Reporting on supplier diversity.

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 · 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to become a Textron diverse supplier

Textron is a $14B+ DoD prime contractor spanning Bell, Cessna, E-Z-GO, and Lycoming — and federal law requires it to maintain an …

· Mario Bailey

How to sell to the Small Business Administration (SBA) as a diverse business

The SBA certifies 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, and SDVOSB firms — and then buys IT, consulting, and professional services using those same certifications. …

· Mario Bailey

How to write a federal contracting capability statement that gets read

A capability statement is a 1-2 page document that federal contracting officers and small business specialists use to evaluate vendors. Get the …

· Mario Bailey

HUBZone map: how to find qualifying locations and keep your certification

[HUBZone certification](/guides/hubzone/) requires your principal office to sit inside a designated zone and 35% of employees to live in one. The SBA …

· Mario Bailey

Building past performance for federal contracting when you're starting from zero

Past performance is the chicken-and-egg problem in federal contracting. These seven paths let you build a credible record before you ever win …

· Mario Bailey

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

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

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

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

Grants for Veteran-Owned Businesses 2026: 5 Real Programs ($4K–$25K)

Most veteran grant lists are stuffed with dead programs and government loans dressed up as 'free money.' Here are five real programs …

· Will Moss

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 · 10 min

How to Get Past Performance When You Have None: Breaking the Catch-22

Federal agencies want past performance before they hand you a contract, and you can't get past performance without a contract. Here are …

· Mario Bailey

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

SBIR and STTR Grants: The Federal R&D Path for Small Businesses

SBIR and STTR are federal grant programs that pay small businesses to do R&D on problems the government needs solved. They are …

· Mario Bailey

Guide · 12 min

How to Bid on a Government Contract: Your First Proposal Step by Step

Found an opportunity on SAM.gov and wondering what to do with it? Here is exactly what happens from solicitation to award — …

· Mario Bailey

SAM.gov registration for diverse businesses: step-by-step guide

SAM.gov registration is required before you can receive a federal contract or grant above $10,000. The process takes 7-10 business days and …

· Mario Bailey

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to do business with the Virginia government

Selling to Virginia comes down to two steps most owners get backward: register on eVA, then get SWaM-certified. Here's the order, the …

May 18, 2026 · Mario Bailey

How to become a Northrop Grumman diverse supplier

Northrop Grumman spends more than $2 billion annually with small and diverse businesses. This guide covers registration, certifications, sourcing categories, and what …

Apr 22, 2026 · Mario Bailey

How to do business with the Nevada government

Selling to the State of Nevada starts with two registrations and a certification most owners skip. Here's the order to do it …

Mar 26, 2026 · Mario Bailey

How to do business with the Minnesota government

Minnesota runs its vendor registration and bids through one system called SWIFT, and certified small businesses get up to a 12% bid …

Mar 11, 2026 · Mario Bailey

How to do business with the Hawaii government

Hawaii runs its bids through HIePRO and posts every notice on HANDS. Registration is free, but one compliance step gates every award …

Feb 4, 2026 · Mario Bailey

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 · 11 min

Is a GSA Schedule worth it? How to get on the Multiple Award Schedule

A GSA Schedule is a contract that lets agencies buy from you faster. It's worth real money for some businesses and a …

Feb 3, 2026 · Mario Bailey

How to do business with the Colorado government

Selling to Colorado starts with one free registration in ColoradoVSS, plus a free listing in the state's supplier diversity directory. Here's the …

Jan 21, 2026 · Mario Bailey

Jan 6, 2026 · SupplierDiversity.com Editorial Team

Guide · 10 min

APEX Accelerators: Free Government Contracting Help in All 50 States

There's a federally-funded office in your state whose only job is to help you win government contracts. They don't charge a dime. …