There's an old adage that says "if you don't know about a solicitation until it is publicly released, there's no point in bidding." In my experience, this is true in many, but not all cases. Nevertheless, experienced contractors are always on the lookout for bidding opportunities in advance of their publication in Fedbizopps.gov (formerly the Commerce Business Daily). Large federal contractors -- those who can afford it -- continuously troll the halls of government agencies and set up meetings with agency officials in an attempt to find out what's coming down the pike. Other established and wannabe contractors attend "Industry Days," in which government agencies or departments hold public meetings to present information about their current and upcoming activities. Still others market directly to agencies via face-to-face meetings and presentations.
Having advance knowledge of a procurement opportunity is a real advantage, because you can begin planning and gathering information for a bid or proposal before the solicitation hits the street. Once a solicitation is released and you haven't known about it beforehand, you may have to do a lot of scurrying around to catch up with other bidders who have already begun their preparations.
Many new contractors, including small businesses, aren't aware that major federal government agencies are required by law to release information to the public about their upcoming procurement opportunities for the fiscal year. These are called "Procurement Forecasts," and you can usually find them on agency websites. Or, you can go directly to the Procurement Forecast dropdown box at the Acquisition Net website and select the agency(ies) that interest you.
Happy hunting!
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