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How to bid on government contracts, state by state

Guides51 state guides12 how-to articles

Every state registers vendors and posts bids differently. Pick your state for its registration steps, where it posts solicitations, the small-business programs worth applying for, and the bids open there right now.

State guides

Alabama 684 open Alaska 143 open Arizona 675 open Arkansas 139 open California 1,252 open Colorado 4,050 open Connecticut 44 open Delaware 152 open Florida 1,807 open Georgia 348 open Hawaii 88 open Idaho 582 open Illinois 492 open Indiana 102 open Iowa 52 open Kansas 135 open Kentucky 178 open Louisiana 143 open Maine 69 open Maryland 488 open Massachusetts 980 open Michigan 1,124 open Minnesota 192 open Mississippi 120 open Missouri 212 open Montana 89 open Nebraska 63 open Nevada 129 open New Hampshire 56 open New Jersey 626 open New Mexico 178 open New York 821 open North Carolina 1,013 open North Dakota 60 open Ohio 2,786 open Oklahoma 784 open Oregon 480 open Pennsylvania 2,601 open Rhode Island 63 open South Carolina 265 open South Dakota 33 open Tennessee 477 open Texas 2,553 open Utah 216 open Vermont 57 open Virginia 1,350 open Washington 281 open Washington DC 855 open West Virginia 57 open Wisconsin 78 open Wyoming 19 open

How to bid: practical guides

Bid Bonds, Performance Bonds and Payment Bonds Explained
What bid, performance and payment bonds are, when public agencies require them, typical amounts, what they cost and how a small firm gets bonded.The Government Bid/No-Bid Decision: A Scoring Checklist
A weighted scoring checklist for deciding whether to bid on a government contract, with knockout questions, scoring factors and a worked example.Cooperative Purchasing Contracts: How They Work and How Vendors Get On Them
How cooperative contracts like Sourcewell, OMNIA Partners, TIPS, NASPO ValuePoint and GSA Cooperative Purchasing work, and how small vendors get on them.Government Fiscal Year Timing: When Agencies Buy and How to Plan
When federal, state, local and school buyers spend: federal Q4 (July to September), state fiscal years, budget cycles, grants and an outreach calendar.Subcontracting and Teaming on Government Contracts
How small businesses find and approach prime contractors, sign teaming agreements, and what subcontracting plans and limits mean.How to Price a Government Bid
Price a government bid from real costs: direct and indirect costs, margin, public pricing data, price realism, option years and common mistakes.How to Read an RFP Fast (and Decide Whether to Bid)
Read a government RFP in the right order: dates, scope, evaluation criteria, submission rules and Q&A, plus a go/no-go checklist for small businesses.The Questions and Answers Period: Asking Good Questions and Handling Amendments
Use a solicitation's Q&A period well: what to ask, how to word questions, what your questions reveal, and how to handle and acknowledge amendments.Writing a Winning Government Proposal Response
Write government proposals evaluators can score: compliance matrix, answer-first sections, win themes, past performance, page limits and review.RFP vs RFQ vs IFB vs RFI: How Each Is Evaluated and What to Submit
How RFIs, RFQs, IFBs and RFPs differ, how each is usually evaluated (lowest price or best value) and what to submit for each solicitation type.Selling to School Districts: A Guide for Small Vendors
How K-12 school districts buy: purchasing thresholds, board approval, cooperatives, the school-year calendar and E-Rate basics for networking vendors.What Happens After You Submit a Bid
After you submit a bid: opening, evaluation, clarifications, award notices, how to request a debrief and a high-level look at bid protests.

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