Government contracting for a new way of life
It will come as no surprise to every reader that government operations are vast. That being an understatement. To supply this monumental machine the government depends on its own population of entrepreneurs, private individuals, existing manufacturers, large and small businesses of every conceivable kind, including contractors who arrange for the acquisition and renting of **real estate. There is very little barrier to any determined individual to become a legitimate supplier of material or some sort of service to a published need of the government. One common example of the services the government calls for is live training to government agency employees. The scope of any specific training topic is greatly varied.
The government makes it easy to access this enormous opportunity. There is a centralized website where the government openly publishes what services, supplies and goods they wish to receive bids on, and is all in one place. Any citizen can register for this site and consider how they may be able to perform the requirements of a government contract. If a person considering this business pursuit owns a factory or is deeply immersed in some industrial supply chain, this is to their advantage.
However ! This is by no means necessary or required in most cases. Many goods and services are provided to the government by subcontractors who see a bid they like, find the corresponding business who will agree to perform the fulfillment, then represent this as a bid formally to the government. This subcontractor ( yourself as a private individual ), is then responsible for the execution of the contract.
To put this in perspective so that everyone can see how this is open to themselves as a private individual, look at this one example. The thousands of buildings the government operates will all need a new roof at some point. Once a roof must be scheduled to be replaced, the call for bids is published. Yourself as an individual can see this project and decide to pursue. You research and find a existing capable roofing company who wishes to participate, adding your fee onto their bid. This example is a common and typical scenario. The government needs thousands of landscapers, roofing companies, fencing materials plus the installation, building renovations, and office furniture, supplies, lighting and computers and gadgets. Almost nothing the government needs, do they manufacture themselves, with perhaps one exception – the US Coast Guard, who brilliantly design and manufacture some of their own vessels.
Government Contracting is a vast opportunity that is wide open to the citizens of the United States. Having said that, one must pursue the research intelligently and with integrity and honest intentions. One must communicate with a professional demeanor with the government officers on a regular basis. One must seek only highly capable suppliers and business operators who are trustworthy. All of this is well within the possibility of a well intentioned and determined individual.
The economic world has gone through a revolution in recent years. Some of it good, some of it disastrous. Many businesses are failing. Main street businesses are evaporating. Now more than ever is a time when it is wise to build a business with a solid foundation.
** The government will specify if it is or is not acceptable for a contractor who is not the owner and principal of a property to act as an agent ( subcontractor ) for that real estate transaction. Not in every single government request for bid, does the government allow a private individual who has formed a entity to perform government contracts to be qualified to participate. When this is so, it is specified and known upfront.