Field notes on winning federal work.

Color of money is contracting shorthand for the type of appropriation funding a defense requirement. Each type, from one-year operations funds to multi-year procurement, carries its own purpose and its own expiration. The color decides what a program office can legally buy and when, which is often what decides whether an opportunity in front of you is real.

To start government contracting, register your business in SAM.gov (free), get your UEI and CAGE code, pick your NAICS codes, and complete your reps and certs. Then learn to find and read opportunities, study past awards, and pick a narrow lane where you can win. Budget six to twelve months before your first prime award.

The federal fiscal year ends September 30, and agencies rush to obligate money before it expires. In September 2025 alone they obligated about $154 billion, close to a fifth of the year's total. Small firms that are registered, findable, and focused on opportunities that fit can win real work in the final weeks.

A DoD solicitation follows the Uniform Contract Format, which splits the document into Sections A through M. The Schedule (A to H) says what the government wants and on what terms. Section L tells you how to write your response, and Section M tells you how it gets scored. Read M and L first, then the work description in C, then price it in B.

SBIR Phase III is where the program pays off: commercialization, follow-on work, and a sole-source path, all on non-SBIR money. Here is how it works.

Some agencies award SBIR as grants, others as contracts, and it changes the rules. Here is the difference and what SBIR funding really covers.

Federal business development is the work you do before a solicitation drops: choosing the agencies and buyers you can realistically win with, building relationships early, and deciding what to pursue. For a small team, most of the discipline is in saying no. You win more by chasing fewer, better opportunities and preparing for them sooner.

Bidding on a federal contract is a sequence, not a leap. Here is the step-by-step path from registration to a submitted proposal, and where firms go wrong.

Teaming widens the work you can pursue, but the wrong partner adds risk. Here is how to find and vet partners on capability, credibility, and commitment.