Define your lane
Choose one service, one geography, and the NAICS codes that actually describe your work.
The field manual for government subcontracting
Find government subcontracting opportunities. Understand what it takes to win them.
Practical intelligence, public data, and field-ready tools for small businesses pursuing federal work.
Field guide 01
A credible first pursuit starts before the solicitation.
Government subcontracting is relationship-driven work supported by public information. Start narrow, establish proof, and approach prime contractors with a specific reason to remember you.
Assemble proof
Collect licenses, safety history, past performance, capacity, certifications, and insurance details.
Research the buyers
Use award data to identify primes already winning the kind of work you can support.
Make a focused approach
Lead with the work package you can execute, where you can execute it, and evidence that reduces risk.
First investigation · In development
Why qualified subcontractors remain invisible to the primes that need them.
The usual advice says to register, network, and make a capability statement. Our first research file asks the harder question: where, specifically, does discoverability fail between a capable local firm and a prime contractor carrying supplier risk?
What signal is missing?
We will distinguish lack of capability from lack of legible, buyer-relevant proof.
Follow the decision trail.
Official records, procurement documents, practitioner interviews, and field tests will be separated and labeled.
A diagnostic, not inspiration.
The finished piece will let a contractor identify the weak link and choose a next action.
Prime contractor research
Follow awarded work, not company-size mythology.
The useful question is not “Who are the biggest primes?” It is “Who is winning relevant work in my market, and where does my capability reduce delivery risk?”
- Search federal award data by agency, place, NAICS, and recipient.
- Review a prime's supplier or small-business registration process.
- Contact the relevant small-business liaison with a specific work package.
Wage intelligence
Price labor requirements before they price you out.
Federal construction work may incorporate wage determinations that affect base wages and fringe benefits. Verify the determination and classifications attached to the actual solicitation; a generic lookup is not a substitute for the contract documents.
Field tool 01
Capability statement outline builder
Draft the core of a one-page capability statement. Keep every claim concrete enough for a prime contractor to verify.
Working draft
Your Company
Core capabilities
Describe the focused work you perform
Why this team
Add one measurable result or differentiator
name@company.com · 555-555-5555
Add identifiers, certifications, past-performance details, and customer-relevant codes only after verifying them.
How this site works
Useful before impressive.
Public-source grounded
Core data tools will identify their official sources, dates, and limitations.
Plain-language first
We translate process without pretending that every procurement works the same way.
No pay-to-rank directory
Future sponsorships will be labeled and will not determine editorial recommendations.