During market research, a contracting officer or small business specialist who comes across your firm in a database, a sources sought response or an event attendee list will often look at your website next. Spring and early summer are busy market research months for fourth-quarter requirements, so this is a good time to review your site the way a government buyer would. The goal is not a flashy design. It is fast, accurate answers to the questions buyers bring.
The questions buyers bring
A government reader usually wants to know a handful of things within a minute or two. What exactly does this firm do? Has it done work like ours, for customers like us? Is it small under the NAICS code we are considering, and does it hold the status our set-aside requires? Does it hold a contract vehicle we can use? Who do we contact? If your site answers those questions clearly, it has done its job.
A government page checklist
Many firms create a single page for government customers. It should include:
- A plain description of your core capabilities, using the vocabulary agencies use in their requirements
- Your legal business name exactly as registered in SAM.gov, along with your UEI and CAGE code
- Primary NAICS codes and the product service codes that best describe your work
- Size status and any certifications you currently hold, such as 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB or SDVOSB
- Contract vehicles you hold, with contract numbers and the scope available under each
- Summaries of relevant past performance, described accurately and with appropriate permission
- A downloadable capability statement that matches the page
- A named point of contact, with a phone number and an email address someone actually monitors
Accuracy is not optional
Everything on the page should match your SAM.gov record and your current status. Listing a certification you have not yet received, or one that has lapsed, can create real problems, and misrepresenting small business status carries serious consequences. Be equally careful with past performance. Some contracts restrict public disclosure of the work or the use of the customer’s name in marketing, and federal agencies generally do not endorse contractors, so avoid wording or images that suggest an endorsement. Do not use agency seals or logos in a way that implies an official relationship.
Make it easy to read and find
Keep pages fast and readable on a phone, since many people will check your site between meetings. Use headings that match what buyers look for, and put the essential facts near the top rather than behind a menu. The federal accessibility requirements known as Section 508 apply to technology that agencies buy and use rather than to a contractor’s marketing site, but building an accessible site is good practice and signals that you understand an expectation your federal customers live with.
Keep it current with a simple routine
Assign one person to own the government page and review it each quarter, and whenever something changes: a new award, a new vehicle, a certification renewal, a new point of contact. Check that links still work and that the capability statement on the site is the latest version. A buyer who finds outdated information may simply move on to the next firm on the list, and during the summer there is always a next firm.