The Contract Opportunities You May Be Missing

Imagine reading that a buyer ten minutes from your office just awarded a contract for work your company does every day. You have the crew, the equipment, and the references. You would have made time to bid. But the first time you heard about the contract was after someone else won it. Before you conclude that opportunities in your market are scarce, consider how that buyer announced the work and what it would have taken for the opportunity to reach you.

For example, a business that provides CPR training might search for “CPR classes” every week. A buyer might describe the same need as “first aid and AED certification,” “basic life support instruction,” or “employee safety training.” The opportunity could be publicly posted and still never appear in the company’s search results. Reading a few past solicitations from buyers you want to serve can show you how they describe your services and which terms to add to your search.

You can also learn about potential work before there’s a bid to submit. Certain agencies publish schedules and forecasts for planned construction projects, and the U.S. General Services Administration points suppliers to a federal contracting forecast. An early look gives you time to check crew availability, line up a partner, or gather references before the solicitation opens. Past awards offer another clue. When an award includes the contract term, use it to decide when to start watching for a possible rebid, keeping any renewal options in mind.

Sometimes the opportunity is one piece of a larger project. A renovation may be too big for your company to manage, while the final cleaning, signage installation, or material hauling is well within your capacity. In that case, the prime contractor may be your customer. Find out which firms pursue work in your market and ask how they qualify subcontractors and request pricing. For federal work, the U.S. Small Business Administration provides resources for finding prime contractors and posted subcontracting opportunities.

Think of a contract you would have pursued if you’d known about it sooner. Although it takes time, the opportunities are there if you know where to look. For help researching contract opportunities, visit www.aventienterprises.com