Hello everyone, I'm hoping to get some insight on a potential conflict in my contracting strategy. As a student of this course, I understand the importance of niching down and specializing in specific product categories within DIBBS to gain a competitive edge. Does the fact that my company is attempting to operate across a broad range of service categories on SAM.gov conflict with the principle of niching down for DIBBS? Should I be concerned that DLA, or anyone else, will view this as a lack of focus? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi everyone! I just got awarded my first DLA contract, and while I’m excited, I also have nervous butterflies about my traceability. I could really use some guidance. The award is for NSN 4510-00-757-4095, and the approved source is listed as "CR/PL LLC 77378 P/N 354020" with description "STEM ASSY, FAUCET". When I was sourcing quotes, everything pointed toward Crane Plumbing as the manufacturer for this part. I thought CR/PL LLC was a subsidiary of Crane Plumbing. I’m confident this is a Crane Plumbing part, but I'm not sure what CR/PL LLC is and don't think I'll be able to get traceability back to them. The contracting officer didn’t ask me for any traceability documentation prior to award, and now I’m worried I may not be able to get bulletproof documentation linking the part to the approved source (CR/PL LLC). I'm getting the part through a dealer, but I suspect they sourced it from Crane (I hope), not CR/PL LLC. My questions: - Is it ever acceptable to fulfill a contract with the exact part, but from a non-approved source? I.e., does my source matter so long as I can prove that this is a legit Crane Plumbing part? - Should I reach out to the contracting officer now to proactively disclose the situation, or would that create unnecessary risk? - Any tips for how I can best avoid this situation in the future? I've generally been focusing more on finding the part and not worrying as much about the source. Any insight from those who’ve been through this would be greatly appreciated! I want to do this right and avoid messing up my first opportunity. Thanks in advance!

Hey ya'll, it looks like i finally won my first contract! I'm so excited! I don't even know what it is lol 😂

Hey everyone! 👋Excited to be here! I'm a digital marketer and website designer, and I work closely with professionals in the construction and government contracting space. A big part of what I do involves helping businesses navigate the early stages—especially around everything you need to win your first contract as a beginner government contractor. I’m here to grow, connect, and level up alongside everyone in this community. Looking forward to building real relationships and supporting each other on this journey.

Hello everyone! I'm new to the community and happy to be here! Finally got my postcard and ready to bid! Does anyone here have experience bidding on hazmat contracts? We're getting our DG certs this week and already have hazmat endorsements. We're already experienced with hazmat, so we're going to bid specifically on hazmat contracts and wanted to see if anybody else is doing the same. Thanks!