CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit Shows Small Businesses Big Opportunities In Government Contracting

(RIVERWOODS, ILL., March 13, 2001) – Now small business owners have the information and tools they need to compete successfully and profitably for the world’s biggest and wealthiest customer – the United States government. A new section on Winning Government Contracts in the online CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit (toolkit.cch.com) offers practical how-to direction, in-depth explanations and forms, tips and checklists that put small companies on the path to success.

The CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit, one of the country’s most popular small business portals, helps entrepreneurs start, run and grow a successful small business.

Strange as it may seem, the vast agencies of the federal government are some of the best customers that a small business can have, according to Drew Snider, publisher of the CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit.

"Federal government contracting and procurement laws actually encourage small businesses to participate in this $240 billion industry," Snider said. "However, some small businesses perceive the process as intimidating when it doesn’t have to be."

In fact, in fiscal year 1999 alone, nearly 10 million government contracts were for amounts between $2,500 and $100,000, which are set aside for small business. The government bought an additional $10 billion worth of services and supplies using credit cards – a practice known as "micro-purchasing," and one that is officially encouraged.

Snider believes that what many small businesses lack, to take advantage of these opportunities, is knowledge – knowledge of how to identify potential contracts and how to compete for them.

"With the step-by-step guidance that we provide at the Toolkit site, companies can confidently walk through each phase of the process - from identifying the right opportunity to making sure they get paid," Snider said.

Not for Everyone

As attractive as the prospects are, however, government contracting isn’t the best path for every small business, so the Toolkit includes detailed information and a self-check test on what it takes for a business to become a successful contractor.

"One common misconception is that a government contract is a good way to save a faltering business," Snider noted. "It’s actually just the opposite. A shaky business can easily go under if it gets into the wrong government contract."

Interestingly, one thing that can help a business succeed in this arena is a real proficiency in using the Internet. The Toolkit shows a number of strategies for identifying business opportunities with the government, such as how to search the electronic version of Commerce Business Daily, the government’s periodical devoted to new contracts up for bid, or how to get your company listed in the Central Contractor Registration and PRO-Net, two databases used by federal agencies. In the Toolkit, entrepreneurs will find line-by-line hints on filling out the registration forms.

Wealth of Detail

Winning Government Contracts contains over 130 well-organized pages, with links to official forms and documents. High-level topics include:

How to Think Like the Government
How to Identify Your Customers
Getting Registered
Finding Bid Leads
Getting the Bid Package
Reviewing the Bid
Getting Technical Data
Pricing it Out
Writing Your Proposal
Submitting Your Bid
After Your Bid
Who Will Help Me?

"Visitors to the site can skim the surface to get the lay of the land, or drill down to the gritty details of how to complete a bid package," Snider said.

About the Authors

The Winning Government Contracts section of the Business Owner’s Toolkit is co-authored by the expert team of John DiGiacomo and James L. Kleckner. Together, they have over 60 years experience and have helped over 6,000 businesses secure government contracts totaling over $2 billion.

Mr. DiGiacomo is now the director of the Procurement Technical Assistance Center at Rock Valley College, Rockford, IL, assisting companies in working with the federal government. Mr. Kleckner is a private consultant specializing in federal government procurement and small business, and also works with the Illinois PTAC program.

Both authors have extensive experience with the federal procurement process and are Certified Contracting Assistance Specialists with the Association of Government Marketing Assistance Specialists.

Book Available

For entrepreneurs who wish to explore government contracting between two covers, CCH also offers the same information in Win Government Contracts for Your Small Business, an attractive, 440-page book for $24.95. (To order, call 1-800-248-3248 or visit the CCH online store at http://business.cch.com/onlinestore.)

About CCH INCORPORATED

CCH INCORPORATED, founded in 1913, has served four generations of business professionals and their clients. The company produces approximately 700 print and electronic products for securities, tax, legal, banking, human resources, health care and small business markets. CCH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wolters Kluwer North America. The CCH web site can be accessed at www.cch.com. The CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit can be accessed at www.toolkit.cch.com.

-- ### --

nb-01-52