Government Contracting
Doing business with the government
Never done business with the government?
Here’s where to start.
Many companies have never considered going after government contracts because of the misconception that it would be too difficult or that the government wouldn’t be interested in buying their products or services. In fact, all levels of the government purchase goods or services from businesses of all sizes, located throughout the country, for all types of services — from dry-cleaning to disaster recovery. Government contracts ARE for you.
This web page is designed to be a great starting point if you’ve never done business with the government — or would like to learn more. Select information and resources have been provided on this page, including contact information for people and organizations that can help you along the way.
Getting Started
The Indiana APEX Accelerator is a state agency with personnel to assist you through 1:1 counseling. Their services are no cost and confidential.
Regardless of which level of government you’d like to do business with, any federally funded project, whether directly with the federal government or through a local municipality will require you to be registered in SAM.gov. Review these documents to familiarize yourself with the process and requirements of registering on SAM.gov:
1. Quick Start Guide
2. Entity Registration Checklist
There are likely other requirements to fulfill depending on the government agency you seek to do business with and the unique requirements of each contract. Resources for many of those requirements are described and linked to below.
Finding Opportunities
SAM.gov is the centralized website to search for and learn about federal contract opportunities.
For contract opportunities with the state of Indiana, visit the Indiana Department of Administration Active Contracts and QPA’s website.
Visit your local county or city website to learn about local contract opportunities. The City of Evansville website has a Requests for Bids/Quotes page to find contracts actively seeking bids/quotes.
For Evansville Water and Sewer Utilities projects, visit www.refreshevansville.com.
Additional Resources
If a major action is to be undertaken by a governmental agency, specific rules, regulations and acts may apply in regards to employment and performance. Keep in mind that some contracts with local city/county agencies are funded (at least in part) by federal money and federal requirements will come into play.
For construction, anything costing more than $2,000 will trigger Davis Bacon and Related Acts requiring prevailing wages to be paid to employees working on a project. See U.S. Department of Labor: The Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA) Fact Sheet. With HUD funded housing rehabilitation or new unit construction projects, Section 3 has goals for the hiring of low-income residents. See City of Evansville: HUD Section 3 Information Packet.
Certifications
Obtaining one or more certifications (i.e. minority, woman, veteran-owned, disadvantaged business enterprise) can help you market your products or services when bidding on government contracts. The following documents will help you learn more about certifications and the requirements for obtaining one:
• Indiana Dept. of Administration Application for Certification
• Indiana Dept. of Administration Application for Certification: Veteran-Owned Small Business
No cost and confidential counseling is available through the Indiana APEX and the Southwest Indiana Small Business Development Center (SBDC) if you would like assistance obtaining a certification. See below for contact information on these agencies.
Who should you contact?
For help with state/federal contracting opportunities and certifications, contact:
Jim Haddan (bio)
APEX Counselor | Evansville Region
Mobile: 812-340-5174 | JHaddan@iedc.IN.gov
For help with City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County contracting opportunities, contact:
Christine Prior
Project Manager | Department of Metropolitan Development
306 Civic Center Complex | 1 N.W. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. | Evansville, IN 47708-1869
Office: 812-436-4555 | cprior@evansville.in.gov
For group training and 1:1 help with market research, writing a business plan, developing financial projections, identifying and obtaining financing, certifications and many other technical assistance
areas for a business, contact:
Southwest Indiana Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
318 Main Street, Suite 401 | Evansville, IN 47708
(812) 425-7232 | Fax: (812) 421-5883 | southwest@isbdc.org
isbdc.org/locations/southwest-indiana-sbdc
It’s an exciting time in the Evansville region!
The Evansville Region has a transformational vision to become the talent and economic region of choice in the Midwest. As the regional organization unified to advance the interested of business, the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership (E-REP) in collaboration with the Southwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (SWIRDA) have officially submitted the region’s Regional Economic Acceleration + Development Initiative (READI) Regional Development Plan (RDP).
