GovCon 101 · Free field guide
Government contracts,
one step at a time.
You know your trade. This is the part about finding a public buyer, reading the paperwork, and deciding whether the job makes sense for your business.
Start with the basics13 guides · Worked examples · 10 free templates
No account or prior contracting experience needed.
- 01
Get ready
Choose your buyer and explain what you do.
- 02
Find the right work
Read the scope, the rules, and the deadline.
- 03
Prepare your response
Make the bid decision, price the job, and submit.
- 04
Deliver what you promised
Manage the team, changes, and payment.
You don’t need to finish every guide before taking the next useful step.
What are you trying to do?
Get started
Choose a buyer and sort out registration.
Find work for my trade
Try a more useful search for flooring, HVAC, or cleaning work.
Decide whether to bid
Check the fit, costs, and time before you write.
Work for a prime contractor
Offer a specific piece of work and check the terms.
Prime a job with subcontractors
Build the team and understand what you still own.
Get a template
Open a blank worksheet beside a completed example.
Follow the steps, or jump to the job in front of you.
Each guide explains the task, walks through a fictional business example, and ends with something you can do. You don’t need to read everything before getting started.
Stage 1
Get your business ready
Decide what you sell, register where it matters, and explain your experience.
Stage 2
Find work you can actually deliver
Search beyond a single keyword and learn what the buyer is asking for.
- 045 min
Find work for your trade
Build a useful search for flooring, HVAC, cleaning, or another service you already deliver.
Read guide - 054 min
Find state and local work
Follow the buyer’s own process without getting lost in vendor portals.
Read guide - 064 min
Understand an opportunity
Find the work, the rules and the real deadline.
Read guide
Stage 3
Decide, price, and respond
Make the bid decision before you spend the week writing. Then answer the request.
- 074 min
Decide whether to bid
Make a clear call before spending time on a response.
Read guide - 084 min
Answer a Sources Sought notice
Show the buyer what you can do while the requirement is still being researched.
Read guide - 095 min
Price the whole job
Work out the cost, understand the margin, and check when you need cash.
Read guide - 104 min
Prepare and submit
Build a complete response and confirm it arrived.
Read guide
Stage 4
Work with a team and deliver
Understand your role as a sub or prime, then keep the work and paperwork on track.
- 114 min
Get your first subcontract
Find relevant primes, offer a defined piece of work, and check the arrangement before saying yes.
Read guide - 129 min
Win as a prime with subcontractors
Learn how to pursue the award, team with specialists, price the job and manage delivery.
Read guide - 134 min
You won. What happens next?
Turn the award into a work plan, manage changes, and submit an invoice the buyer can process.
Read guide
Put the guide beside a worksheet.
Ten templates cover capability statements, bid decisions, requirements, technical responses, pricing, and submission. Start with the completed example, then fill in the blank version with your own facts.
Open the response toolkitStuck on a term?
Look it up when it comes up. The glossary explains contracting language, and the resource list points you to the government page or person who can help.
Terms & trusted resourcesExamples describe fictional businesses and purchases. Each guide links to official sources and shows its review date.