WORLD WEB
ORGANIZATION 
Your Local SBA
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Opportunities The U.S. Small Business
Administration, the Department of Defense, the Office of
Management and Budget and the General Services Administration
are taking steps to simplify the federal contracting process
by creating an integrated database of small businesses that
want to do business with the federal government. The
integration of the existing Pro-Net and DOD’s Central
Contractor Registration (CCR) databases will create one portal
for entering and searching small business sources and will
assist small businesses with marketing their goods and
services to the federal government. The integration began
January 1, 2004. Registration in CCR is now a requirement for
federal contracts. Within SBA, Pro-Net will be superseded by
the Small Business Source System, an internal database of
businesses certified by SBA as participants in the 8(a),
HUBZone and SDB programs. Businesses will no longer have to
self-certify as small businesses. The SBSS system will perform
calculations necessary to determine whether companies are
small, based on employment or revenue information entered into
CCR. Firms will update their records on the CCR Update Web
page and should follow the links and directions found there.
For more information about CCR, please visit the CCR
Web site Prime contractors will use
SUB-Net to post subcontracting opportunities. These may or may
not be reserved for small business, and they may include
either solicitations or other notices -- for example, notices
of sources sought for teaming partners and subcontractors on
future contracts. Small businesses can review this web site to
identify opportunities in their areas of expertise. While the
web site is designed primarily as a place for large businesses
to post solicitations and notices, it can also be used by
Federal agencies, state and local Governments, non-profit
organizations, colleges and universities, and even small
businesses for the same purpose. TECH-Net is an electronic
gateway of technology information and resources for and about
small high tech businesses. It is a search engine for
researchers, scientists, state, federal and local government
officials, a marketing tool for small firms and a potential
"link" to investment opportunities for investors and
other sources of capital. Interested in growing your
business through the sale of products or services to the
federal government? The government's annual procurement budget
is $200 billion - this can be a source of new business
opportunities for you. Local
8(a) Business Development. The U.S. Small Business
Administration (SBA) can guarantee bonds for contracts up to
$1.25 million, covering bid, performance and payment bonds for
small and emerging contractors who cannot obtain surety bonds
through regular commercial channels. SBA's guarantee gives
sureties an incentive to provide bonding for eligible
contractors, and thereby strengthens a contractor's ability to
obtain bonding and greater access to contracting
opportunities. A surety guarantee, an agreement between a
surety and the SBA, provides that SBA will assume a
predetermined percentage of loss in the event the contractor
should breach the terms of the contract. USEACs offer a full range of
federal export programs and services from a number of federal
agencies under one roof. Many locations have new-to-export
programs called E-TAP. Growing your business? Other opportunities includes helpful information about government contracting and the procurement process, solicitations for small business innovation research projects, information about grants and a link to Commerce Business Daily in which many government agencies solicit bids for contracts. | ||