WORCESTER – At the Woostapreneurs Forum, David Polatin, SBA assistant district director, discussed how your business can tap into a federal and state government market that purchases billions of dollars of products and services from the private sector. Below are a few highlights from that discussion.
“Federal government is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world. It has a goal that 22 percent of all buying goes to small businesses.”
“If you want to do business with the federal government, there is a database that you should signup for called Systems Award Management (SAM), which is free to register for at sam.gov.”
“Independent businesses who want to do business with the federal government can do so without getting certified.”
“If you want to do business with Veterans Affairs, however, there are certain certifications you have to do found at certify.sba.gov, which is brand new.”
“HUBZone programs (Historically Underutilized Business Zones) involve the federal government spending money in areas of economic development need. You should check at sba.gov to see if your business is located in such a zone. Also, 35 percent of your employees have to live within it. Parts of Worcester are in a HUBZone.”
