Government contracting 101 for a two-person shop

Register once, and do not pay a stranger to do it

SAM.gov registration, renewal, and updates are free. Any site or email asking for payment to register is not from the government. APEX Accelerators offer free help if you get stuck.

UEI and CAGE are not the same number

The UEI is the 12-character Unique Entity ID that SAM.gov assigns to your business. The CAGE code is a separate identifier, assigned during SAM.gov registration for U.S. entities, and it shows up on contracts and related records.

Set-asides are extra doors, not the only door

Any registered business can compete for full-and-open contracts. Small businesses can compete for general small business set-asides by meeting the size standard for the solicitation's NAICS code. Certifications such as 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, and SDVOSB open additional set-aside and sole-source opportunities. They are not required to bid at all.

Section L tells you how to write. Section M tells you how you will be scored.

In solicitations that use the uniform contract format, Section L gives the instructions for preparing and submitting a proposal, and Section M describes how the government will evaluate proposals. A compliance matrix starts there, then walks the PWS for every shall, will, and must.

If you have no federal past performance yet

Common paths include smaller state and local contracts, subcontracting to prime contractors, teaming agreements, and SBA's Mentor-Protégé Program. Relevant commercial work may also count, depending on the solicitation. Say what you actually did. Do not let a draft invent a contract you never held.