Do you feel comfortable responding to competitive sealed bids for city agencies?
One of the biggest obstacles in the way of many MWBEs when it comes to landing government contracts is how, for lack of a better word, “scary” the process can be at first. If you’ve never prepared and responded to a bid before, it can feel very overwhelming. But here is the thing: EVERY small business owner has been there. I certainly have! When I first started out, I was very insecure about the steps I needed to take to land government contracts.
In fact, that’s one of the reasons why I started these MWBE workshops with the NYC Department of Small Business Services. I want minority and women small business owners to have the knowledge and skills they need to confidently respond to sealed bids! And with the city spending over $18 billion annually on opportunities, you can’t afford not to take advantage of these lucrative contracts!
In our upcoming Responding to Competitive Sealed Bids online workshop, I’m helping folks gain a strong understanding of where they can find opportunities, how they can qualify for them, and how to respond to them in a way that will garner a response.
Step One
The first step of this is to review a genuine solicitation. If you don’t really know where to start when responding to bids, this might be the key piece you need to get started. I’m going to walk you through the key things you need to be looking at when deciding if a bid is a good opportunity for you and your business. This includes key dates, timelines, and qualification requirements.
Step Two
Next, I’m going to help you understand your chances of winning a solicitation by going through the proposal evaluation criteria. I’m not going to lie; these documents are often loaded with jargon and specifics that bidders need to pay attention to if they’re going to prepare a competitive price. Doing business with the City of New York means that you need to have a deep understanding of all contract terms and conditions. Once you understand these specifics, you will be able to prepare a competitive bid that addresses everything necessary to succeed in landing a contract!
Step Three
I’m also going to give you examples of all required forms and attachments. There can be a TON of them, which is another reason why many small business owners can find the process to be overwhelming. That’s why I’m going to break them down, document by document, to make sure that you feel comfortable when pulling together these kinds of packages.
Step Four
Finally, I’m going to be touching upon the post-proposal submission period. After everything is filled out and sent to an agency, you still have things you must do to position yourself to win the bid. In other words, you need to be prepared to win! The last thing you want is to win the bid and be unable to meet your responsibilities. If you’ve always felt intimidated by the responding process, then this upcoming workshop is precisely what you need to position yourself for success. It will be held only on Wednesday, February 17th, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. I’ll be sending out a WebEx link 24 hours prior to the event’s start, so be sure to register ASAP!
