Contracting
If you are interested in contracting with the government, NM VBOC can guide you through the process, register for our services.
New Mexico Apex Accelerator (NM APEX)
(Formerly PTAP or PTAC, the Veteran Procurement Technical Assistance Center)
Once you’ve decided to grow your business, a contract with the federal government is a great place to start. Thankfully, in our state we have the New Mexico Apex Accelerators here to help you! Formerly NMPTAC, NM APEX offers networking, training, and client support. They are committed to accelerating the growth of businesses in the State of New Mexico and helping entrepreneurs and innovators reach their full potential through government contracting.
NM APEX business advisors are experienced in government contracting and offer a wide range of services including individual counseling and training to enable businesses to successfully compete for government contracts.
As a Veteran business owner you can access one-on-one counseling, workshops, and training in the following areas:
- How to market yourself to the government
- How to respond effectively to a request for proposal (RFP) and a request for quotation (RFQ)
- How to create and deliver a winning presentation
- Federal accounting and invoicing practices
- Post-award assistance
- Research strategies for accessing federal, state, and local government markets
- Understanding government regulations
- How to be “Contract Ready”
Business with the Federal Government
Follow the steps below to do business with the federal government. (If you don’t do this you won’t get business!)
Prerequisites for Government Contract Opportunities:
To obtain any government contract, including schedules, contractors must complete the following registration requirements:
The System for Award Management (SAM)
The System for Award Management (SAM) is a federal government owned and operated free website that consolidates the capabilities in the Central Contract Registry (CCR), Fedreq, the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), and the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS). It’s a handy way to get started as it covers several of the systems used in federal procurement and awards processes. If you were previously registered with those sites, you must re-register with SAM. Registrants are required to submit detailed company information including:
- General Information – includes, but is not limited to, DUNS number (see below), CAGE Code, company name, Federal Tax Identification Number (TIN), location, receipts, employee numbers, and website address.
- Corporate Information – includes, but is not limited to, organization or business type and SBA-defined socioeconomic characteristics.
- Goods and Services Information – includes, but is not limited to, NAICS code, SIC code, Product Service (PSC) code, and Federal Supply Classification (FSC) code.
- Financial Information – includes, but is not limited to, financial institution, American Banking Association (ABA) routing number, account number, remittance address, lock box number, automated clearing house (ACH) information, and credit card information.
- Point of Contact (POC) Information – includes, but is not limited to, the primary and alternate points of contact and the electronic business, past performance, and government points of contact.
- Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Information (optional) – includes, but is not limited to, the EDI point of contact and their telephone, email, and physical address. EDI information may be provided only for businesses interested in conducting transactions through EDI.
To register, visit the SAM website. Have your documents and information handy!
Once you are done registering with SAM you’ll be asked if you want to complete the Dynamic Small Business Search Worksheet portion. You will want to do this! It’s the search engine for the federal marketplace which helps people looking for providers find you. You will also need the following items:
- Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS) : A DUNS number is a unique, non-indicative 9-digit identifier issued and maintained by Dun & Bradstreet that verifies the existence of a business entity globally. Dun & Bradstreet assigns DUNS numbers for each physical location of a business. A DUNS Number is required to start your CCR registration. To receive a DUNS number, you will need to provide the following information:
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- Legal Name
- Headquarters name and address for your organization
- Doing business as (DBA) or other name by which your organization is commonly recognized
- Physical address, city, state, and zip code
- Mailing address (if different from headquarters and/or physical address)
- Telephone number
- Contact name and title
- Number of employees at your physical location
- Legal Name
To obtain a DUNS number go to the Dun & Bradstreet website.
Federal Business Opportunities: All proposed federal contracts expected to exceed $25,000 are announced on Federal Business Opportunities or FedBizOpps. Businesses seeking government work should visit the opportunities website often and register there to be notified of newly posted opportunities in their industries.
Now that you have completed all of the required steps, you can visit our list of Federal Small Business programs to learn more about each federal agency and their procurement processes.