Selling to USDA

Q. I am a small business seeking to get a contract from the Federal Government and would like to know what procedures I should follow and what programs are available to small businesses.

A. Information on Doing Business With USDA is available in the Business Opportunities section of the the USDA Procurement Web site.

In addition the USDA Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) maintains a web page with information for small businesses. Personnel in that office are also available to provide assistance to small businesses. Information on points of contact at OSDBU and for small business specialists in the USDA agencies is also available at the OSDBU Web site listed above. A list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) from small businesses is also available

Q. I would like to get on USDA's central bid/vendor list How do I do that?

A. USDA requirements are posted on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) Web site. At that site vendors can register to receive notices of synopses and solicitations from all Federal Agencies. To do that, go to the FBO Web site and under the category named Related Links, select, Vendor Notification Service. At the vendor notification service you will be able to register to receive notifications of postings.

If you select Vendor you will also be able to review, by Federal Agency, currently posted notices and solicitations.

Q. How do I register to do business with the Federal Government?

A. To do business with the Federal Government, vendors must register in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database and also provide the necessary representations and certifications in the Online Representations and Certification Application (ORCA). Please see the summary description of these two systems.

Q. We are an information technology (IT) vendor and would like to market our products. Who is the primary IT contact in USDA for procurement of IT products.

A. USDA is a very decentralized organization so there is no one IT contact for all buying offices. The USDA Directory of Purchasing Offices lists the names and addresses of USDA and USDA purchasing offices.

The Types of Products and Services insert to the Doing Business With USDA Kit includes a listing of the major categories of products and services (including IT) procured by the USDA agencies.