Anyone who works in the federal sector should at least know about FedBizOpps and how to use it. What you should also know is that FedBizOpps ISN’T the only place where you can find contracting opportunities with the federal government. So, from Unison (formerly FedBid) to DIBBS, we’re going to show you 5 OTHER places where you can find contracting opportunities.
Let’s get right to it.
5. DARPA Opportunity Page
What’s DARPA?
It’s the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Basically, DARPA is in charge of coming up with new technologies to help the war fighters of tomorrow. Plenty of their developments even make their way into the civilian marketplace.
So, if you’ve benefited from:
- The Internet
- Google Maps
- SIRI
Then you owe a bit of gratitude to DARPA.
This agency has its own specific opportunity page as well as programs such as the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR).
More information about DARPA, SBIR, and STTR can be found in this blog post.
Let’s go on.
4. Unison Marketplace (formerly FedBid)
Unlike FBO, the Unison Marketplace (which used to be FedBid.com) is not a government-ran resource…yet agencies will post opportunities there.
Sounds weird?
Sometimes the line between public and private gets blurred in federal contracting. DUNS numbers for example, which are required for all SAM registrations are actually handled by the Dun & Bradstreet Corporation.
So what is Unison Marketplace? It functions a reverse auction site for not just federal agencies, but state and local governments as well. Originally, it was meant for simple goods such as IT products, office supplies, and lab equipment.
Think of Unison Marketplace as just another stone you can turn over in the federal marketplace.
3. DIBBS
“DIBBS” is just one of many government acronyms. It stands for “DLA Internet Bid Board System.”
What does “DLA” stand for?
It stands for the Defense Logistics Agency. Basically, they’re the branch of the Department of Defense that’s in charge of supplying the U.S. armed forces. DIBBS is a place where the DLA will post their RFQs and RFPs, but you can also find many of them on FBO as well.
If you wish to respond to either of these requests, you will need to be registered for DIBBS. Find out how to use this site for your opportunity search right here.
2. Contract Forecast Tools
Ok. So what’s better than finding a currently active solicitation? Knowing what future contracts agencies are going to dish out.
And no. We’re not suggesting anything that would give a competitor the grounds for a bid protest (nor would we ever).
We’re talking about a resource that’s available to everyone! Check out the forecasts of upcoming contracts from the…
You pretty much get the idea. One thing that you want to keep in mind, however, is that since these are merely forecasts. These opportunities are bound to undergo some modifications.
1. The Advanced Procurement Portal
With all of these different places for solicitations and opportunities, don’t you just wish there was one that you could go to? That’s what we thought at US Federal Contractor Registration, which is why we created The Advanced Procurement Portal (APP).
APP takes contract information from FBO along with other sources and puts them in one place. With this one easy-to-use tool, you can quit jumping from website to website for your opportunity search. Plus, it has features to help you manage your government CRM as well as market research.
Send Me Your Questions!
Want to know more about finding opportunities or just federal contracting in general?
Feel free to ask me directly!
My name is Hayden Johnson, I work at US Federal Contractor Registration (aka the most trusted third-party registration firm in the world) and you can reach me at hjohnson@usfcrgov.com
Please include:
- The title of this post in the subject line.
- A little about what you do and your current status in federal contracting (to help me get a better answer for you).
- Any question you have about federal contracting!
Also, did you enjoy this post? Did you hate it? Is there some kind of essential marketing material that was left out?
Let me know in the comments below.
Besides that, good luck and happy contracting!
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