All cities have a purchasing office and/or a procurement officer. They handle all city contracts that are sent out to bid. Usually, to become a small business vendor of the city you must satisfy either some or all of the requirements listed below:
Minority Or Woman Owned Business
Small Business (Under $500,000/Year Gross)
Worker's Compensation Insurance (If Employees Work On Contract)
Liability Insurance Of $500,000-1,000,000 Aggregate With The City As Additional
Insured (For Autos And Completed Operations) (finish products liability)
City Business License
Local Business In Town
Hire Local Employees
Not all contracts are sent out to bid however. Some of the gravy contracts are ad-ons, additions or "Oh, by the way," contracts. The latter of which are by far the best. These contracts come up often. Here's how its works. Now for this example lets use a cleaning service:
The city manager comes up with an idea. He's seen you out at the corporation yard cleaning cars with your high-pressure machine. He needs you to clean the bird droppings off a flagpole in front of city hall, frontage of the library and awnings around the civic center. You work out a price at $100/hour once a week. Since this is out of their budget, they settle on every other week. You adjust the price to $120/hour. Then as you do the job, you figure out a way to do it in one-half the time ($240/hour).
You then donate $30-50 in coupons to his kid's school, rotary club and whatever church he and the current mayor attend. First you have to get a city contract. Bid low. It's worth it. This is how it really works, no matter what the rest of the world says. Government is no different or anymore ethical than rat living at the dump. If you are wondering why all the same companies get all the city's business, it is because they understand how it all works. It would be nice to have a more honest government at all levels, but since you can provide great services to the city and you deserve the business, you may as well get out there and go get it. It is not good or bad, it just is; it is much different than they teach you in school. Maybe some day it will be; one can only hope. Think about it.
"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.worldthinktank.net/wttbbs
whole house cleaning Arlington Heights ...THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PRICINGIn case you hadn't noticed, people can... Read More
The current lack of industry leaders represents an exceptional opportunity... Read More
Many mobile car wash operators would like to add de-ionized... Read More
Many small companies work very hard to get new accounts.... Read More
Q: Is the online world the best place to sell... Read More
-- Beyond Cold Calling, "Warm" Calling and Sending E-mails --Many... Read More
If you run a pressure washer business you need complete... Read More
If an organization lacks a mission statement, it is worthwhile... Read More
Your on-line success is based on your efforts and yours... Read More
Self-cleaning glass has been talked about a lot, with such... Read More
Do You Really Need a Toll-Free Number for Your Business?... Read More
No matter how small your small business is, it is... Read More
While I was hard at work last week, an everyday... Read More
In the summer, I can't drive two blocks without seeing... Read More
The Workers' Compensation situation in this country is unbelievable. Why,... Read More
If you want to start a business in 2005, and... Read More
Since you own a business you probably have liability insurance... Read More
In general, all of us know how to accomplish the... Read More
Too often in business we get trapped into reviewing our... Read More
At one point or another, almost every business runs short... Read More
If your home business is not performing the way you... Read More
We all know that a building has to have a... Read More
Most small businesses incorporated in 2005 will fail by the... Read More
Let's face it, we all tend to get stuck in... Read More
The modern Franchise business model and the much different business... Read More
non-toxic cleaning company Des Plaines ...Pity parties are nothing new. In fact, we do it... Read More
Your product is dying. With the same inevitability that we... Read More
My colleague, Jane, recently lamented to me an all too... Read More
Do you like animals? Would you like to work for... Read More
$elling $elling $ellingWhat makes a great sales person? Well, the... Read More
Why does a good business relationship rely on having some... Read More
In franchising an individual desirous of their own business will... Read More
How often have you thumbed through a business opportunity magazine,... Read More
The single most important activity you can do in your... Read More
There's been a recent rise in the number of elderly... Read More
There are countless ways to save your business money. Unfortunately,... Read More
1. TargetYou are not all things to all people. Decide... Read More
What is the best time to expand a mobile car... Read More
Database Problems in MarketingI have been working on a direct... Read More
SBIR vs. STTR: If you are participating in the SBIR... Read More
Manufactured and Mobile Home owners know that the weather this... Read More
To get approval for your small business loan application, you... Read More
If you're starting your own business or currently work for... Read More
Hew Hampshire car wash market. Well we have visited every... Read More
A lot of business owners I've spoken with lately have... Read More
If you are worried about how many different business cards... Read More
Starting your own e-commerce business can be quite the adventure.... Read More
The Franchise Group at the Federal Trade Commission in all... Read More
How do we keep track of our business deals?If you... Read More
Auto Detailing: Maintaining A Commercial Carpet ExtractorYou should drain your... Read More
Small Business |