For Veteran & Military Spouse-Owned Businesses
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Procurement Readiness is defined as the demonstrated ability of a small business to effectively participate in, win, and perform on contracts within the federal government or other specific market. For the purposes of this collection, the market we are referring to is the private sector. Procurement Readiness can be achieved through engaging with the Procurement Process.
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For Veteran & Military Spouse-Owned Businesses
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Procurement Readiness is defined as the demonstrated ability of a small business to effectively participate in, win, and perform on contracts within the federal government or other specific market. For the purposes of this collection, the market we are referring to is the private sector. Procurement Readiness can be achieved through engaging with the Procurement Process.
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The procurement process consists of several key stages to identify, pursue, and secure business opportunities with potential buyers or clients. This process can be broken down into steps from the supplier's point of view:
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Assess Opportunities: Look out for requests like RFPs (Requests for Proposals) or RFQs (Requests for Quotations) that match the products or services your business offers. Carefully read through the request to understand the buyer's needs, deadlines, and any specific instructions. |
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Create and Submit a Strong Proposal: Write a clear and detailed proposal that shows how your product or service meets their needs, including you pricing and terms. Then, submit the proposal through the correct channel following all instructions provided. |
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Review, Negotiations and Securing the Contract: The buyer will then review all proposals based on their criteria, including factors such as pricing and quality. If you are selected, be prepared to discuss the terms of the contract, including pricing and deadlines, to finalize the details. Complete any final requirements provided by the buyer to secure the contract. |
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Deliver on the Contract and Build Customer Relationships: Once you’ve secured the contract, make sure to meet all terms and conditions. Deliver your products or services on time and stay in close communication with the buyer throughout the process. Focus on providing excellent customer service. Stay engaged with the buyer, address their needs, and ask for feedback to strengthen your partnership. |
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Submit Invoices and Get Paid: Send clear and accurate invoices as soon as the work is completed. Keep track of payments and follow up if needed to ensure timely receipt. |
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Review and Improve: After completing a project, assess your performance. Use buyer feedback to identify what worked well and what can be improved. Apply these lessons to make your future bids and proposals even stronger. |
About the Procurement Process
The procurement process consists of several key stages to identify, pursue, and secure business opportunities with potential buyers or clients. This process can be broken down into steps from the supplier's point of view:
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Assess Opportunities: Look out for requests like RFPs (Requests for Proposals) or RFQs (Requests for Quotations) that match the products or services your business offers. Carefully read through the request to understand the buyer's needs, deadlines, and any specific instructions. |
|
Create and Submit a Strong Proposal: Write a clear and detailed proposal that shows how your product or service meets their needs, including you pricing and terms. Then, submit the proposal through the correct channel following all instructions provided. |
|
Review, Negotiations and Securing the Contract: The buyer will then review all proposals based on their criteria, including factors such as pricing and quality. If you are selected, be prepared to discuss the terms of the contract, including pricing and deadlines, to finalize the details. Complete any final requirements provided by the buyer to secure the contract. |
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Deliver on the Contract and Build Customer Relationships: Once you’ve secured the contract, make sure to meet all terms and conditions. Deliver your products or services on time and stay in close communication with the buyer throughout the process. Focus on providing excellent customer service. Stay engaged with the buyer, address their needs, and ask for feedback to strengthen your partnership. |
|
Submit Invoices and Get Paid: Send clear and accurate invoices as soon as the work is completed. Keep track of payments and follow up if needed to ensure timely receipt. |
|
Review and Improve: After completing a project, assess your performance. Use buyer feedback to identify what worked well and what can be improved. Apply these lessons to make your future bids and proposals even stronger. |
Prepare to do Business with the Private Sector
Seeking out mentoring, educational, and networking opportunities can build the requisite knowledge to improve opportunity recognition and procurement readiness. Not only should military-connected entrepreneurs be prepared financially for new contracts, it’s necessary to prepare for other resourcing challenges such as effective marketing, manufacturing support, cash flow management, and hiring. The educational resources and programs below can help.
Resources for the Certification Process
Getting Started
A business certification is an official credential awarded by a certifying authority to a business that meets designated standards or criteria. These certifications can fulfill a variety of purposes and may be granted by government agencies, industry associations, nonprofit organizations, or independent certifying bodies.
The resources linked here provide specific information about certification. For more Procurement Readiness Resources, visit our search and filter page.
How certification as a diverse-owned business opens doors of opportunity
Assistance in the Certification Process
Navigating the certification process can raise a lot of questions—but you're not alone. We've compiled a list of trusted organizations that can help guide you toward the certifications that best align with your goals. Keep in mind that each organization may prioritize different credentials, so it's worth exploring your options.
Many of these groups also host conferences and annual meetups, offering valuable opportunities for mentorship, networking, and professional growth.
Click the button below to explore a select list of certification options, curated by the IVMF.
Assistance in the Certification Process
Navigating the certification process can raise a lot of questions—but you're not alone. We've compiled a list of trusted organizations that can help guide you toward the certifications that best align with your goals. Keep in mind that each organization may prioritize different credentials, so it's worth exploring your options.
Many of these groups also host conferences and annual meetups, offering valuable opportunities for mentorship, networking, and professional growth.
Click the button below to explore a select list of certification options, curated by the IVMF.
Explore Entrepreneurship Training Programs & Events
Identify and Research Target Corporations
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An essential part of the procurement process is identifying and researching target corporations to better align your offerings with the needs of private sector companies. When conducting research, consider factors such as industry, size, geographic location, and purchasing behavior of potential partners. Keep in mind that some companies or government agencies may not publicly disclose contact details for their supplier diversity officers or small business liaisons. In such cases, attending events and conferences can be a valuable way to establish direct connections.
To get started, you can explore the supplier diversity pages of several major private sector companies at the button below. |
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Identify and Research Target Corporations
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An essential part of the procurement process is identifying and researching target corporations to better align your offerings with the needs of private sector companies. When conducting research, consider factors such as industry, size, geographic location, and purchasing behavior of potential partners. Keep in mind that some companies or government agencies may not publicly disclose contact details for their supplier diversity officers or small business liaisons. In such cases, attending events and conferences can be a valuable way to establish direct connections.
To get started, you can explore the supplier diversity pages of several major private sector companies at the button below. |
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Questions or Feedback?
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Please submit any additional comments or questions to our email address at divmflibrary@syr.edu.
Questions or Feedback?
We make every effort to ensure our digital collections are fully accessible to our users. Even so, some users may encounter accessibility challenges. For example, screenreader and power keyboard users may encounter issues with navigation and faceting. Please contact the Libraries' Accessibility Specialist if you require remediation of particular content. Thank you for your patience while we work diligently with our vendor to further enhance accessibility of our content as well as your user experience.
Please submit any additional comments or questions to our email address at divmflibrary@syr.edu.