Learn the market on your own schedule

Self-paced, 6 modules, about 7 hours

Federal Contracting Foundations

The starter course. It explains how the federal government buys goods and services, which registrations you must hold before an agency can pay you, how to read the notices agencies post when they want something, and where the smallest and fastest purchases happen. Take it if you have never sold to the federal government.

• SAM.gov registration done correctly, UEI, CAGE, and the renewal calendar
• NAICS and PSC codes, size standards, and your SBA Small Business Search profile
• Micro-purchase and simplified acquisition: the buying lanes built for new firms
• Reading a solicitation: RFQ, RFP, RFI, sources sought, and what each one is really asking
• Contract types in plain English: firm fixed price, time and materials, IDIQ, BPA
• A 90-day plan with the bid/no-bid worksheet you will use for years

Self-paced, 5 modules, about 5 hours

State & Local Contracting, in Any State

States, cities, counties, and school districts buy through their own systems, with lower dollar thresholds and faster decisions than federal agencies, which is why most new companies land their first award there. This course shows you how to find your state's buying portal, register as a vendor, set up the alerts, and win the small purchases that never reach a public bid.

• Finding and registering in your state's procurement portal, with commodity code alerts set correctly
• How your state's procurement code sets the small-purchase thresholds that let agencies buy without a full solicitation
• Cooperative and statewide contracts, including NASPO ValuePoint, Sourcewell, and OMNIA Partners, and why one award can open hundreds of buyers
• City, county, school district, transit, and utility bid boards, and the platforms that aggregate them (BidNet Direct, Bonfire, OpenGov, DemandStar, PlanetBids)
• Local vendor registration, insurance certificates, and the paperwork that stalls new vendors
• A worked example in your state, built in the course workbook

Self-paced, 4 modules, about 4 hours

Certifications & Set-Asides

A set-aside is a contract only certain small businesses may compete for, such as women-owned, veteran-owned, disadvantaged, or located in a designated area. A certification is the government's confirmation that you qualify. This course explains each program, whether you are eligible, what to file and in what order, and which certifications actually change your odds.

• 8(a), WOSB and EDWOSB, SDVOSB and VOSB, HUBZone: eligibility and the documents behind each
• State and local programs: MWBE, HUB, SWaM, DBE, SBE, and city-level preference programs, and how to find the ones your state runs
• Ownership, control, and the mistakes that get applications returned
• How set-asides and sole-source authority are used by contracting officers
• A certification calendar built around your revenue plan

Self-paced, 7 modules, about 9 hours, with templates

Capture & Proposal Writing

Capture is the work you do before a contract is ever announced: finding out which agencies buy what you sell, meeting the people who buy it, and shaping your offer so you are known before the competition opens. Proposal writing is answering the government's request in the exact format it demands, so your bid is compliant, scorable, and persuasive. This course teaches both, with the templates to do it yourself.

• Market research on your own buyers with USAspending, FPDS, and agency forecasts
• Sources sought and RFI responses that put you in the conversation early
• Capability statements that a contracting officer will keep
• Compliance matrices, outlines, and past performance write-ups
• Pricing narratives, assumptions, and the questions to ask before you bid
• Debriefs, protests in outline, and what to do after a loss
• The complete proposal template library

Self-paced, 5 modules, about 6 hours

Pricing, Compliance & Getting Paid

How to build a price that covers your true costs and still wins, which contract clauses create obligations you must meet, how to invoice the government through its payment systems, and how to stay compliant after the award so you keep the contract and win the next one.

• Wrap rates: fringe, overhead, G&A, and profit, with a working calculator
• FAR clauses that matter to a new prime, and the flow-downs that matter to a sub
• Invoicing through the Invoice Processing Platform and Wide Area Workflow
• Subcontracting rules, limitations on subcontracting, and teaming agreements
• Record keeping, audits, and the compliance calendar for year one

All five courses, every template, lifetime access and updates

The complete course library

Every course on this page with the full template library, in the order most businesses need them: federal foundations, your state and local market, certifications, capture and proposals, then pricing and compliance. Priced below the five courses bought one at a time.