Skip to content

Learn, free to read, no account

Federal work, explained once, in plain English.

Stage 1

Never bid on anything

What this world is, whether it fits, and getting registered

Is government work a fit for your business?7 min What government contracting actually is6 min What a set-aside is and why it exists6 min Register on SAM.gov8 min Size standards, are you actually small?8 min

Stage 2

Registered, no wins yet

Reading notices, being findable, and the certifications that widen the field

Notice types decoded6 min Responding to a sources sought6 min Writing a capability statement6 min Which certification is worth your time?7 min HUBZone, do you qualify?4 min

Stage 3

Bidding and losing

Sections L and M, pricing, the no-bid discipline, and learning from losses

Sections L and M are the whole test6 min Bid or no-bid, a decision you make in 20 minutes6 min Pricing basics7 min Bid mistakes that get you thrown out on page one6 min Debriefings, how to ask and what you learn6 min

Stage 4

Winning, want more

Vehicles, recompetes, and the machinery behind steady work

What an IDIQ is6 min How task orders work under an IDIQ7 min The GSA Schedule, what it is6 min Hunting recompetes 12 to 18 months out7 min You won. The first 30 days7 min

Wondering if you need us at all?Doing it yourself vs using Quarry5 min The vocabularyGlossary78 terms, one sentence each The address checkHUBZone map checkerAny address, answered in a sentence

Glossary

Every term you will meet in a notice. Tap a dotted term anywhere in Quarry and this is what opens.

Set-asideA competition limited to a class of business, such as small businesses or HUBZone firms.Sources soughtMarket research before a contract exists; answering it can shape the eventual competition in your favor.IDIQA standing agreement that lets an agency order work from you later; the orders are the real competitions.NAICS codeThe industry code agencies use to label work and to decide which businesses count as small.PSC codeThe code a solicitation uses to describe exactly what product or service the government is buying.IncumbentWhoever holds the work today, and usually the competitor to beat.Past performanceA record of how well you have done similar work before, which evaluators weigh alongside price on most proposals.All 78 terms

All 105 pages

More pages land as we write them. Every page shows the date we last verified it.

Doing the work

Accounting a government auditor will accept7 min Becoming a prime who subcontracts7 min Buy American, TAA and Section 8897 min CPARS, your permanent record6 min Cybersecurity requirements7 min Getting paid7 min Modifications, options and scope changes6 min Outgrowing small7 min You won. The first 30 days7 min

Finding work

Agency procurement forecasts and how to read them6 min eBuy, DIBBS, FedConnect and agency portals6 min Hunting recompetes 12 to 18 months out7 min Notice types decoded6 min Reading a solicitation, section by section7 min Responding to a sources sought6 min Searching SAM.gov without drowning7 min SOW vs PWS vs SOO5 min The Q4 spending surge5 min USAspending and FPDS, find who holds the work now6 min Where opportunities are actually posted6 min Why set-aside filters mislead you5 min

Help and money

APEX Accelerators, free help in your state6 min Financing a contract you've won7 min SBA loan programs relevant to contractors7 min SBDCs, SCORE, and veteran business centers7 min

Bidding

Bid mistakes that get you thrown out on page one6 min Bid or no-bid, a decision you make in 20 minutes6 min Bonding and insurance for construction bids7 min Building a compliance matrix7 min Debriefings, how to ask and what you learn6 min LPTA vs best value tradeoff6 min Pricing basics7 min Protests6 min Representations and certifications6 min Sections L and M are the whole test6 min The question period5 min Wage determinations6 min

Contract vehicles

BPAs vs IDIQs7 min Contract types 1017 min Getting on the Schedule8 min Getting onto an IDIQ8 min GWACs and who they're for6 min How task orders work under an IDIQ7 min Is an IDIQ worth chasing at your size?5 min Living on the Schedule7 min OASIS+ and the big services vehicles7 min Purchase cards and micro-purchases5 min Requirements and delivery-order contracts7 min Single award vs multiple award6 min The GSA Schedule, what it is6 min Vehicle decoder, which vehicle is this opportunity on7 min What an IDIQ is6 min

Foundations

Contracting myths7 min Dollar thresholds that change the rules7 min Federal vs state vs local buying7 min How to get government contracts9 min Is government work a fit for your business?7 min Prime or subcontractor, which should you be first7 min The FAR, in plain English7 min The honest timeline and cost of your first win6 min The procurement lifecycle, start to finish8 min What a set-aside is and why it exists6 min What government contracting actually is6 min

Using Quarry

Doing it yourself vs using Quarry5 min Quarry vs a consultant, a bid-matching service, and SAM.gov alerts6 min Use Quarry in your AI assistant4 min What Quarry actually does (and what it doesn't)5 min Why we don't charge for leads5 min Why we give you verdicts instead of scores5 min Your first 30 days with Quarry6 min

Reference

Every portal in one place7 min The fiscal calendar5 min

Getting registered

Getting set up to invoice and get paid6 min Getting your UEI6 min Past performance when you have none6 min Picking your NAICS codes6 min PSC codes and why buyers search by them5 min Register on SAM.gov8 min SAM renewal, and the six things that get registrations rejected7 min Size standards, are you actually small?8 min What a CAGE code is5 min Writing a capability statement6 min Your SBA DSBS profile6 min