New Twists in “For – Profit Assistance” Marketing Campaigns

by | Dec 21, 2016 | Blog, Press Releases, Procurement, Small Business Information

First, remember that registration and renewals in the System for Award Management (www.SAM.gov) is ALWAYS free!

That being said, there are several legal, for-profit companies with slick, official-looking advertising campaigns that market to small business to either register or renew your profile in SAM for a fee. While this is a legal service, they often look deceptively close to true government notices and can apply high pressure sales tactics. PTACs across the country work together to keep up to date on the latest campaigns, so that we can be prepared to answer our clients questions on their veracity.There are a couple of new marketing developments in the ever evolving field of “for-profit” contracting assistance.

US Federal Contractor Registration
The most established of the for-profit providers, USFCR has tweaked their year end campaign to capture business through SAM renewals.Their latest email ad, which includes the following elements:
  • They’ve added “gov” to their email address.
  • Their language: “Click here to continue to accept federal payments,”is not exactly right; SAM registration allows the government to pay vendors electronically.
  • This language: “Fail to renew your Registration, and the government will place your business on the federal watch list ….”is incorrect—there is no such thing!
  • This language: “You are receiving this notice because you are a Verified Vendor,”may be confusing. That’s their term, not the government’s.
Virtual Government Expo Network (VGEN)
PTAC clients have been reporting contacts from “US Army Contracting officers” who request their Capability statement and then urge them to register with VGEN, which—for a $199 fee–will include a company on its vendor listing. It also offers other consulting services. At least one client dug deeper to discover that the “contracting officer” listed in the email had no knowledge of the company and that the email address it came from (complete with “.mil”) was not a valid email.
Federal Equity Partners
Perhaps the newest player on the block, Federal Equity Partners’ stated function is “to connect qualified applicants to sole and sub source contracts with the United Nations and government agencies domestically and abroad”. Their marketing campaign is forthright about being a company and not an agency—but appears very personalized and targeted, implying that they can offer immediate, concrete and assured opportunities. Their website promises:
  1. Located “sources sought” and “overdue” contract opportunities
  2. Match up with federal orders that require your products or services now
  3. Sit back, relax, and watch the orders come to you. Be ready to fill them!

 

It is important to remember that these are legal companies and that folks are free to avail themselves of their services if you find a value to them. Just be aware that everything they offer is available for free elsewhere and that if you do need assistance, Native PTAC is here for you!