Small Business Government Contracting

The consultants at Corporate Business Solutions help the owners of small and medium – size business find their path to success.  We can also help contractors navigate through government contracting.  The SBA is also a great source for contractors looking to begin working with the U.S. government. 

U.S. federal government contracts represent a tremendous sales and revenue opportunity for small businesses because:

• The U.S. Government is the world’s largest customer
• It buys all types of products and services in both large and small quantities
• It is required by law to provide opportunities for small businesses

The Government’s Contracting Objectives

As you might expect, the government is very particular about how it purchases products and services. The general aims of the rules and regulations governing federal contracts are to ensure that:

• Competition is fair and open—The process of requesting proposals, evaluating bids, and making awards should take place on a level playing field with full visibility. Any business that is qualified to bid should be considered.
• Products and services are competitively priced. The government seeks pricing that is commensurate with its formidable buying power.
• The government gets what it pays for—The government protects itself by carefully defining requirements, terms and conditions for all purchases. Contractors must document that they have fulfilled all requirements and met all terms in order to be paid.
• Both the government and contractors comply with the law—Different rules and regulations apply to different types of purchases. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) or Defense Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) apply to most federal agencies. Individual organizations often have their own rules as well.

Government Contracting Opportunities for Small Businesses

The government is particularly concerned to include small businesses as it buys goods and services for several reasons:

• To ensure that large businesses don’t “muscle out” small businesses
• To gain access to the new ideas small businesses are great at providing
• To support small businesses as engines of economic development and job creation
• To offer opportunities to disadvantaged socio-ethnic groups

To these ends, most government agencies “set aside” a percentage of their acquisitions (what they buy) for small and disadvantaged businesses. In some cases, these set-asides might consist of certain types of tasks on larger contracts. In other cases, entire contracts may be designated for small businesses.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us today at 877-357-9366.

3 Business Trends for the New Year

Corporate Business Solutions is a leading business consulting firm recognized throughout the United States. We offer the valuable information that is often necessary for growth in the small and medium – size business marketplace.

As we approach 2017, we are looking at business trends that are expected to affect the New Year: 

1. Cyber Security - The number of Internet users with portable devices is constantly increasing. Therefore, the number of cyber-attacks is expected to rise. Companies will continue to be concerned with potential cyber-attacks and privacy data breaches in 2017 and the impact that these incidents could have on them. These incidents can be catastrophic for a company, as customers may not feel secure working with them in the future or they may lose their competitive advantages that led them to success. Existing standards of the cyber security world will need to adapt to the current threat situation. 
2. Advancing Technology - Businesses are expected to invest in harnessing emerging technologies and applying them to their business roadmap. Business owners will focus on developing IT tools (ERM, CRM, etc.) and analytics and on building IT technologies to implement their platforms with insights they get from data mining. This year we will see businesses trying more effectively to leverage breakthroughs in science to use for their business strategy.
3. Improving Employee Engagement - In the upcoming year, all-size businesses will continue their efforts to improve employee engagement. As we have discussed recently, an engaged employee is one who is enthusiastic and fully committed to his job, working hard to achieve organization’s goals and improve brand image. Employee engagement is a competitive advantage for a company through its people. The top three drivers that the organizations should focus in order to maintain or increase employee engagement are career opportunities, brand alignment, and recognition. Companies are launching initiatives to ensure their workplace approach results in the right conditions for all members of an organization to give of their best each day.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us today at 877-357-9366.

Business Tips for New Franchises

The consultants at Corporate Business Solutions help the owners of small and medium – size businesses find their path to success.  We realize that many business owners consider franchising because it can provide the opportunity to grow their business fast -- but it may not be for everyone. Below are five important tips that should not be overlooked when planning your franchise model:

1. Have a precise concept - As a business owner, you may be comfortable running on intuition. But as a franchisor, you'll want your franchisees to have a plan in place for even the smallest of daily operations.
2. Carefully chose a franchisee with care - Recruiting the right franchisees is one of the most important aspects of franchising your company. Don’t recruit the first potential person that initiates interest. Refrain from giving the first few franchisees special deals by being consistent in dealing with all members of your network. As a franchisor you must be aware of where the franchisee is getting their funding and what their repayment terms are. Lastly, a franchisee should be entrepreneurial minded but not so much that they cannot work within the franchisor’s system.
3. Invest in stringent training- Solid training benefits both the franchisee and the franchisor. Training helps franchisees ensure their employees have the right skills as well as rise to challenges that will most certainly come.
4. Keep tight controls- Control begins with the franchisor providing significant help in operating the business with a proven marketing plan. Beyond this initial start, it encompasses numerous aspects of the franchisee’s operations: promotional campaigns, accounting practices, personnel policies and being clear on hours of operation are just a few.

To learn more about us and / or to schedule your appointment with the business experts at Corporate Business Solutions, call us today at 877-357-9366.