Starting from the Bottom: Building a Foundation for Success After Getting Your 8(a) Certification
Attaining 8(a) certification is a complex, time-consuming process, and there’s no guarantee that it will translate into immediate or long-term prosperity. Some companies that meet the eligibility requirements for the 8(a) Business Development Program spend months completing the application process before receiving SBA approval…and then never earn a dollar from 8(a) contracts.
We want to make sure you don’t become one of them.
For companies that understand the federal space and know what program officers are looking for, 8(a) certification can be a powerful tool. The government’s goal is to award 5 percent of all prime and subcontracting dollars (that’s tens of billions) to small disadvantaged firms annually, and agency program officers are encouraged to make set asides for 8(a) businesses.
But the reality is that government contracting always favors the experienced.
That’s not to say you can’t succeed as an 8(a) company without an extensive record of successful performance in the federal space.
You can.
You’re just going to have to work harder and smarter than the competition.
Hit the Ground Running
As soon as you get certified, you’ll be responsible for researching opportunities and marketing your services to federal agencies. One of the easiest and most effective ways to do this is through RFI responses. Regularly responding to any RFIs that pertain to your business allows you to spread awareness of your firm’s capabilities and could even land you some sole source contracts as you begin establishing yourself in the federal space.
We talk more about how to craft solid responses here.
But responding to RFIs is just one of many tactics you should employ after certification. With that in mind, here are four additional steps you can take to become a more competitive 8(a) contractor.
1. Target expiring contracts
Information on existing government contracts is publicly available, so use that to your advantage. Look for competitors that are graduating from the 8(a) program and cross reference expiring contracts against these companies. If you want to pursue that work, contact the contracting officer managing it and ask if they have an acquisition strategy in place.
Sometimes, the graduating firm has done their homework and already has a succession plan. Sometimes, the contracting officer has already identified another 8(a) firm they want to take over the contract.
And sometimes, there is no plan.
If that’s the case and you present yourself well, the contracting officer could send out a limited RFI and ask you to respond. Or they could ask why you should get the work - right there on the spot. Be prepared to sell yourself. Describe your overall readiness and capabilities, highlight past successful work, mention relevant facility clearances, and any other strengths that make you a promising candidate. You might just be rewarded.
2. Build relationships with contracting officers
Again, program officers are motivated to award contracts to 8(a) companies. Many times they rely on the contracting office to find those companies. As soon as you secure your first sole source contracts, start cultivating relationships with the contracting officers overseeing them. If you do good work and invest in the relationship, they’ll be more likely to recommend you to program officers when similar opportunities pop up in the future.
In fact, they’ll be more likely to share your name when virtually any new opportunity appears.
Even if, for example, your focus is on warehouse management, a contracting officer that values your services will recommend you for contracts that involve other types of work, say acquisition support. And that brings us to the next important step you should take early on in your federal foray…
3. Have someone to call
The government is increasingly bundling different types of work into single contracts. As a new 8(a), you feel like you can never turn down work – but you also don’t want to sign up for work that you can’t do. Avoid spreading yourself thin by building a network of other 8(a) firms outside of your sector.
Going back to the previous example, if you’re a warehouse management firm that doesn’t do acquisition support, but you know another business that does, you can have that firm subcontract 49 percent of the work back to you. That means you still get the work, but you have an experienced company managing the contract.
There are countless ways to build your network. Explore support groups for small businesses and 8(a) firms. Attend agency industry days. Better yet, go to regional meetups and events for government contractors and talk to people outside of your industry. You’ll meet people who might be able to help you when you least expect it. For more ideas, reach out to your nearest Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC).
4. Refine your BD process
Too many companies assume that they can just hire a proposal expert away from a major government contractor and instantly start winning more work. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy.
You’ll definitely want knowledgeable personnel in key business development roles, but you’ll have to build your own internal process for identifying, pursuing, and securing government contracts. That will require participation from stakeholders across your company, and it takes time.
You can speed up the process by partnering with a more experienced firm and applying to the SBA’s All Small Mentor-Protégé Program. A mentor can provide you with the infrastructure and expertise needed to compete for bigger contracts right away, while offering guidance and resources as you build your own pricing, proposal, capture, and business development processes.
The more aggressive you are about pursuing opportunities early in your tenure as an 8(a), the less you’ll struggle later. Taking the steps above will help you ensure that your efforts to obtain certification weren’t wasted, and allow you to build a solid foundation for sustained growth in the federal space.
To learn more about how 8a Strategies helps new 8(a) companies make the most of 8(a) certification through comprehensive business development support, email us at inquiries@8astrategies.com.