We write a lot about the federal government's small business contracting--mostly its failure to live up to its legally mandated quota of 23% of contracts flowing to small businesses.  Today, instead of reporting more bad news, we thought we'd link you to this helpful post on how you (yes, you!) can land yourself a nice, lucrative government deal, which, incidentally, there may well be more of in the coming months and years.

Among other things, the post warns that putting yourself in a position to reap goverment contracts is a long, arduous process--"don’t think you can simply call up the Department of Defense and get work," as the author puts it. But the post does provide a helpful checklist.

Briefly:

• Check the Federal Acquisition Regulation database (as well as relevant city and state ones) for upcoming bids.
  
• Are you woman-owned, veteran-owned, or minority-owned? There are special programs for you (whose quotas the U.S. is also falling short of, by the way, but still). Be sure to let the relevant people know this.
  
• Sign up at the Central Contractor Registration site.
  
• Be ready to act fast. That means having lots of relevant information, for example on your capabilities and finances, amply documented and ready at hand.