From 37b9bdae0b9cce3496f1ea1d9aeea66be9c15463 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: medusa Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2025 19:25:35 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] Update smma/government_contracts.md --- smma/government_contracts.md | 226 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 226 insertions(+) diff --git a/smma/government_contracts.md b/smma/government_contracts.md index 606fb64..361cfec 100644 --- a/smma/government_contracts.md +++ b/smma/government_contracts.md @@ -1,3 +1,229 @@ +You're absolutely right to call that out. Let's get brutally practical. Here's the **no-fluff, step-by-step guide** to turn your skills into **immediate income** without overpromising or oversimplifying. + +--- + +### **1. The Reality Check** +**Your Actual Advantages:** +- You can **extract and clean data** (Grants.gov/SAM.gov) faster than 99% of contractors. +- You **automate repetitive tasks** (proposals, invoices) that drain hours. +- You **spot patterns** (who buys what, when) that most miss. + +**What Won’t Happen:** +- Instant $10K months (without grinding). +- Magic "set-and-forget" tools (someone has to run them). +- Beating entrenched incumbents overnight. + +--- + +### **2. The "Guaranteed First $1K" Plan** +#### **Step 1: Pick One Pain Point (Example: "Finding Bid Opportunities")** +- **Problem**: Small businesses waste 10+ hours/week manually checking SAM.gov. +- **Your Fix**: A **DuckDB script** that: + 1. Pulls SAM.gov XML feeds daily. + 2. Filters for: + - Their NAICS codes. + - Set-asides (e.g., WOSB, SDVOSB). + - Under $250K (low competition). + 3. Outputs a **clean CSV** with: + - Bid title, due date, POC email. + +#### **Step 2: Build the MVP (1–2 Days)** +```python +# DuckDB script (runs in 10 lines) +import duckdb +conn = duckdb.connect() + +# Load SAM.gov data +conn.execute(""" + CREATE TABLE bids AS + SELECT title, due_date, naics, poc_email + FROM read_xml('sam_gov_data.xml') + WHERE naics IN ('541511', '541519') -- IT services + AND set_aside = 'WOSB' + AND award_ceiling < 250000 +""") + +# Export to CSV +conn.execute("COPY bids TO 'wosb_it_bids.csv' (HEADER, DELIMITER ',')") +``` + +#### **Step 3: Sell It (3 Hours)** +- **Where**: + - LinkedIn (search "WOSB IT government contracting" → DM 20 people). + - GovCon Facebook groups. +- **Script**: + > *"I automate SAM.gov searches for IT WOSBs. For $200, I’ll send you weekly bids that match your exact criteria. Here’s a free sample:"* [Attach CSV with 5 bids]. + +#### **Step 4: Deliver (Ongoing)** +- **Manual at first**: Run the script weekly → email CSV. +- **Automate later**: Set up a **GitHub Action** to auto-email clients. + +--- + +### **3. The "No-BS" Pricing Model** +| Product | What You Deliver | Time/Cost to You | Price | Buyers | +|-----------------------|-----------------------------------|------------------|--------|--------| +| **SAM.gov CSV** | Weekly filtered bids | 1 hr/week | $200/mo | Small biz | +| **Debrief Analysis** | GPT-4 summary of why a bid was lost | 0.5 hr/client | $150 | Recent losers | +| **LaTeX Proposal** | Draft of Section L (tech approach) | 2 hrs/client | $500 | New bidders | + +**Key**: Charge **based on value** (e.g., $200 saves them 10 hours = $20/hr "cheap" for them). + +--- + +### **4. The Hard Truths** +1. **You’ll need 5–10 clients** to see real income ($1K–$3K/month). +2. **Churn is real**: Some will quit after 1 month. Always be prospecting. +3. **Maintenance required**: Scripts break when SAM.gov changes formats (budget 2 hrs/month). + +--- + +### **5. What to Do Today** +1. **Run the DuckDB script above** on SAM.gov data. + - Get a **real CSV output** (even if only 5 rows). +2. **Post it in r/govcon**: + > *"I scraped this week’s IT WOSB bids under $250K. DM for the full list."* +3. **Charge $50** for the full CSV. + +**Outcome**: +- If 5 people pay → $250. +- If 0 people pay → You learned quickly. + +--- + +### **6. When You’re Ready to Scale** +- **Productize**: Turn scripts into a **self-serve portal** (Streamlit/Shiny). +- **Upsell**: Add GPT-4 analysis ("Bid/No-Bid recommendations"). +- **Outsource**: Hire a VA to handle client emails. + +--- + +### **Final Advice** +> *"Start small, charge fast, and iterate. Your first product will suck. Your tenth will print money."* + +Want to tweak this for a **specific niche** (e.g., cybersecurity, construction)? Tell me, and I’ll give you the **exact data fields and scripts** to use. + +--- + +### **Market Landscape for GovCon Data/Tools (Demand & Competition)** +Here’s a breakdown of existing services, their limitations, and where **you can carve out a niche** with your skills. + +--- + +#### **1. Free Government Sources (Baseline Tools)** +| Source | What It Offers | Limitations | +|----------------------|------------------------------------|--------------------------------------| +| **[SAM.gov](https://sam.gov)** | Live bids, historical awards. | Clunky UI, no analytics. | +| **[USAspending.gov](https://usaspending.gov)** | Tracks $7T in spending. | Hard to extract actionable insights. | +| **[Grants.gov](https://grants.gov)** | Grant opportunities. | XML data requires parsing skills. | + +**Who Uses These**: +- **Newbies** (free but inefficient). +- **Experts** (who know how to scrape/analyze the data). + +**Key Insight**: +> *Most contractors **don’t know how to use these effectively**—they need cleaned, pre-filtered data.* + +--- + +#### **2. Paid "Bid Matching" Services (Established Players)** +| Service | Price (Annual) | Key Features | Weaknesses | +|----------------------|----------------|--------------------------------------|-------------------------------------| +| **[GovWin (Deltek)](https://www.deltek.com)** | $5K–$50K | Bid alerts, contract forecasts. | Overkill for small businesses. | +| **[RFP360](https://www.rfp360.com)** | $3K–$20K | RFP tracking + collaboration. | Generic, not GovCon-specific. | +| **[Fedmine](https://www.fedmine.com)** | $2K–$10K | Spending analytics. | Outdated UI, limited filtering. | + +**Who Uses These**: +- **Mid-size/large contractors** (budgets for tools). +- **Consultants** (resell insights to clients). + +**Key Insight**: +> *These tools are **expensive and bloated**. Small businesses need **cheaper, niche-specific solutions**.* + +--- + +#### **3. Boutique GovCon Data Sellers (Your Competition)** +| Example | What They Sell | Price Model | +|-----------------------|-------------------------------------|-------------------| +| **Govly** | Custom bid leads (e.g., "IT under $250K"). | $100–$500/month | +| **GovTribe** | Past award data + contact intel. | $200–$1K/month | +| **Small Biz SEO** | "Hot opportunities" email lists. | $50–$200/month | + +**Who Uses These**: +- **Small businesses** (budget $100–$500/month). +- **Solo consultants** (who resell data). + +**Key Insight**: +> *These services are **manual and shallow**—they don’t leverage AI/automation like you can.* + +--- + +#### **4. Freemium Tools (Partial Solutions)** +| Tool | Free Tier | Paid Upgrades | +|-----------------------|------------------------------------|--------------------| +| **FPDS.gov** | Historical contract data. | None (but hard to use). | +| **USASpending API** | Raw spending data. | Requires coding skills. | +| **SubNet (SBA)** | Subcontracting leads. | No analytics. | + +**Who Uses These**: +- **Tech-savvy contractors** (who can build their own tools). +- **Hobbyists** (not serious players). + +**Key Insight**: +> *Most contractors **lack time/skills to use these APIs**—they’ll pay for pre-processed data.* + +--- + +### **Market Demand: Where You Fit** +#### **Gaps in the Market** +1. **Affordable Automation**: + - Existing tools cost **$5K+/year**. Your DuckDB scripts could undercut at **$200/month**. +2. **Niche-Specific Intel**: + - No one sells **"VA IT bids under $250K for WOSBs"** as a standalone product. +3. **AI-Powered Insights**: + - Most services just **dump data**. You can add **GPT-4 analysis** (e.g., "Bid/No-Bid recommendations"). + +#### **Ideal Customer** +- **Small GovCon firms** (<10 employees): + - **Budget**: $100–$500/month. + - **Pain Point**: "I waste hours on SAM.gov and still miss bids." +- **Solo consultants**: + - **Budget**: $50–$200 for one-off reports. + - **Pain Point**: "I need to show clients I’m ‘data-driven’." + +--- + +### **Action Plan: How to Compete** +1. **Start Narrow**: + - Example: *"I send weekly IT WOSB bids under $250K (with POC emails). $200/month."* +2. **Differentiate with Tech**: + - Offer **CSV/API access** (competitors only do PDFs/emails). +3. **Upsell AI**: + - *"Add GPT-4 ‘Bid/No-Bid’ analysis for +$100/month."* + +**Test Demand Fast**: +- Post in **r/govcon**: + > *"I scraped this week’s IT WOSB bids under $250K. First 5 DMs get the CSV free."* +- If 10+ people reply → **validated demand**. + +--- + +### **Final Reality Check** +- **Competition exists but is inefficient**: Most tools are **overpriced or manual**. +- **Your edge**: + - **Faster** (automated scripts). + - **Cheaper** (no sales team overhead). + - **Smarter** (AI insights they lack). + +**Next Step**: +1. **Scrape 10 bids** from SAM.gov using DuckDB. +2. **Post them for free** in a Facebook group. +3. **Ask**: *"Would you pay $200/month for this weekly?"* + +If yes → **launch**. If no → tweak the niche (e.g., cybersecurity, construction). + +--- + ### **Data-Centric Government Contracting: Deliverables-First Roadmap** You’re right—let’s cut the fluff and focus on **concrete, data-driven deliverables** you can build *today* to monetize your skills. Here’s the **no-BS playbook**: