Most tech companies think they need years of experience to win federal contracts. Wrong. Here are 5 strategies to accelerate your path to your first contract: 1. START WITH MICRO-PURCHASES (Under $10K) 2. The government can buy anything under $10,000 with a purchase card — no formal bidding required. Find a contracting officer who needs your service and make it easy for them to buy from you. This is the fastest path to getting "past performance" on your record. 3. SUBCONTRACT WITH A PRIME 4. Large contractors like Booz Allen, Leidos, and SAIC are required to subcontract work to small businesses. Reach out with your capability statement. You do the work, they manage the contract. You build experience and relationships. 5. PURSUE GSA ADVANTAGE MICRO-PURCHASES 6. If you get on a GSA Schedule, government buyers can find and purchase from you through GSA Advantage — basically the government's Amazon. Great for software licenses, SaaS subscriptions, and IT products. 7. TARGET STATE & LOCAL FIRST 8. Many state and local government contracts have lower barriers to entry. Win a few of these to build your past performance, then leverage that experience for federal opportunities. 9. ATTEND INDUSTRY DAYS & MATCHMAKING EVENTS 10. Agencies hold events specifically to meet small businesses. Show up with your capability statement, shake hands, and follow up. Relationships drive this industry more than you think. The key is to stop overthinking and start executing. Your first contract won't be your biggest — but it will be the most important one you ever win. Which of these strategies are you going to try first? Drop your answer below.

Welcome, operator. You just joined the mission. GovTech Ops is built for tech professionals — developers, IT consultants, cybersecurity pros, SaaS founders, and MSPs — who want to break into the $700B+ federal government contracting market. Here's how to get the most out of this community: 1. INTRODUCE YOURSELF — Drop a comment below. Tell us: What's your tech background? Have you done any government work before? What's your #1 goal with federal contracting? 2. CHECK THE CLASSROOM — We've got free training modules covering everything from SAM.gov registration to writing your first proposal. Start with Module 1 if you're brand new. 3. ASK QUESTIONS — No question is too basic. We've all been where you are. The community is here to help. 4. ENGAGE DAILY — The leaderboard rewards participation. Comment on posts, share wins, help others. That's how we all level up. The federal government NEEDS tech companies. They're spending billions on cybersecurity, cloud migration, AI/ML, and IT modernization. The opportunity is massive — but most tech companies don't know where to start. That's what we fix here. Let's get to work.