Get SAM Government Contract Opportunities

Make SAM.gov work for you!

Are you getting daily emails from SAM.gov? Are you following all the upcoming contract opportunities in your sweet space? You could!

In today's fast-paced training, Neil McDonnell shows how to maximize the value of SAM.gov (System for Award Management).  

This essential tool is one of the most powerful tools for government contractors in the federal marketplace and is key step in the 7-Step Process for Winning Federal Contracts in 2024

In today's video, Neil reviews the basics and then shows step-by-step how to set the alerts, so you never miss a Sources Sought or Requests for Information (RFI) notices that are perfect for your company.

Unique Entity Identifier

 Before you can bid on government proposals, you need to get a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). You will receive a UEI when you register with SAM at SAM.gov. Entities doing business with the federal government must use the UEI created by the system.

Before you start, be sure you have a clear definition of your core competencies and why an RFI should be considered a slam dunk opportunity for your company.  

How to Get SAM Government Contract Opportunities 

1. Set up your profile to use the features 
2. Customize SAM.gov to send you RFI's so you never miss another one in your area of competency 
3. Set up custom searches and alerts 
4. Time-block this activity daily 

What are RFI's and Sources Sought? 

RFI's and Sources Sought are the government's way to reach out to industry with a heads up about an opportunity and giving us a chance to respond. 

During the Sources Sought phase, government agencies are primarily focused on the acquisition approach, including the possibility of setting it aside for small business contractors and what contract vehicle might be appropriate.  

Why are RFIs and Sources Sought so vital? 

RFIs and Sources Sought responses are a rare opportunity for your company to send your marketing message directly to the right federal buyer. You might not know their names at this point.  

Your response introduces you to the buyer and showcases your domain expertise or domain authority on a particular topic.  

When you write to your core competencies, buyers will see you are a good company that might be worth talking to or inviting to bid. This Capture activity focuses on a single opportunity. 

Which RFIs and Sources Sought should your business respond to? 

Small businesses should respond to as many as you can within your sweet spot. Only respond to opportunities aligned with your core competency, what I call slam dunk opportunities.  

How do you find the RFI's and save them in SAM.gov?  

When you look at a set of opportunities, search strategically. When I'm searching about RFIs, I don't search on keywords or NAICS codes.  

There's no consistency with how contracting officers put information into Sam or  FPDS or any of these other tools. You never miss any opportunity. Look at every RFI title for every day which can potentially lead to millions of dollars.  

Once you set up this search, spend an hour, maybe 2 hours looking at these RFI's and triage.  Every morning you'll look for an email from Sam and GSA and review them all to begin to get an understanding of what's out there and what's being done. 

STEP BY STEP PROCESS: How to Register on SAM.gov  

1. SEARCH OPPORTUNITIES (only takes 1 hour for 1st review)  
   1. Go to SAM.gov  
   2. Click search  
   3. Domain: Contract Opportunities  
   4. Notice Types: Sources Sought  
   5. Filter: by response dates (chose 3 months)  
   6. Save the search (under action button)  
   7. Download into csv to see it in spreadsheet  
2. UNDERSTAND YOUR SPREADSHEET  
   1. Sort and flag interesting ones to review later  
   2. Don't be overly restrictive in case you miss opportunities that just used different wording  
   3. Note keywords and ways opportunities are listed  
3.  GET NOTIFICATION ALERTS (take 15 minutes a day on maintenance)
   1. Go to Actions
   2. Click Notify
   3. Watch your email for updates from SAM.gov  

RELATED TRAINING 

• How to Find Small Business Federal Contracting Opportunities  | (2022)