How to Find Government RFPs
For many small businesses, government contracts provide huge benefits. These contracts are typically for a longer term and have a high revenue potential. In fact, in 2018, more than $120 billion in prime federal government contracts was awarded to small businesses. This number doesn’t even include state and local government contract awards.
So the question is: how can you tap into this huge market? The first step, of course, is finding these opportunities. You can find government RFPs in two ways: directly through the agency or via a bid aggregator. Below we’ve outlined some of the best places to find government RFPs.
Government Agencies
Searching for specific government agencies can be time-consuming, but rewarding if you have a goal to work with a particular agency. For the purposes of this article, we won’t be providing a complete list of all of the government agencies who release RFPs, since that is what the bid aggregators do. Instead, here are a few tips on how to find opportunities directly with government agencies.
First you’ll need to identify the government agencies you would like to support. You can start with your local city and county. Think about the different types of agencies that are funded by tax dollars (e.g. school districts, police department, court system). If you still want more agencies after creating that list, move on to the state level, parks department, and so on. You will need to keep your services in mind and how the agency might need your support. For example, if you’re a branding agency, you know that even government agencies require branding. You can research to see if any of these agencies are overdue for updated branding and take note of an opportunity.
Once you have your list created, a quick way to find if there are open opportunities is to search the entity and “procurement”. For example, if you wanted to do business with Illinois’ State Parks, you would search “Illinois State Parks Procurement”. After running that search, you would find a page that lists the current bids at the bottom. A quick scan of the list shows nothing for the past several years, so I instead searched “Illinois State Procurement”. You can follow a similar sleuthing path to find the opportunities for the specific agencies you have on your list.
Bid Aggregators
If you want insight into all of the public RFPs out there, your best bet is to start with a bid aggregator. There are several sites that compile all of the public RFPs across the country. For many you will need to pay for an account to see the actual bid documents. You can see the title and location of opportunities without paying for an account to have an idea of what’s possible. We’ve included the top 3 to get you started.
BidSync
BidSync is one of the most popular platforms for finding government RFPs. They claim to notify customers of 100,000 bids every month. BidSync spans all industries, and public agencies need all kinds of services, which means you can probably find something that works for your company. BidSync has 4 plan options: a free basic one, which doesn’t allow you to view state, local, and federal bids, and state, regional, or national level plans depending on your needs. When you create an account, you’ll be able to download the RFP documents. You can set your preferences and receive emails to your inbox with opportunities tailored to you. Monitoring BidSync is a great place to start to find and understand government RFPs.
BidNet
Another popular aggregator, BidNet compiles opportunities from across the country and sends matching bids to your inbox. You can review open contracts and filter your search based on your desired categories. Unlike BidSync, BidNet does not have a free version to access opportunities. You can review the site for free to see the title and location of open contracts, but in order to see the bid information you have to hold a membership on BidNet.
Government Bids
Government Bids also compiles RFPs across organizations and industries. You can filter by region and service categories to have an idea of how many opportunities are available in your area of expertise. Government Bids does not have a free version that allows you to view and respond to a certain amount of opportunities. This means you’ll have to pay to actually review the bid documents.
Things to Know Before Responding to Government RFPs
You must follow the rules. You know how you have to bring the exact right information to get your driver’s license or passport? It’s the same way responding to government RFPs. Each agency has slightly different requirements, but make sure you read the entire document for what’s needed. Be prepared to submit a certificate of insurance, agency-specific forms, and at least 3 references. If you don’t submit the required information, your response probably won’t be considered.
Don’t be discouraged! If it’s your first time responding to a government RFP, you may be overwhelmed by the documents. Take your time reading through them and ask for help if you need it. Remember that RFPs are competitive. You will need to think through your strategy and convey that in your proposal. It’s definitely possible to win RFPs, even if they were written for another company, if you create a winning story that speaks to the evaluators.
If you win, you must keep detailed records. Most government contracts outline specific requirements for managing the contract. For example, you might have to send monthly reports with the exact items purchased (for product-based contracts) or you may have to meet specific SLAs. The contract requirements will vary based on your offering and the agency but keep this in mind when reviewing the contract documents.
It’s a long process, but large rewards. Yes, responding to an RFP can take weeks or months, but the return outweighs the time spent. Many contracts last for multiple years with the option to renew for another year or two. This means you can count on a consistent income stream for several years. Of course, since you’ll be supporting the contract for a long time, it makes it even more important to ensure you agree to support the requirements of the contract.
Working with government agencies can be rewarding since you’re directly supporting your community. Because of the impact and the use of taxpayer money, it’s important for government agencies to thoroughly vet any potential vendors before entering into a contract. If you take the time to respond thoughtfully and strategically, you will find a new stream of business for your company.