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Reporting on supplier diversity.

Working coverage of certifications, corporate procurement, federal contracting, financing, and the operators making each work for diverse-owned businesses. Every piece checked against primary sources.

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Set-Asides

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Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the U.S. Treasury: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

Treasury buys through bureaus like the IRS, the Mint, and the BEP, and routes small-business work through its OSDBU. Here's how to …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in painting

Painting falls under NAICS 238320 with a $19 million SBA size standard, so almost every painting contractor qualifies as a small business. …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in office supplies

Office supplies is a high-volume, repeat-buy federal category where small and diverse firms compete well. Here is how the NAICS codes, GSA …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 14 min

SBA 8(a) Certification: The Complete 2026 Guide

The SBA 8(a) Business Development Program gives disadvantaged-owned small businesses nine years of access to sole-source federal contracts up to $5.5 million. …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in janitorial and cleaning services

Janitorial work is one of the most accessible federal markets for a small or diverse firm. The size standard is generous, demand …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in landscaping and grounds maintenance

Federal agencies buy landscaping and grounds maintenance under one NAICS code with a $10 million size standard. Here's how a small or …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in marketing and advertising

Federal and state agencies buy outreach, recruitment, and digital campaigns every year. Here are the NAICS codes that classify the work, the …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in medical supplies and equipment

The VA runs its own medical supply schedule, separate from GSA, and gives verified veteran-owned firms first priority. Here's how the NAICS …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in architecture and design

Architecture and engineering work gets bought differently than almost everything else the government procures. You compete on qualifications first, price second, and …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in catering and food service

The catering NAICS code caps you at $9M while food service contractors get $47M. Pick the wrong one and you lose bids …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in construction

The real path into federal construction work: which NAICS codes and size standards apply, the set-asides worth pursuing, and why most small …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in management consulting

Federal agencies bought roughly $4.3 billion under the main management consulting NAICS code last year. Here is the real path in: the …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in electrical contracting

Electrical work runs through almost every federal building, base, and depot. This guide covers the NAICS code and size standard that decide …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in engineering services

Engineering services sit under NAICS 541330 with a $25.5M small-business size standard. Here's how diverse firms register on SAM.gov, use set-asides, and …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in HVAC and mechanical

Federal agencies need HVAC and mechanical work on millions of square feet of buildings. Here's the NAICS code that classifies you, the …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in information technology (IT)

IT is one of the highest-volume categories in federal contracting, with NAICS 541519 alone moving billions in awards. Here's the real path: …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the Department of Commerce as a diverse business

The Department of Commerce spends over $5 billion annually, with NOAA, Census, NIST, and USPTO among the largest buyers — and all …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 8 min

NAICS 492110 Federal Contracting Guide: How Diverse Businesses Win Couriers and Express Delivery Services Contracts

Federal agencies spend over $2 billion annually under NAICS 492110, with DoD, USPS, and GSA driving the bulk of direct spend. Small …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 8 min

NAICS 541330 Federal Contracting Guide: How Diverse Businesses Win Engineering Services Contracts

Federal agencies award over $15 billion annually under NAICS 541330 Engineering Services. Army Corps, NAVFAC, and Air Force Civil Engineer Center are …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the Department of Labor: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

DOL spends roughly $2.2 billion a year buying goods and services, and it routes a large share to small and diverse firms. …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the U.S. Department of State: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

State spends on construction, embassy security, IT, and language services worldwide. Here is how a small or diverse business registers, finds the …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the Department of Transportation: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

The DOT spends through 11 operating administrations like the FAA and FHWA. This guide covers SAM.gov registration, the set-asides DOT uses, where …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA): registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

DLA buys the fuel, food, parts, and medical supplies that keep the military running, and it does most of it through one …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 8 min

NAICS 541511 Federal Contracting Guide: How Diverse Businesses Win Custom Computer Programming Services Contracts

Federal agencies spent over $8 billion under NAICS 541511 in FY2024, making it the single largest IT services code in the federal …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

Supplier Diversity vs DEI in 2026: Why One Survived the Rollback and One Didn't

Supplier diversity and DEI get lumped together, but they live in different parts of the law. DEI is voluntary HR policy that …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to Find Government Contracts in 2026: 7 Steps + Where to Look

Start at SAM.gov, register your entity, filter to set-asides your business qualifies for, then mine SBA SubNet, agency forecasts, and APEX Accelerators …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

NAICS 541690 Federal Contracting Guide: How Diverse Businesses Win Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services Contracts

Federal agencies spend more than $3 billion annually on other scientific and technical consulting services under NAICS 541690, with EPA, DOE, and …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 8 min

NAICS 561320 Federal Contracting Guide: How Diverse Businesses Win Temporary Help Services (Staffing) Contracts

Federal agencies spend over $3 billion annually on temporary help services under NAICS 561320, and a large share flows through 8(a), WOSB, …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 10 min

SBA Small Business Size Standards: What They Are and Why They Matter

Size standards determine who legally qualifies as a small business for federal set-asides and contracts. They vary by NAICS code, measure either …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 8 min

Sole-Source Government Contracts: What They Are and How to Get One

A sole-source contract is a federal award made directly to one vendor, skipping competition entirely. The four justifications in FAR Part 6.302, …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in security guard services

Security guard work is one of the most reliable on-ramps to federal contracting for small and diverse firms. The agencies buy it …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in plumbing

Government buyers spend steadily on plumbing repair, fixture replacement, and water-line work, and most of it runs through one NAICS code. Here …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in staffing and temporary services

Federal agencies buy temporary, clerical, technical, and healthcare staffing every year. This guide covers the NAICS code and size standard that decide …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in training services

The Office of Personnel Management alone spends over $1.1 billion a year on professional and management training. Here is the real path …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in trucking and transportation

Federal agencies move freight, relocate household goods, and haul materials through small-business carriers every day. Here is the real path: the NAICS …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to get government contracts in waste management

Federal agencies like the Bureau of Reclamation and HHS post solid-waste hauling and recycling work as total small business set-asides. Here are …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to Customs and Border Protection (CBP): registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

CBP buys through DHS, the largest federal agency to earn 15 straight A or A+ grades on SBA's small-business scorecard. Here is …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the Department of Homeland Security: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

DHS obligated $9.9 billion to small businesses in FY2023 (38.21% of eligible dollars), the most in its history. Here is how registration, …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to FEMA: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

FEMA buys through SAM.gov and Unison Marketplace, runs a Small Business Program under the DHS OSDBU, and asks vendors to file an …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to Health and Human Services (HHS): registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

HHS buys across NIH, CDC, FDA, and CMS, and runs a Small Business Customer Experience office for vendors. Here is how to …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to HUD: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

HUD buys through SAM.gov and runs the standard federal set-asides. This guide covers registration, which socioeconomic certification to chase, where HUD posts …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to NASA: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

NASA runs its small-business work through the Office of Small Business Programs and posts opportunities on SAM.gov. Here is how to register, …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

USACE buys through district offices, not one central office. This guide walks the SAM.gov registration, the set-asides it uses (8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the U.S. Coast Guard: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

The Coast Guard is a DHS buying component, not a Defense agency, and that changes where you look and who you call. …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the Department of Commerce: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

The Department of Commerce runs most of its contracting through bureaus like NOAA, Census, and USPTO, and NOAA alone puts more than …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the U.S. Department of Defense: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

DoD bought $183 billion from small businesses in FY2024, 28.78% of eligible spend. Here is the actual path: SAM.gov registration, the set-asides …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the Department of Education: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

The Department of Education buys against roughly $2.5 billion in estimated annual obligations, and its OSDBU exists to route small businesses into …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the Department of Energy: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

DOE runs roughly 80% of its procurement budget through Management & Operating contractors at the national labs and cleanup sites, which means …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the Department of the Interior: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

Interior put 60% of its eligible prime contract dollars with small businesses in FY2023. Here is how registration, set-asides, and the agency …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the Department of Justice: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

The DOJ ran about $3.1 billion through small-business contracts in FY2024. Here is how its OSDBU works, which set-asides it uses, and …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the EPA: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

The EPA runs its own Acquisition Forecast Database and a vendor database that feeds its OSDBU and contracting officers. Here is how …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the FAA: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

The FAA buys under its own Acquisition Management System, not the standard FAR, which changes how set-asides and registration work. Here is …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the GSA: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

The GSA buys through SAM.gov, the Multiple Award Schedule, and socioeconomic set-asides. Here is the registration sequence, the goals that work in …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the NIH: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

The NIH buys research support, lab services, and roughly $21 billion in IT through NITAAC. Here's how a small or diverse business …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the Social Security Administration: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

SSA buys through the Office of Acquisition and Grants and uses SAM.gov as its primary vendor database. Here's how its OSDBU works, …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the U.S. Air Force: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

The Air Force runs its small-business work through the Department of the Air Force Office of Small Business Programs. Here is how …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the U.S. Army: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

The Army buys through SAM.gov and its Office of Small Business Programs, and it has historically routed more than 20% of contract …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the U.S. Navy: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

The Department of the Navy buys through a dozen separate commands, not one front door. This guide covers SAM.gov registration, which set-asides …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the USDA: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

USDA obligated more than $11 billion across 67,000 contract actions in FY2023 and aims to send 57.5% of contract dollars to small …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the U.S. Postal Service: registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

USPS buys differently from every other federal agency. It is exempt from the FAR, runs its own rulebook, and registers suppliers through …

· Maya Okonkwo

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): registration, set-asides, and the small-business path

The VA buys differently than most agencies. Its Veterans First Contracting Program puts certified veteran-owned firms ahead of every other set-aside. Here …

· Will Moss

Guide

Guide · 8 min

NAICS 519210 Federal Contracting Guide: How Diverse Businesses Win Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services Contracts

Federal agencies are spending more than $8 billion annually on data processing, hosting, and related services under NAICS 519210, with cloud migration …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the Department of Defense (DoD) as a diverse business

The Department of Defense is the single largest federal buyer at over $400 billion annually. Small businesses won $90.8 billion of that …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 8 min

How to sell to the Department of State as a diverse business

The Department of State obligates over $7 billion per year in contracts, with a dedicated Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 9 min

How to sell to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a diverse business

USDA obligates roughly $6 billion per year in contracts across food purchasing, IT, construction, and rural development. Diverse businesses that register correctly …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 8 min

NAICS 561730 Federal Contracting Guide: How Diverse Businesses Win Landscaping Services Contracts

The federal government spends over $1 billion annually on landscaping and grounds maintenance under NAICS 561730, with 8(a) and HUBZone set-asides making …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 9 min

How to find federal contracting opportunities on SAM.gov

SAM.gov Opportunities is the mandatory posting site for federal solicitations above $25,000. Knowing how to filter by set-aside type and NAICS code …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 7 min

Supplier diversity after the DEI rollback: what changed and what didn't

The Trump administration's 2025 executive orders eliminated federal DEI programs and accelerated corporate retreats from branded diversity spending. Federal small-business set-aside contracting …

· Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 9 min

HUBZone Certification: Requirements, Map, and How to Apply in 2026

HUBZone certification gives qualifying small businesses access to set-aside contracts, sole-source awards up to $5.5 million, and a 10% price evaluation preference …

Jul 6, 2026 · Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 8 min

The 50% rule, explained: limitations on subcontracting for small business

On a set-aside, you can't just win the work and hand most of it to a big prime. FAR 52.219-14 caps what …

Feb 3, 2026 · Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 10 min

Federal set-asides explained: 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, SDVOSB, and sole-source

Set-asides are how the government reserves contracts for small and diverse businesses. Here's how the small business and socioeconomic set-asides work, and …

Jan 26, 2026 · Mario Bailey

Guide

Guide · 8 min

Limitations on subcontracting: what buyers need to know

If you hold a set-aside prime, the limitations on subcontracting rule caps how much work you can push to firms that aren't …

Dec 16, 2025 · Mario Bailey

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