USING THE SBA SEARCH AND REQUIREMENTS LETTER TO FIND WORK
After identifying a potential requirement through self-marketing, contact your SBA Office and request a search letter be sent on your company behalf. The search letter is sent by your SBA Business Opportunity Specialist (BOS) on your behalf. The search letter is sent by SBA requesting that the agency set aside the requirement to the 8(a) contractor who self-marketed it not to exceed $4,000,000.
Do not delay in requesting your BOS to send the search letter. The search letter may reserve the requirement for your company. However, your company may not be the only 8(a) contractor that sends out a search letter especially if you saw it on the agency forecast or some other public area. If accepted, the agency may accept or honor the search letter that it receives first if the requirement does not exceed the 8(a) competition threshold.
Don’t hold your breath for the SBA search letter or letter of requirement (LOR) for 8(a) contracts. This is just one of many self-marketing efforts.
Aggressively continue to use this method and other tools to self- market your “capabilities” to as many end-users, and acquisition personnel as possible. Are you a “me too” or are you a problem solver with unique capabilities.
Narrow your target market to two or three agencies that have a history of buying what you sell and become familiar with whom, when, what, and how your target agencies do business.
If you are “capabilities focused” you will find work. Self-market, your problem solving capabilities and your hard work will pay off in way that you cannot imagine.