Are You Ready to Get Started with the DoD?

First Let’s talk about how federal funding differs from commercial funding.

Perhaps one of the most important things to note about federal funding is that it is process driven. Whereas most B2B strategies are focused on who you know, most B2G (business to government) strategies are based on an extensive understanding of the process and compliance parameters.

Entry Points to Defense Funding

For us, an SBIR open topic is one of the best entry points for getting federal funding, and our reasoning comes down to one key aspect: Sole-source eligibility.

Sole-source eligibility is when a company enters into a contract with the government that allows the contractor to avoid the traditional competitive process required for federal funding. This is because the contractor is deemed to be the only source that can meet the government’s requirements.

This is huge for any company because it provides an opportunity to shorten acquisition timelines significantly, which makes federal funding a much more efficient and lucrative funding source.

What is the Process?

Although the government tends to operate in a process-driven manner, it’s important to note that adopting the right strategy is still vital for success. In most cases, the most effective strategy will include some variation of the following steps:

• Sole-source authority
• Non-traditional contract types
• Flexible and efficient contracting vehicles
• Business development
• “Go to market” strategy

Time to Award

And there is even better news. With the AFWERX changes implemented over the past year, we are seeing some of the fastest timelines from submission to revenue.

Take the upcoming summer SBIR Phase I round, for example. According to the AFWERX open topic calendar:

See timeline below