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Doing Business with the Command


The Marine Corps Systems Command Office of Small Business Programs is the gateway for small businesses. This includes veteran-owned, service-disabled, HUBZone, small disadvantaged, and women-owned small businesses. Over the last five years, the office has met or exceeded nearly all of its federal small-business targets. Small business and a competitive, healthy industrial base are vital to the long-term success and affordability of the Department of the Navy as well as our national security.

10 Steps to Complete

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 IDENTIFY YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE

Know the Federal Supply Classification (FSC) Code and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code for your product or service. Many government product/service listings and future procurements are identified by FSC or NAICS Code.

 OBTAIN A DATA UNIVERSAL NUMBERING SYSTEM (DUNS) NUMBER, REGISTER IN THE SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM) AND OBTAIN A COMMERCIAL AND GOVERNMENT ENTITY (CAGE) CODE

Know the Federal Supply Classification (FSC) Code and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code for your product or service. Many government product/service listings and future procurements are identified by FSC or NAICS code. You must be registered in the Obtain a DUNS Number and register in the SAM to be awarded a contract from the Department of Defense.

The SAM is an official website of the U.S. government. There is no cost to use SAM. You can use this site for FREE to:

  • Register to do business with the U.S. government
  • Update or renew your entity registration
  • Check status of an entity registration
  • Search for entity registration and exclusion records
  • And much more...

A CAGE Code is a five-position code that identifies contractors doing business with the Federal Government, NATO member nations and other foreign governments. The CAGE Code is used to support a variety of mechanized systems throughout the government and provides for a standardized method of identifying a given facility at a specific location. The code may be used for a Facility Clearance, a Pre-award survey, automated Bidders Lists, identification of Debarred Bidders, fast pay processes, etc. The CAGE Code request process is now incorporated in the SAM registration. Therefore, upon registration in SAM, your company will be assigned a CAGE Code.

 UPDATE YOUR SMALL BUSINESS PROFILE IN SAM.GOV

Updating your small business profile via SAM generates a Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) entry on the SBA.gov site. The SBA strongly recommends that contracting officers diligently review a bidder's small business self-certification before awarding a contract.

While at the SBA's website, be sure to check out other valuable resources available there such as: Small Business Development Centers, Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), Minority Enterprise Development/8(a) Business Development Program and Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) Certification procedures. Find out if your firm is located in a Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) to participate in the HUBZone Empowerment Contracting Program. If your business is owned and controlled by women, be sure to check out the Office of Women's Business Ownership.

 FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH FEDERAL, DOD AND NAVY CONTRACTING PROCEDURES

Be familiar with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) and the Navy Marine Corps Acquisition Regulation Supplement (NMCARS).

Doing Business with DOD is a guide to DOD contracting opportunities. You can find "A Step-by-Step Approach to the DOD Marketplace." The guide provides individual steps to DOD contracting principles and practices and provides lists of products and services keyed to particular major buying offices.

 IDENTIFY THE NAVY/MARINE CORPS CONTRACTING ACTIVITY THAT PURCHASES YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE AND CONTACT THE SMALL BUSINESS SPECIALIST ON SITE

Department of the Navy contracting functions are decentralized. Each Navy/Marine Corps major buying activity purchases supplies and services that support its own mission. Each buying activity has a Small Business Specialist assigned to it and this individual is your focal point for upcoming procurements and source for counsel on small business matters at that particular activity.

From the Navy OSBP home page, locate a contracting activity that purchases the product and/or service your company offers. Each contracting activity's page provides a list of small business specialists assigned to each subordinate buying activity and direct links to each Navy and Marine Corps major contracting activity homepage, many of which contain procurement forecasts and solicitation information.

The Events page contains a schedule of upcoming outreach events with Navy and Marine Corps participation. The Related Links page provides direct links to Federal, DOD and Navy acquisition and procurement information.

 IDENTIFY CURRENT AND FUTURE NAVY AND MARINE CORPS PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITIES

DoN Acquisition One Source currently provides information on business opportunities. On the website click "Business Opportunities" and you will be directed to information on "How to do business with the Navy" and Small Business Focus. Additionally, you will find a link to "Finding Business Opportunities" that will be updated to provide Long Range Acquisition Estimates (i.e., procurement forecast). The information will provide projected contractual requirement descriptions, buying commands, small business points of contact and acquisition strategies (full and open, set aside, etc.). 

The Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website will assist you in identifying Department of the Navy, as well as other DOD and Federal government procurement opportunities. 

 NOTE: FedBizOpps is designated as the single source for publishing federal government procurement opportunities that exceed $25,000. All agencies must use FedBizOpps to provide the public to access to notice of procurement actions over $25,000.

 INVESTIGATE FEDERAL SUPPLY SCHEDULE (FSS) CONTRACT

Many Navy and Marine Corps supplies and services are purchased utilizing FSS contracts and the GSA SmartPay Card. Contact the General Services Administration (GSA) for information on how to obtain a FSS Contract and why you should accept the GSA Smart Pay Card when doing business with the Navy and Marine Corps.

 INVESTIGATE OTHER DOD PROGRAMS

There are several DOD small business programs that may be of interest to you, including the Indian Incentive Program, Mentor-Protégé, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions Program. Information on these programs, DOD publications, and much more is available for downloading from the DOD Office of Small Business Programs website.

 EXPLORE SUBCONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES

Regardless of your product or service, it is important not to neglect the very large secondary subcontracting market. The publication Subcontracting Opportunities with DOD Prime Contractors lists all major DOD prime contractors by state and provides a point of contact (Small Business Liaison Officer) within each firm. We encourage you to investigate potential opportunities with these firms. Many also have websites that may be useful, and we encourage you to team with them. 

SUB-Net is the SBA's Subcontracting Network. Prime contractors use SUB-Net to post subcontracting opportunities. These opportunities may or may not be reserved for small business, and they may include either solicitations or other notices.

 SEEK ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE AS NEEDED IN THE NAVY AND DOD MARKETPLACE

Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) are located in most states and partially funded by DOD to provide small business concerns with comprehensive information on how to do business with the DOD. They provide training and counseling on marketing strategies, business development, financial and contracting issues, and procurement regulations.

Visit the Navy Exchange System website and the Marine Corps Exchange website. The exchanges are retail operations that provide quality products and a variety of services to the men and women of the Armed Forces, retirees, reservists, and their families. Department of the Navy eBusiness Operations Office and the DoD Supply Chain System Transformation provide assistance to firms getting started in the electronic marketplace. Online Procurement Assistance can be found at the Procurement Reference Library and the Acquisition Reform Net Virtual Library.

After you have identified your customers, researched their requirements, and familiarized yourself with Department of the Navy and DOD procurement regulations and strategies, it is time to market your product or service. The first presentation of your company's capabilities should be directly to the Small Business Specialists at the Navy and Marine Corps activities that buy your products or services. The Small Business Specialist will provide you additional points of contact for marketing the customer and pertinent information regarding long-range acquisition forecasts. Remember, the Department of the Navy seeks quality solutions for its requirements in a timely and cost-effective manner. Outstanding "past performance" is one of your most valuable assets.