Business Development
Learning how to go about selling to the U.S. government which is the largest buyer of goods and services in the world is a very daunting task. The federal government is expected to reserve a fair proportion of its purchases and contracts for services and property for small businesses. The government achieve s this through setting aside some parts of its procurement to small businesses. Small businesses that have the interest of pursing federal contracts have so many options that are available for representing their companies to potential clients, researching federal marketplace for the opportunities that are available and also understanding the competition they stand to face.
There are several federal business opportunities available for small business owners. These include HUB Zone, service-disabled, woman-owned, competitive, Small Business Subcontracting Program and veteran owned. The paper will look at a small line of business and determine the federal government procurement opportunity aligned with the line of business.it will also look at the current strategies of the small business. A SWOT analysis will also be conducted for the small business and finally an action plan created to fulfill expected to fill the requirements.
Small line of business
Garden solutions is a limited liability company which offers a full service flower shop. The company is committed to providing high customer satisfaction through offering excellent services and quality products at prices that are quite competitive. This company was started by a group of hardworking women who wanted to empower themselves through business. The company’s main concern is creation and maintenance of a friendly, fair and creative work environment for all the parties involved; clients, employees and shareholders. The company provides fresh flowers for all occasions which are grown and maintained by the founders of the company. The mission of the company is to provide flowers that will enhance the special needs of their customers and in the end become the leaders in flower production in the country. The company needs to example its operations and therefore needs a federal business opportunity so as to achieve this desired expansion.
Federal government procurement opportunity
The small line of business falls under a women — owned small business. This is because 100% of its shares are owned by women meaning that it has superseded the 51% mark of ownership by women. The management and daily operations of the business are done by women .WOSBs are not eligible for getting sole source contracts and the procurement sets asides however federal agencies are required to actively encourage their prime contractors to use WOSBs as their subcontractors. The federal agencies are expected to post information regarding the acquisition of any business opportunity on the system. The site is also used to communicate any available procurement opportunities and the vendor requirements for contracts valued over $25,000. Small businesses are required to register in order for the site to be accessible to them. Small businesses which are ready to bid for federal contracts are expected to submit their business profiles to this database (SBA.Gov, 2010).
Firm’s current strategies
The current strategy that the company has is to ensure that t penetrates the market as much as it can. This is through soliciting for contracts and orders as much as they can. Once the company’s name is well-known then it will be easy for it to be bale to get a federal business opportunity when it arises since it will have already established itself in the market. The company is expected to put into the business $120,000 into its expansion strategy. These finances are projected to be used for acquiring more land to be used for planting flowers as opposed to using the kitchen gardens which the women have been using. The company will also need to move to a bigger space and approximately $ per month will be required to secure rental space of 1200 square feet. There will also be need t increase coolers or refrigerating system since more flowers will now be grown and space needed for their preservation.
SWOT analysis table
Strengths
Growing their own flowers
Availability of fresh flowers
Central location hence convenient
Dedicated staff
Weaknesses
It takes too long for flowers to grow
Flowers go off season
Time constraints as there are few employees to handle some deliveries
Opportunities
Opening another store in a nearby city
Partner with local businesses such as hospitals
Use of technology to monitor sales
Threats
Too many flower imports
Capital accessibility
Prices might be too high to compete with other suppliers
Lack of quality as flowers are perishable
Action plan
First of all the company should ensure that it business plan is up-to-date .secondly ensuring that ensuring t special skills and expertise which can interest the government agencies are highlighted. For instance in the business plan the company should ensure that it states that its flowers are fresh, grown locally under favorable conditions by women in America. The company should also ensure that it reviews its marketing goals and strategies to ensure that they are in line with the expectations of the government agencies. The company should also ensure that they are conversant with the federal procurement process and terms. After being conversant with the policies the company should contact procurement specialists in the state they are located so as to establish the government buying procedures. The company should also ensure that it is registered online with the central contractor Registration. With all these followed then the company will have a chance of getting a federal business opportunity (GovernmentBids.com, 2011).
References
GovernmentBids.com. (2011). for your business. Retrieved October 11, 2013 from http://www.governmentbids.com/cgi/en/bidding.advice.articles/Article/federal-contract-opportunities-for-your-business
Day, M.S. (2007).Garden Delights. Retrieved October 11, 2013 from http://misbtdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Garden-Delights.pdf
SBA.Gov. (2010). Contracting Resources for Small Businesses. Retrieved October 11, 2013 from http://www.sba.
