It is essential to know the Product and Service Codes (PSCs) and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes for your products, services or industry in which your organization normally does business. The PSC Manual specifically describes PSCs as codes used to describe products, services, and R&D purchased by the federal government. NAICS, by contrast, classifies establishments by economic activity.

PSCs describe the products, services, and research and development (R&D) purchased by the Federal Government. Product PSCs are commonly referred to as Federal Supply Class (FSC) codes. Review the current PSC Manual to identify the codes that best describe the products and services your organization provides.

NAICS codes classify businesses by type of economic activity. Each NAICS code is associated with an SBA size standard, generally based on average annual receipts or number of employees. For a particular federal procurement, the NAICS code assigned to the acquisition and its corresponding size standard determine whether a business qualifies as small for that opportunity.

When registering in SAM.gov, businesses identify the NAICS codes that describe the work they perform, including a primary NAICS code. Businesses should keep these codes current and understand the SBA size standards associated with the NAICS codes under which they pursue federal opportunities.

For Awareness: 2027 NAICS Update. OMB proposed revisions to NAICS in July 2026 to clarify existing classifications, recognize emerging industries, and combine certain industries. The proposed revision would apply to establishment data for periods beginning on or after January 1, 2027. Businesses should monitor the final 2027 NAICS release and determine whether any codes relevant to their operations change.

System for Award Management (SAM.gov)

Entities seeking to bid on and receive federal contracts generally must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). SAM.gov is the official U.S. Government system for entity registration and federal contracting information. Registration and obtaining a Unique Entity ID (UEI) directly through SAM.gov are free. Some third-party businesses offer registration assistance for a fee, but use of these services is not required. Free assistance is also available through APEX Accelerators.

As part of the SAM.gov registration process, a new entity is assigned a UEI, a 12-character alphanumeric identifier. Entities must also validate their entity information and may need to provide supporting documentation. Before beginning registration, review the Entity Registration Checklist to ensure the required information and documentation are available. An entity that does not need to apply directly for federal awards may obtain a UEI without completing a full SAM registration.

CAGE and NCAGE Codes

Entities doing business with DoD will also need a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code. The CAGE program is administered by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), which assigns and maintains CAGE codes for entities located in the United States and its outlying areas. A CAGE code is a five-character alphanumeric identifier used to identify an entity at a specific location. For entities registered in SAM.gov, the CAGE code is assigned as part of the SAM.gov registration process, and CAGE information originating in SAM is maintained through updates to the entity's SAM registration.

For vendors located outside the United States and its territories, vendors must obtain their CAGE code (known as a NATO CAGE code or NCAGE code) through their home country's National Codification Bureau (NCB) if a NATO member or sponsored nation or through the NATO Support Agency (NSPA) for vendors in other countries.

Note: In limited circumstances, such as when a CAGE code is needed for purposes other than receiving a federal award, a U.S. entity may obtain a CAGE code directly through the DLA CAGE Program rather than through a SAM.gov registration.

The DoW Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP), part of the Office of Industrial Base Growth, works to reduce barriers for small businesses, expand their participation in the defense industrial base, and increase their contribution to national security and DoW mission needs.

Helpful Resources:

The Small Business Playbook

Military Department and Defense Agency Small Business Offices provides links to small business offices across the Department.

APEX Accelerators provide no-cost assistance to businesses seeking to enter and participate in government contracting. APEX counselors can assist with registration, contracting readiness, market research, identifying opportunities, proposal preparation, and certain contract-performance issues. APEX Accelerators support businesses pursuing opportunities with DoW, other federal agencies, state and local governments, and prime contractors. Formerly known as the Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP), the program transitioned from the Defense Logistics Agency to OSBP and was rebranded as APEX Accelerators in 2023.

Small Business Administration (SBA)
The Small Business Administration (SBA) provides federal contracting assistance and administers small business certification programs, including 8(a) Business Development, HUBZone, Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), and Veteran/Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business programs. Eligible businesses may use these programs to compete for certain set-aside and sole-source contracting opportunities.

General Services Administration (GSA)
The General Services Administration (GSA) provides training, tools, events, and guidance to help small businesses understand and compete in the federal marketplace, including resources for doing business with GSA.

SAM.gov Contract Opportunities is the centralized source for federal procurement notices. Businesses can search notices from federal contracting offices, including pre-solicitation notices, solicitations, award notices, and sole-source notices. Anyone can search opportunities without a SAM.gov account; creating an account allows users to save searches, follow changes to opportunities, and join interested vendor lists.

Search strategically. Use keywords and filters relevant to your capabilities, including NAICS codes, contracting agency or organization, set-aside status, and other available search criteria. Do not limit searches to formal solicitations. Reviewing pre-solicitation and other early notices can help identify requirements before the solicitation stage.

Save and monitor your searches. Establish searches around your key products, services, NAICS codes, and target customers, and follow relevant notices so you can monitor changes and new opportunities.

Look at past awards, too. SAM.gov also provides federal contract award data. Reviewing prior awards can help you understand what agencies buy, which organizations are buying what, and which contractors have previously performed similar work. This information can help focus your business development and teaming efforts.

Start searching Contract Opportunities in SAM.gov.

It's recommended that you don't just periodically search SAM.gov for an RFP that matches your product. Search broadly, monitor early notices, save searches, and use historical award information to understand the market.

Familiarize yourself with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS). The FAR establishes government-wide acquisition rules, while the DFARS contains additional requirements applicable to DoW acquisitions.

You do not need to read the regulations cover to cover. Focus on the provisions, clauses, and requirements included in the opportunities you pursue. These may address areas such as small business, cybersecurity, intellectual property and data rights, pricing, subcontracting, and contract administration. Read each solicitation carefully and understand the requirements your business will be expected to meet.

Following the 2025 Executive Order Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement, the Federal Government is streamlining and rewriting the FAR, with revised coverage being implemented through agency deviations while formal rulemaking proceeds. Check the RFO site and the solicitation for the requirements currently applicable to an acquisition.

See our Contracting section for more insights.

DoW's support network serves you. In January 2026, the Department set up the Office of Industrial Base Growth (IBG) and put the Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) under it. Deputy Assistant Secretary of War James Mismash leads IBG and also directs OSBP. A new resource launched in early 2006 by the IBG is LYNX, the DOW's online platform for helping companies, especially small businesses and newcomers to defense work, get into the defense market. If you are a company seeking to do business, build a company profile and take a readiness assessment. LYNX then gives you a custom roadmap covering compliance requirements and the contract opportunities that fit your capabilities. The goal is to keep businesses from chasing contracts they're unlikely to win.

The APEX Accelerators help small businesses compete for and execute contracts with DoW and other federal agencies. Most APEX Accelerator services are free. You can find your local APEX Accelerator here. There were 92 centers in the April 2024-March 2025 program year, and the FY2026 funding round has gone out.

Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) provide aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners free one-on-one training in business plan development, finance and marketing. SCORE holds events and workshops across the country to match entrepreneurs with local, volunteer mentors. You can find your local SCORE business office here.

The Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) program offers resources to veterans, service members, and military spouses who are interested in starting or growing a small business.

Women's Business Centers provide free, to low-cost counseling and training and focus on women who want to start, grow, and expand their small business.

Resource: DoW Small Business Bulletin

Effective government marketing is less about promoting your company and more about demonstrating that you understand the customer's mission, requirements, and challenges. The DoW Office of Industrial Base Growth recommends the following practices for businesses marketing to the Department:

Follow the money. Understand where funding is being directed and which organizations are buying what you offer.

Do your homework. Use information and facts to understand the market, customer, and requirement.

Know your niche. Be clear about what you do well rather than trying to be everything to everyone.

Target the right customers. Understand their mission, environment, priorities, requirements, and challenges.

Engage Small Business Professionals and APEX Accelerators. They can help you navigate organizations, opportunities, and the government market.

Tailor your message. Avoid a generic capabilities presentation. Show that you understand the customer's specific needs.

Explain your value. Clearly connect your product or service to mission outcomes, including improvements to cost, schedule, performance, or capability.

Differentiate yourself. Explain what distinguishes your solution or performance from credible alternatives.

Make past performance relevant. Show how your previous work relates to the prospective customer's requirements rather than expecting them to make the connection.

Discuss real requirements. When meeting with Program Managers and Contracting Officers, be prepared to discuss a specific requirement or mission need, not just your company's general capabilities.

Create a concise, one-page capability statement that quickly communicates what your company does, why it is qualified, and how it can support DoW requirements. Include:

• Core capabilities relevant to the work you are pursuing
• Differentiators that distinguish you from competitors
• Relevant past performance and demonstrated results
• Company information, including your UEI, CAGE code, relevant NAICS/PSC codes, and contact information
• Small business or socioeconomic certifications, if applicable

Keep the document professional, current, easy to scan, and free of errors. Tailor the content to the customer or market you are pursuing rather than relying on a single generic version.

For meetings with prospective customers, develop a more detailed capability briefing tailored to that organization's mission and specific challenges. Focus on the problem you can solve, your relevant experience, and the measurable value your product or service can provide to mission outcomes, cost, schedule, performance, or capability.

Lead with capability and value, not socioeconomic status. Small business and socioeconomic certifications can be important to an acquisition strategy, but your marketing message should first demonstrate that you understand the requirement and can successfully perform the work.

Use SAM.gov Contract Awards to identify agencies that buy what you sell and companies already performing related work. Search award data by factors such as keyword, agency, awardee, location, competition, and set-aside to understand who is buying, who is winning, and how similar requirements have been acquired. Use this information to target prospective customers, competitors, teaming partners, and prime contractors.

Look for subcontracting opportunities as well. Subcontracting can provide a pathway into the federal market and help build relevant experience. Use SBA's SUBNet to find opportunities posted by prime contractors and Small Business Administration resources to identify prime contractors with small business subcontracting plans. Also consider approaching primes identified through your SAM.gov research when your capabilities complement work they already perform.

DoW Small Business Professionals (SBPs) can help businesses understand their organization's mission, priorities, requirements, and acquisition environment. Focus your outreach on organizations that buy what you sell, and do your homework before requesting a meeting. For known or recurring requirements, engage early, well before a solicitation is released, when market research and acquisition planning may still be underway. DoW maintains a directory of Small Business Offices.

SBPs can also help you navigate the organization and prepare to engage Program Managers and Contracting Officers. Be prepared to discuss a specific mission need or requirement and explain how your capabilities and past performance are relevant. It is recommended you avoid a generic sales pitch.

The U.S. Small Business Administration's Procurement Center Representatives (PCRs) also help small businesses pursue federal contracts. PCRs review many acquisition strategies before they are announced, conduct market research, provide contracting counseling, and can advocate for appropriate small business participation.

Get in the game! Winning your first contract can take persistence. Proposal timelines may be short, and developing a competitive response can require significant time and resources.

Consider starting with simplified acquisitions, which use streamlined procedures intended to reduce administrative costs and improve efficiency. The current Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) is $350,000 (see FAR 2.101 and FAR Part 13), although acquisition thresholds are periodically adjusted. Acquisitions above the micro-purchase threshold and at or below the SAT are generally set aside for small businesses unless the contracting officer determines there is not a reasonable expectation of obtaining competitive offers from responsible small businesses. Search SAM.gov Contract Opportunities for opportunities.

If you don't win, use the experience to get better. When feedback or a debriefing is available, use it to understand how your proposal was evaluated and strengthen future submissions.

If you win, congratulations. Now execute! Deliver on your commitments, communicate with your customer, and look for opportunities to provide exceptional mission value. Strong performance can become the past performance that helps you compete for your next contract.