To sign up to receive these announcements of invitations for bids and requests for proposals, fill out a Solicitation Mailing List Application and send the completed form to the procurement office with which you want to do business. The federal government has numerous programs to help small businesses compete for contracts. Notable among these programs are a trio of services aimed at helping small businesses uncover contracting opportunities and market to government buyers and subcontractors. Produced by the SBA, Pro-Net functions as an electronic gateway to procurement information for and about small businesses. The centerpiece of the site is a searchable database of small businesses, which contracting officers scan to find companies offering specific products and services.
Small businesses can easily enter and update their profile and add links to their Web sites.
Pro-Net also provides access to government sites that list procurement opportunities. Prime contractors post subcontracting opportunities on Sub-Net, which small businesses peruse to identify opportunities in their areas of expertise. Although the Web site is designed primarily as a place for large businesses to post solicitations and notices, it also contains listings from federal agencies, state and local governments, non-profit organizations, colleges and universities, and even foreign governments. Run by the Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency, the Phoenix Database lists minority-owned enterprises that do business in the United States. The MBDA uses the Phoenix Database in conjunction with its Opportunity Database to match minority-owned companies with contracts and other business opportunities.