GOVCONJun 25, 202610:57
What to Do When Someone Claims They Can Get You Guaranteed Government Contracts
0:0010:57
Your host
Eric Coffie
Eric Coffie built a construction company from zero to $20M+ in federal sales, then founded GovCon Giants to teach everyday people how to win government contracts.
About this episode
If you've ever wondered how to verify government contract outreach is legitimate, this episode breaks down exactly what to look for before you respond to that surprise DOD or Air Force email. A small business owner shares a message he received from a self-described government partner asking to "share his account list," and Colin and the Federal Help Center community walk through how to separate a real opportunity from a setup. Key takeaways from this episode:
In this episode, you'll learn
- How to cross-reference a contact's LinkedIn profile and sam.gov or FPDS listing to confirm they're a real government partner Why CEOs and agencies almost never cold-contact small businesses unless it's tied to a source sought notice, RFP response, or notice of award
- How to spot the "pay $8,000 to get this software and we'll send you contracts" scam and other pipeline-selling schemes
- Why a notice of award means you won, and why protesting a small SAP award under $250K is usually a waste of time
- How to build out your sam.gov profile, NAICS codes, and capability statement to position yourself for subcontracting work while you build prime relationships
- Why the government is risk-averse, never pays upfront, and what that means for your invoicing process
Show notes & timestamps
- 0:00Welcome to the Federal Help Center podcast
- 0:57Building a capability statement and sam.gov profile
- 1:36A mysterious DOD Air Force contact reaches out
- 3:40Why legitimate agencies rarely cold contact small businesses
- 4:49Verifying outreach through LinkedIn sam.gov and FPDS
- 5:31Red flag the 250000 dollar app scam
- 6:02Source sought RFPs and notice of award explained
- 7:55Why government agencies never pay contractors upfront
- 9:05You're not new to work just to govcon
