How a Government Contracts Consultant Works

It is of a great deal if you got a chance to work with a government contract consultant. It will help you to ensure the best compliance with all government regulations and standards which will allow having procurement of government contracts. A government contract consultant is a government body or administration that helps government contractors following a life cycle of the contract. A government contract consultant’s advisory services include reputational, strategic, financial, and operational services.

Services Provided by a Government Contract Consultant:

A government contract consultant provide valuable comments to their respective clients in the areas of contractual procurement,  assessment of risk, procession of contract, preparation of proposal, closeout of contract, strategies of pricing, equitable adjustments and many more. If you get a contract from the federal Government it will require you to go through several processes and steps. It is the federal government only who usually engages more number of contractors than any other organizations of the world. This is how Government contracts consultant presents many opportunities for you. For small businesses, businesses of women, minorities and veterans billions of dollars in contracts are put by. There are many independent government contract consultants who usually look into the process of contracting as the other option for growing their businesses. These are the following given steps so that you can understand the processes of getting contracts and its requirements of resources needed to get contracts as a government contracts consultants.

  1. Resource Requirement and Time Needed
    You need to be very conscious about the number of hours in need and resources required to undergo and manage a government contracting services. Certifications are designed so as to ensure that you are in acquiescence with laws and regulations. There are also several legal implications side by side of taking a lot of time to complete the process of paper work. We are advising to you that you should obtain a legal review if you are the first time for the process of contract to go through with on your own.
  2. Requirement of Liability Insurance
    There is an additional requirement of Liability Insurance in addition to the time, resources and credentials which are needed to obtain a Government contracting services. 
  3. System of Invoicing and Payment Terms
    Invoicing and payment terms may differ from standard business contracts. Any mistakes that you do can lead to a delay in payment for several months. There is a special invoicing requirement of Government contracting that requires you to keep track of your funding. It informs the government when 75% of your funding has been reached to you. If you fail to do so you will be put under the penalty. Therefore it is important to read contracts very carefully so that you can get to understand your responsibilities as a Government contractor.
  4. Building Good Relationships
    To get a better contract it is necessary to have a good relationship between you and the Government contractor. It will help you to access the networking in a better way.  By this relationship building you can also grasp other opportunities on your way at ease.

Procedures to Get Government Contracts as a Consultant

These are the steps that you will follow to prepare your business as a government consultant. 

  1. At first you have to Register Your Business in order to have access of government Contract. There are also several steps of registration that you need to undergo to register your business in the SAM (System for Award Management). This SAM is an official website of the Government of U.S that creates a database of companies who are interested in Government contracts consultant.  For that you need to create an account and have to complete your profile.
  2. In Second Stage you have to obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN). Because it is the Government who want to have an employer identification number (EIN) of its contractors or vendors. Some small businesses will prefer to have getting to operate social security number of the owner. 
  3. There is a requirement to have physical address without which the government does not allow you to register a P.O. Box in SAM. If you are unable to rent or hire an office space for you then there are also available options that you can set a virtual office space to meet this requirement
  4. You are required to obtain a D-U-N-S number so that you are found eligible to win government contracts. A D-U-N-S number is a 9-digit unique number for each of the physical location that your businesses have. Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) will provide this number to you within one business day without taking any cost.
  5. You have to determine your NAICS Code at the next step.
    NAICS stands for the North American Industry Classification System which classifies businesses to collect data related to the U.S. economy. This NAICS code is highly needed to register your business and for the application of certain federal contracts. 
  6. At this very stage you are to establish a Contractor and Government Entity (CAGE) code. This cage Code is a unique identity code which is designed for your business to be available publicly. Since 2014, this has been required to do business with the federal government. Through various payment systems, these codes allow the visibility of the government into the ownership of company and activity of contracting. If you are in need to apply for a CAGE code and are not a Government Contractor yet, you can do the same through the website of Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).

If you have completed all the steps as mentioned above then you are ready to have completed your SAM Registration. Before you attest for requirements of FAR and DFAR, you are advised to consult a Government Contract Consultant.

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