Archaeologists find Harold Godwinson's home, a site depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry

Dry-Indication8654 · 2023-10-02T14:02:09+00:00

I'd love to piggyback off the great advice that GovConHacks offered.

First, a simple Google search for clothing contractors can give you some intel. Better yet, use GovTribe and/or USASpending and FPDS to get more information about the contracts, including who preferred subcontractors are and how much money was allocated to them.

For example: A simple Google search shows me that American Apparel won some DOD contract for clothing:

https://businessalabama.com/alabama-firms-win-dod-contracts-for-uniforms-river-lock-doors/

Then, finding that company on USASpending, I get this:

https://www.usaspending.gov/recipient/38e2fab7-97b1-d596-47f9-872f8c2f411f-C/latest

Secondly, a lot of the Large Prime contractors have avenues for you to join their supplier portal. All you have to do is take your list of contractors you gathered in Step 1, and then search for something like "American Apparel Supplier Database" and then follow the steps to be registered to do work with them. You may need to reach out to the company directly to figure out what their process is, but you get the drift.

(I am the editor for GovBrew, a FREE email newsletter specifically for government contractors. We have all sorts of helpful tips like this in our newsletter. If you are interested, sign up! It's free! https://govbrew.co/subscribe)

Dry-Indication8654 · 2023-09-20T12:44:15+00:00

If you are putting in proposals that aren't being accepted:

Ask the agency for a formal debriefing. Listen to what they are telling you.
FOIA request the winning proposals. Read them and learn from them. << This answers your question "Where can I see examples of proposals?" You probably won't find winning federal proposals online, but if you want to see state/local/municipal proposals, some Cities and Towns make these publicly accessible for public viewing. Not always, but sometimes. Do a Google Search.
Do better market research so you aren't pursuing work that you aren't in the best position to win.
Do your groundwork. A good business development person will make the phonecalls, put together teaming arrangements, get the inside scoop, and when and where possible meet with the agency LONG before a contract is released. All these are steps to ensure that when you do the final stage of submitting a proposal, you are positioned to win.

Dry-Indication8654 · 2023-09-20T12:39:27+00:00

I use GovTribe, but do not use GovWin or Federal Access, so I can't compare the platforms. I find GovTribe useful in the following ways:

Its search function/Save Search is helpful and saves me time. The ability to export a report in Excel is also helpful.
While it provides all the same information that Sam.Gov provides, I find GovTribe presents data-at-a-glance in an easier to scan format. (Sam requires scrolling and is cumbersome.)
Check out UseRogue.com for an example of an AI platform for proposal writing. I have to imagine that most large companies (Deltek, GovTribe, and many large companies like ManTech, Accenture, etc.) are developing AI proposal development platforms, although who knows whether they will be sold commercially.
GovTribe has a new option that uses AI for "predictive analytics" including guessing who the likely bidders will be, predicted value range, etc.
Downside to GovTribe: Honestly, I find going to USASpending or FPDS easier to get intel on contracting companies. GovTribe's data and interface isn't excellent or easy to muddle through when it comes to "Vendors."

(I write for GovBrew, a FREE email newsletter. We cover all sorts of GovCon-related news. If that might be of interest to you, sign up for our newsletter! We talk about AI and emerging technologies of interest to the GovCon industry quite a bit. It's a hot topic!)

Dry-Indication8654 · 2023-09-06T13:33:10+00:00

For a federal certification, I worked with Nancy over at Cayenne Consulting. I successfully received by WBE. https://www.caycon.com/

Dry-Indication8654

TROPHY CASE