A Guide To STARTING A BUSINESS IN MINNESOTA 42nd Ed 2024

Contracting Assistance Programs Counseling and Help Procurement Center Representatives

Procurement Center Representatives (PCRs) help small businesses win federal contracts. PCRs view many federal acquisition and procurement strategies before they’re announced. This enables them to influence opportunities that should be set aside for small businesses. PCRs also conduct market research, assist small businesses with payment issues, provide counseling on the contracting process, and more. Prime and subcontracting The federal government helps small businesses get an opportunity to subcontract on federal prime contracts. SBA Learning Platform The SBA offers free online courses to help small businesses understand government contracting. You can find these video classes in the SBA Learning Center. Become a Federal Contractor Many federal agencies have what’s called an Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) or an Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP). These offices work to identify opportunities to contract with small businesses. Many federal agencies publish their requirements on their own home pages. The Small Business Act requires that agencies annually publish a list of their requirements for upcoming fiscal years. These requirements can be accessed through individual agency websites or the SBA website. SAM.gov (System for Award Management) is the official system for the U.S. Government. There is no cost to use SAM.gov. You can use this site to: • Register to do business with the U.S. Government • Update, renew, or check the status of your entity registration • Search for entity registration and exclusion records • Search for assistance listings, wage determinations, contract opportunities, and contract data reports.

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