By Sally Huggins

FedBizOpps, a federal government portal, helps companies find out which government agencies are soliciting bids for projects, and what procurement opportunities valued at more than $25,000 are available.. By going to www.fedbizopps.gov, you can search for or retrieve contract solicitation postings from federal agencies that are in the market for goods or services.

You can search using keywords such as "printers" or "information technology," by a particular agency or office of that agency, or by a solicitation number if you know exactly which posting you are looking for.

The Internet portal was developed to make it easier for vendors to find federal opportunities. Before FedBizOpps, companies  had to search the Government Printing Offices' Commerce Business Daily, a printed ledger listing solicitations, or an early electronic version. Some agencies had their own sites for posting contract notices, so companies had to look in several places.

The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), a standardized set of regulations used by all federal agencies in making purchases, designated FedBizOpps as the mandatory government-wide point of entry for posting federal government business opportunities of more than $25,000. For purchases up to $25,000, the government uses oral solicitations.

The FAR provides procedures for every step in the procurement process, from the time someone in the government discovers a need for a product or service to the time the purchase is complete. All agencies were required to move their procurement activity to FedBizOpps in 2001.
The Web-based system allows federal agencies to post any solicitations or other procurement-related documents to the Internet. A common index of solicitations and amendments, as well as award notifications, is then searchable by vendors.

Companies do not need to register or acquire a username and password to begin using the Web site.

E-Mail Notification
You also can register for e-mail notification of requirements and procurement announcements sorted by agencies and product service classifications, or by solicitation number. You can fill out a subscription form and receive an e-mail when procurement notices are posted to FedBizOpps that fit a specific agency, procurement classification code, NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) code or place of performance.

Signing up for the Vendor Notification Service does not register vendors to receive a solicitation package from an agency, nor does it place the vendor's information on a bidder's list or interested vendor's list. It simply informs you of new postings that fit the criteria you selected when you registered.

If you choose to register, you can select notification from specific agencies or classification codes. You can specify:

• Specific agencies or specific offices of an agency, such as the Federal Election Commission, and then all offices or office of the staff director
• Set-asides, such as small business disabled, women-owned business or service disabled veteran-owned business
• Specific procurement classification codes, such as 52-measuring tools or D-information technology services
• NAICS code groups
• Provider Zip Code

Another option is to register for e-mail notifications for notices by solicitation number.

And while you can register for all solicitation notices,  the site warns you that you may be in inundated with notices if you select that option.

View Vendor Lists
The system also allows companies to join and view a published list of vendors interested in a particular solicitation, which can be useful if you are interested in teaming on procurement opportunities. To register as an interested vendor for a particular solicitation, the "Register as Interested Vendor" button must be available from the listing page for a solicitation. If the contracting officer has not enabled this service for this solicitation number, then the "Register as Interested Vendor" button will not be available.

You can browse active postings by clicking on "Vendors." There is a dropdown menu listing the agencies by acronym, or you can search a listing of agencies in alphabetical order.  By clicking on "All," you can view all agencies.

The Web site also provides a system for government users to track the contract posting activity for their agency and office location.

In addition to government contracting opportunities, FedBizOpps has links to information about minority business development and the Small Business Administration.
 
In Kansas City, the Missouri Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) and the Heartland PTAC also provide assistance in working through the procurement system to small businesses. They provide electronic bid matching services for a nominal fee and commercial entities offer such services for a larger fee.

Sally Huggins is the managing editor of Kansas City Small Business Monthly magazine.