Government Contracting: Tips, Recommendations, and More

It should go without saying that it is critical that you really know the product you are delivering or the service you are rendering and that you completely understand the procedures when you are in the government contracting business. It is also vital to keep the following in mind:

• When starting in the government contracting industry, the smartest first thing to do is to register on the Small Business Administration’s PRO-Net database and join the network of the OSDBU or the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization.
• The government conducts business through contracting officers. Only these authorized agents have the power to bind the government, unless formally advised otherwise. But while they have been given such reign in the business, they too have limits so you need to ensure that you are dealing with the right person with the right authority.
• Never deliver something different (regardless whether it’s better or bigger) that the one specified in the contract. Any deviation from the specifications listed may cause the government to reject the deliverables, which can be very costly for you and your business.
• Establish a strict schedule to follow for the production of your deliverables to ensure that you have everything under control—from procuring your materials to subcontracting to quality checking—and that delivery of the product or service is made on the specified time. If you feel like you will not be able to meet some schedule, immediately notify the administration office and wait for the recommendation or advice on what best to do next. Remember that your inability to deliver on time gives the agency the right to cancel the entire contract—again, a scenario that you will most likely be the most disadvantaged party.
• It is no secret that the government contracting business has long been used as a means to advance many different social, national, and economic objectives. As a contractor doing business with the government, you are required to act in accordance with the various labor laws such as Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, the Service Contract Act, and other similar laws that promote such objectives (of course, except for those contracts where these statutes are non-applicable.
• Familiarize yourself with the contract provisions detailing the integrity of the government contracting process, such as the clause on “gratuities,” the provisions on the “officials not to benefit,” the section on “anti-kickback,” and many more.
• It would work to your business’s advantage if you can learn to be e-commerce savvy if you intend to do business with the federal government. This is because some government agencies, such as the Department of Defense, will require electronic transaction of payments, among others.
• In the event that disputes between you and the contracting officer occur, federal contracts have provisions that enumerate the procedures to following in order to resolve disputes. If you think and feel that a contracting officer may have issued a decision that you are not in agreement with, you should be able to immediately make an appeal to the Board of Contracts Appeal or the decision will be considered final and irrefutable.