Basic things you need in order to do business with the federal government

• A TIN, Tax Identification Number, or EIN, Employer Identification Number, can be obtained for your company at http://www.irs.gov/businesses/index.html under Starting a Business and then Employer Identification Number—you can also use your Social Security Number if you are a sole proprietor
• A DUNS#, Data Universal Numbering System, Dunn & Bradstreet www.dnb.com --a DUNS# is free, but they will try to sell you their other services.  Go to the section “For U.S. Government Contractors, Vendors and Grant Recipients who need a D&B D-U-N-S® Number.”
• Registration in the CCR (Central Contractor Registration) database www.ccr.gov
• Optional, but very important:  Method to accept credit cards (mainly MasterCard and Visa) with a Merchant Services Account

Effective September 8, 2009, federal contractors awarded new contracts of $100,000 or more with a performance period of longer than 120 days are required to use E-Verify to verify their employees’ eligibility to legally work in the U.S. http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify

Contracting opportunity resources

• FedBizOpps www.fedbizopps.gov - Vendor Notification Service
• PTAC, procurement technical assistance cente
  www.aptac-us.org
• GSA schedule--For information about getting on GSA Schedule, you can find GSA Schedule Workshops at www.gsa.gov (click on “For Contractors and Vendors” and then “Training for Small Businesses”) and on-line training at www.gsa.gov/centerforacquisitionexcellence
• Subcontracting opportunity resources
• http://www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/index.html DoD's Office of Small Business Programs
• SUB-Net http://web.sba.gov/subnet a government website used by prime contractors to post live solicitations for subcontracting services and products