Government Contracting for Small Business: Part One

Government contracting programs have grown from $182 billion in 1998 to nearly $400 billion in 2008. In 2007, $83 billion of this went to small businesses This is the first in a series of blogs that will help you understand how to tap into this source of business.

How the Government Buys

Unlike private sector buyers, the Federal Government has an extraordinarily transparent purchasing system. All of the rules and regulations are clear to everyone from the beginning.

When any Federal agency buys products or services, it must follow Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), a standardized set of regulations that establish procedures for every step in the procurement process.

Commercial opportunities are posted at FedBizOpps, the Government's one-stop virtual marketplace. The website allows potential suppliers to identify contracting opportunities. Agencies are required to post buying requirements for contracts expected to exceed $25,000.

When a government office wants to purchase products or services, they frequently search the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database of companies wanting to do business with the government. It is important to register your business on CCR.

Federal purchases above $3,000 but under $100,000 must be reserved for small businesses, All purchases of up to $3,000 are classified as "micro-purchases" and can be made without obtaining competitive quotes. These purchases are not necessarily reserved for small businesses, and, importantly, agencies can make these purchases using a government credit card.

Suppliers wishing to participate in these programs must provide a sealed bid, which is then opened in a public forum where the information is recorded.

For more information, please visit our other Northern Leasing sites:
http://wiki.northernleasing.com
http://support.northernleasing.com
http://blog.northernleasing.com

Buy Online, Pickup In Store

A recent survey from eMarketer indicates that buy online, pick up in store is desired by consumers although few retailers can successfully implement it. This is an area where smaller, boutique retailers could provide a service that out-services the big box retailers.

Consumers desire convenience and security—if they buy online they want to pick up and return to the store. This can be a major inventory challenge for larger retailers. But boutique retailers, with smaller, more specialized inventory, can accommodate consumers.

For more information, read the eMarketer article Examining In-Store Pickup Options.


For more information, please visit our other Northern Leasing sites:
http://wiki.northernleasing.com
http://support.northernleasing.com
http://blog.northernleasing.com

Defeating Credit Card Fraud

Credit card fraud is an issue that can threaten the very livelihood of a small retailer. Much of the credit card fraud occurs during face-to-face transactions, although many thieves have tampered with the actual POS systems to "skim" off credit card information as the cards are read.

In general, experts agree that the best ways to prevent credit card fraud are:

• Screen employees thoroughly before hiring
• Keep employees trained in the methods of fraud and insure they know what to watch for
• Keep equipment up to date, as newer methods of security are built into newer card processing software and hardware

While you are never completely safe from fraud, taking prudent measures and staying educated can go a long way to protecting your operation from devastating loss of customer information.

For more information, read the white paper at the Northern Leasing Web Site.

For more information, please visit our other Northern Leasing sites:
http://wiki.northernleasing.com
http://support.northernleasing.com
http://blog.northernleasing.com