be Seen! Why Your SBS Profile is So Important
UPDATED November 2025 to incorporate changes from the SBA Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) to the new SBA Small Business Search (SBS)
I’ve posted on LinkedIn a lot recently about ways to be seen as a little fish in the big pond that is the Federal marketplace. Every GovCon consultant has a take on the best entry points with agencies. My take is there is only one place small businesses MUST put their best foot forward to be quickly and easily seen by Federal buyers for potential opportunities and influence small business set-asides.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) Small Business Search (SBS) is THE PLACE you must be on your A-game.
The Small Business Search (SBS) is a database in which SBA houses information on the current pool of certificated small businesses. Presently, small businesses that do not have certifications or are self-certified, may also create a profile in this database. The SBS is used by contracting officers, small business specialists, large prime contractors, and other small businesses looking for teaming partners to find small businesses that can help meet Federal requirements and identify businesses that can help the Government (or a prime contractor) meet its small business goals. SBS is one of the first--and often only--sources used in market research by agencies to determine the numbers of small businesses able to provide products or services by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code.
You can see why this might be an important place to pay attention to, eh?
Businesses have forgotten about the SBS in the last few years because SAM.gov no longer sends small business registrants directly to SBS at the end of their registration to complete the profile like it used to. I HUGE bummer. Businesses now must wait for their SAM.gov registration to be activated, then they can establish an SBA SBS account, claim their entity record, and fill in their company profile in the SBS system. Federal buyers are looking for detailed information from SBS to use as part of their market research efforts.
SBS isn’t only for market research.
Even more importantly, the SBS shows Federal buyers the status of any pending certification applications for the purpose of determining whether you are eligible to compete for a set-aside action. For example, an Economically Disadvantaged Woman Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) can still submit an offer for an WOSB set-aside even with a pending application for certification showing in the SBS. Contracting Officers often use SBS as a source to confirm the socioeconomic certification status and 8(a) program participation along with SAM.gov.
While MySBA Certifications automatically sends socioeconomic certification status to SAM.gov and updates the requisite reps and certs to reflect the correct socioeconomic status, recently it has taken weeks for that migration to occur. WOSBs and EDWOSBs have reported not seeing their correct socioeconomic status reflected in their SAM entity record.
Businesses should always check their SAM entity record to ensure that the proper status is shown within a reasonable time after receipt of an active certification status; usually within 14 business days. If the record is not accurately reflected, you can contact answerdesk@sba.gov or the SBA socioeconomic program under which your business was certified for assistance. If a Contracting Officer says that your SAM record does not reflect the status claimed, ask the Contracting Officer to check SBS for the more accurate information because of these delays.
So now let’s talk about BEING SEEN in SBS and walk through each part of the registration.
Understanding how to maximize the fields in SBS is how you can make the best possible first impression so that Federal buyers want to learn more about YOU!
The Key Words
Often businesses pluck these from thin air and over-generalized based on what they think the Government wants to see. Key words need to reflect and incorporate aspects of your primary NAICS, secondary NAICS, and what you can provide under those NAICS. If you use key words that don’t reflect your primary NAICS, you’ll leave the Government scratching their head about you. They won’t understand the message you’re sending about your company. Be consistent and specific with key words while tying into your NAICS codes in order to leave the best impression. You have 500 characters -- use them wisely.
The Website
Be sure that you include the URL for any website you have. Make it be more than a landing page. It needs to tell your story. It needs to include information about your company, what you sell, past customers, and products or solutions you provide. And most of all, it must be polished. Scrub your site hard for formatting, typos, grammatical errors, etc. Acquisition personnel using the SBS will often quickly click on the site to see just how polished it is. When it looks good, they get the impression you know your stuff and pay attention to details.
The Capabilities Narrative
This is the written equivalent of your elevator pitch. This section should include all the things you’d include in that two-minute speech. Hit hard on what your company specialized in and its core product or service areas. Show the business’s focus and avoid being all over the map by overpromising on the breadth of work the business performs.
Near the end of the capabilities narrative, list any socioeconomic certifications Why not lead with it? Because that certification is only part of your business, and it alone does not get you interest from the Contracting Officer. End with that information so the Contracting Officer can easily see it in a quick query and get your business into their market research counts.
Lastly, identify any government contract vehicle or GSA Schedule your company may hold. If you can catch their eye that you have an existing GSA Schedule or your business participates in the 8(a) program, you’ll get counted and likely get a look in terms of the Contracting Officer wanting to know more. If they need to meet a socioeconomic goal, they can see quickly. You’re helping the Contracting Officer do their job. They LOVE that! (And made another great first impression!)
SBS now also includes a field to add a link to your online capabilities statement. Use it!
“Extras” You Should Never Skip
Performance History
I cannot say this enough…if you history doing work for any Government or quasi-Government entity at any level -- Federal, State, or Local level -- list them! Don’t play the “they’ll see that when I propose” game. Showing performance history—even if it is minimal or commercial and not Government--helps. How? It proves the viability of the business and the size and types of projects you’ve completed. Those goes a long way to determining eligibility of the business based on performance on same / similar work of a same / similar dollar value (“Rule of Two” stuff – you can read more about that here).
Review Your Profile
Go out to the SBS site and use the filters for your NAICS, business name, geographic location, and business types. Make sure your show up and see how your profile measures up to your competitors. Look at their records and see what they included that you haven’t. Use the good ideas of others, but don’t plagiarize. Contracting Officers will see that and that won’t look good for either of you.
Keep Evolving
Your SBS isn’t something that you can just set and forget either. Make reviewing your profile in SBS something you do when you renew your SAM.gov registration every year. If something major changes in your business focus, NAICS, or socioeconomic status, make associated changes in SBS.
What GovCon doesn't always talk about -- The SBS Influence
When doing market research and trying to determine if an acquisition should be set-aside for small businesses, the Government is not only counting about the numbers of small businesses that claim they can do the work under a NAICS code in SBS. They are analyzing your SBS profile to see if your business could be one of the "... two or more responsible small business concerns that are competitive in terms of fair market prices, quality, and delivery" and they have “…a reasonable expectation of obtaining an offer…” from you. (There’s that pesky “Rule of Two” again.)
In other words, based on what they see, could you submit a proposal likely to win? And how does a Contracting Officer determine that? Simply put... the your answers to everything we just covered.
Completing your profile helps tip the market research scales toward a small businesses set-aside and possibly a specific socioeconomic set-aside. If you're all over the map in your SBS narrative, the Government will not consider you viable eligible contractor towards that “Rule of Two” and could possible choose to go another way with their acquisition strategy, away from a small business set-aside. Or worse, they set it aside but remember your name from the market research as one of the businesses that didn’t make their initial market analysis cut.
Influence where you can! SBS is the place where you have a lot of influence!
Have I convinced you to get out there and create or update your SBS profile yet?
While the system is no longer got the word "Dynamic" in the title, don't forget its meaning. Life is dynamic, business is dynamic, and your SBS profile should still be dynamic, too. Get it completed ASAP. You can’t afford not to.
Remember again, SBS IS WHERE FEDERAL BUYERS GO TO FIND SMALL BUSINESSES and where other small businesses go to find teaming partners and subcontractors.
Get out there, GET NOTICED, BE SEEN, and STAY DYNAMIC!
(former title: FedSubK Feature: Be A Dynamic Small Business!)
Ask for the Meet and Greet. Make the Phone Calls.
I sat in on a session yesterday where another GovCon was talking about watching SAM for opportunities. But if you are doing that, you are going to be too late, unfortunately. Small businesses must start ahead of any opportunity announcement and connect with agency personnel early, before the opportunity is announced in order to be known and help shape future acquisition strategies. It got me thinking about my days as a Branch Chief and Chief of Contracting and the small businesses I know that are still flourishing today.
One particular company stands out. They were a new 8(a) firm that asked for a meet and greet. They had no federal work but showed a level of understanding about our mission that made an impression. While our acquisition strategies were in place already for the end of FY run of award, I told them I'd keep them in mind new projects crossed my desk. Every month, without fail, I would get a call or a quick drop in chat from this 8(a) to say hello and briefly inquiry about any possible upcoming projects. During one of the in-person chats about a year after our first meeting, our chief estimator popped his head in my office quickly to apologize for a few late government estimates. He said he was going crazy with end of FY and lack of staff. The 8(a) took the opportunity and said, "We can help with that." While it wasn't ideally the work the 8(a) was looking for, that simple pivot and flexibility, along with the relationship building done to that point, led to a small 8(a) sole source contract for cost estimating support. It was their first federal contract. That small contract quickly turned into a much larger 8(a) sole source contract for the same work that reached its max capacity 18 months earlier than anticipated. That led to 8(a) contracts for environmental the work the company ideally wanted, then graduation from the 8(a) program, and successfully competing on SB set-asides throughout the region and getting their own (successful) GSA Multiple Award Schedule contract.
Ask for the meet and greet. Make the phone calls. This former CO is here to tell you that acquisition personnel and SB Specialists EXPECT to hear from businesses. Large businesses aren't shy about calling (trust me). They may not be able to tell you much, but the relationship building and continual reminder that you know what they are looking for and can fill a niche--even when it's not your first choice of work--is KEY.
Small businesses must start ahead of any opportunity announcement and connect with agency personnel early, before the opportunity is announced in order to be known and help shape future acquisition strategies.
FedSubK Feature: What is Buying In?
"Buying in". Do you know what that is? Let's illustrate it with a little story...
Once upon a time an agency leader🤴 was looking around at things to make 🌟efficient.🌟 They got the idea that every agency should have the same widgets🔅 their agency had.
The agency leader🤴 called up a widget company👩🔧 and said, "We are interested in your widgets. 🔅What kind of discount can you give us?"
The widget company👩🔧 offers a discount 📉 because they know this agency🤴 not only buys for themselves but may buy for other agencies🫅🤴👸 where a highly trusted widget competitor👨🔧 presently has the work.
The widget company👩🔧 was "buying in" -- offering unrealistic discounts📉 that made the price unrealistically low not only for the current effort but also to influence the purchasing decisions on future buys. Then prices usually up 📈 again over time.
Depending on when "buying in" happens there could also be questions related to compliance with the Competition in Contracting Act (CICA) and possible other violations.
This is why agency announcements that management has made a deal for "$1 a license" and other such management interference is of concern. 🚨 Management plays the numbers game. I'm not saying numbers aren't important, but let's just say... there is a real reason why management typically does not hold contract signature authority. 😬😉
The Government is supposed to keep things fair and do its due diligence. But it's falling for the oldest trick in the book.
Risk, intent, compliance with statutory requirements, misunderstanding of requirements, and comparable market pricing must be evaluated when the Contracting Officer has reason to believe a proposed price is unrealistically low price. But are they?
If a contract isn't in place, there there is still a need to follow appropriate competition rules before a handshake deal. If a contract is already in place, there are things to consider when new discounts appear to be unrealistic including the risk of continued performance, depending on the type of product or service being purchased.
The Government gets a quick win to lock in a low rate, saving some money now. That's called the short game. Government buyers getting blurry-eyed over unbelieveably low prices and don't do the long-term analysis.
But I'll bet you a dollar the company is playing the long game. They are watching and waiting, getting to know your needs and asking loads of questions. "When do you use my widget most?" "Who buys the most widgets?" "When do you typically buy widgets?" And then as fast as they dropped the price, they raise it again on you when you can't afford to make a change -- like at an end of fiscal year. That's how they get locked in and receive perpetual contracts.
BTW...the fairy tale above is a true story. I've had new politicals and new leadership / commanders trot companies into my office saying "Company ABC here says they want to sell us "widgets" at a huge discount compared to what we're paying or others are paying now."
Well...okay then.
As a Contracting Officer, whether I could even begin to entertain that idea depends on several things. It's not an automatic "yes". You could replace "widgets" with just about any product or service and it's probably happened to a Contracting Officer somewhere. Especially as new Administrations come into Government.
The stories in the news that made me think -- "Huh, are they buying in?" are the Axios story "Anthropic wants to sell Claude to the Government for $1". (https://www.axios.com/pro/tech-policy/2025/08/05/ai-anthropic-government-sale-dollar) and FedScoop story "Federal agencies can buy ChatGPT for $1 through GSA deal" (https://fedscoop.com/openai-chatgpt-enterprise-federal-government-gsa-deal-general-services-administration-anthropic/).
My husband (also a retired Contracting Officer) and I look at each other often during the news now and, based on the reported discount or price alone, we know that company is likely "buying in". That's based on our combined 72 years of Fed experience and our Contracting Officer "Spidey sense" from having been around the block a few times. But these deals just the most recent in a series of deals GSA is making with companies since the new Administration came to town. OneGov is the program GSA is, in my former Contracting Officer opinion, using to tout savings under for the press releases. But it may come back later to be a big mistake. I hope I'm wrong.
Program/Project Managers and Contracting Officers AND the competition to these companies...LEARN about it and WATCH for it. It's on the rise.
(And don't get me started on having to argue with new politicals, leadership, and commanders about why I can't terminate a current contract and then turn around and give the same work to another contractor at their unrealistic lower price.🙄😱 That's a topic for another time.)
The practice of "buying in" is becoming more common now. Learn about it and how to spot it.
