Business Opportunities: New SBA Federal Contracts Course

Posted by Administrator on March 10th, 2008

For a small business, starting to pursue federal contracts can seem like an impossible task. A lot of complicated rules govern federal contracts, and for a small business owner who’s been pursuing private-sector contracts, the prospect of facing the added paperwork and documentation requirements of the federal government is a daunting one. The biggest obstacle for many small business owners is simply to overcome that sinking “where do I even start?” feeling and make a solid beginning. After all, it’s hard to improve on a program you haven’t even built.

With that in mind, the Small Business Administration has launched the latest addition to its online education library, titled “Business Opportunities: A Guide to Winning Federal Contracts.” This free online course (registration required) provides an overview of the federal market, and takes students through the contracting process from start to finish. It’s a self-paced guide that can be studied all at once, or in small chunks over time. Topics include information on federal contract rules, finding federal contract opportunities, and key resources in the federal contracting field.

This course is a great addition to a small business’ knowledge base. Upon completing the course, you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion from the SBA. Certificates of completion from SBA courses like this one can help beef up your resume for a government RFP response, especially if your company doesn’t have many contracts under its belt (read Your First RFP Response for more tips on responding to RFPs without much government experience). It shows that you have some insight into how federal contracts are awarded and performed, and indicates that your company is willing and eager to tackle the federal contract at hand.

To register for the course, go to the SBA Free Online Courses page, and click “Business Opportunities: A Guide to Winning Federal Contracts” in the Government Contracting section.