It’s finally 2017 and we can all take a deep sigh of relief that we made it here. The next question is, now what? Well if you are a federal government contractor this is the time to start, review, and update both your SAM and SBA profiles. Over 95% of companies using these federal websites have poor scores on the mandatory registration which stop decision-makers dead in their tracks. If you have no idea what I’m talking about then please continue reading.

What is your SAM profile? Well from their own website (SAM.gov), see below.

“The System for Award Management (SAM) is an official website of the U.S. government. SAM consolidated the capabilities of CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS. There is NO cost to use SAM. Register to do business with the U.S. government for free directly from this site. Find free help with your SAM registration on our HELP tab, including user guides, videos, and FAQs.”

 If you want to do business with the federal government you MUST be registered here. It is not a difficult or laborious process but a necessary one. Without being registered here you will be unable to do any work with the federal agencies.

The second question you are asking is what is a SBA profile?

Your public SBA profile can be viewed by searching the Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS). Again, rather than reinvent the wheel I will let the Minority Business Development Agency describe what the DSBS is…

“…a free portal sponsored by the Small Business Administration, used for entering and searching small business sources that want to do business with the Federal Government…”

 This database is accessed through the SAM registration. During that registration you will be asked to update the SBA profile. In case you were curious, click YES!

Having registrations that correctly describe your company is the first and an essential step in doing business with the federal government. Without taking these first few steps it won’t matter what kind of marketing you do, you will find yourself banging your head up against a wall.

Being registered isn’t the end of the process. To ensure you aren’t part of the 95% you need to stand out, and that’s where TargetGov can help. Over the last 20 years we have helped countless companies make great impressions with federal agencies and potential partners, and we can do the same for you. Email us for more information about our SAM and SBA services.