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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 492 open Alaska 197 open Arizona 232 open Arkansas 149 open California 1,792 open Colorado 816 open Connecticut 320 open Delaware 89 open Florida 648 open Georgia 979 open Hawaii 54 open Idaho 89 open Illinois 899 open Indiana 230 open Iowa 128 open Kansas 159 open Kentucky 167 open Louisiana 233 open Maine 172 open Maryland 541 open Massachusetts 1,326 open Michigan 1,184 open Minnesota 195 open Mississippi 216 open Missouri 333 open Montana 164 open Nebraska 46 open Nevada 124 open New Hampshire 84 open New Jersey 1,250 open New Mexico 301 open New York 816 open North Carolina 927 open North Dakota 42 open Ohio 2,022 open Oklahoma 503 open Oregon 723 open Pennsylvania 2,477 open Rhode Island 52 open South Carolina 603 open South Dakota 47 open Tennessee 307 open Texas 2,162 open Utah 561 open Vermont 69 open Virginia 1,626 open Washington 338 open Washington DC 545 open West Virginia 83 open Wisconsin 254 open Wyoming 23 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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