Eric Coffie With Govcon Giants Inc

Intro: [00:00:01] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in South Florida. It’s time for South Florida Business Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:14] Lee Kantor are here. Another episode of South Florida Business Radio. And this is going to be a good one, so you better have your pencil and paper ready to go and take some notes because we have with us today Eric Coffie with Govcon giants. Welcome, Eric.

Eric Coffie : [00:00:31] Hey, Lee, how are you today? Welcome. Thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:33] Well, I am so excited to learn what you’re up to and share this great information with our listeners because I think it is super important and I think it’s a great opportunity for a lot of folks. So tell us a little bit about Gov con giants. How are you serving folks?

Eric Coffie : [00:00:48] Yeah. Gov. Giant is a national organization. We actually recently became a nonprofit where we provide training resources for free online, helping small businesses win large contracts. So we’ve been doing that for five years now. We’ve successfully helped hundreds of companies, land contracts and thousands of businesses get registered to start partaking and the $600 Billion US Federal Government Contract Marketplace.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:16] So now a lot of folks don’t include the government as part of their prospecting. They think, Oh, I have to get business from another business. Can you explain why it’s important to at least consider investing some time in trying to get government contracts?

Eric Coffie : [00:01:36] Well, I think a lot of times if we if depending upon how long people are in business, if you go back far enough, you’ll see times where the only buyers that existed in the marketplace was the government. And so I fortunately, I’ve had that experience back in my belt where you can go back just to 2008 when the market took a turn and there was no commercial companies that were buying a product because everyone was trying to reserve their cash, the market was kind of shut down. And so it was difficult for businesses to maintain, to stay viable and to stay afloat. And so the only customer that was buying at that time was the US government. So it’s almost like I would say, you know, when they tell you to go get a line of credit when you don’t need the money, it’s the same thing. You want to learn this marketplace when you don’t need it, because by the time that you have to have it or that you do need it, it’s going to be too late.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:33] So now is this for only kind of B2B businesses? Is there is it something that you have to be kind of making something in order to be a good option for the government? Or can it be a professional service business? Can it be a marketing company? Like what are kind of the sweet spot for government contracts?

Eric Coffie : [00:02:58] Great question. We actually, believe it or not, everything that the private sector buys, so does the government, including services, including products. And you do not have to actually manufacture the product in order to sell it to the government. Why? The beautiful thing about going to the government is they have a procurement process. And so even the manufacturers themselves, if they’re not tied in and they’re part of that procurement process, the government cannot buy from them. And that’s one of the advantages that I encourage small businesses to pursue, is because if you’re not in the government’s database and you’re not a registered vendor or registered supplier, it doesn’t matter what product that you make or manufacture, they cannot buy from you. And because of the bureaucracy and that system, it creates an opportunity for those small businesses that are nimble, that are swift, that have the opportunity to learn this marketplace, to then. Right. Create somewhat of a margin for themselves of reselling that product to the government.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:59] Now when you’re saying government, are you kind of discerning between state government, local government, federal government, or are they all kind of the government or does each one have its own kind of, you know, bureaucracy and strategy to get on their radar?

Eric Coffie : [00:04:20] Yeah. When I refer to government, I teach federal contracting, so I’m at the highest level. So when you think about, for example, the national parks, you think about the Navy, the Army, right? Those are the agencies that I target, Health and Human Services. I do not target state and local. So they are all unique and how you approach them in terms of strategy. But I target the federal government contracting arena because particularly if you’re selling a product, if you’re selling a product, right, this particular customer, regardless of what state are operating in, they still follow the same set of procurement guidelines and rules. And so that makes it really easy for a small company that doesn’t have a lot of bandwidth. You don’t have to learn four or five different sets of rules. So if you learn the federal government how they operate in the rules in which to navigate and play in that marketplace, you can apply that to selling to Colorado, Texas or Oregon, because as long as the federal agency, it doesn’t matter where they operate, they follow the same guidelines.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:26] Now when you’re dealing with the government, I’ve heard some stories where it’s so complicated, there are so many forms and you miss one form, then you know, then they kick the whole thing back. You’ve got to start again. They ask for so much information that to you might seem irrelevant that you know, why do they care about this thing? And now I’ve got to find that thing. And and I’m going to it’s going to be a full time job just to put my name in the hat. Is that accurate or is that a myth? Like how does it work?

Eric Coffie : [00:06:00] No, that’s pretty accurate. I would hate to say it’s a myth. It’s pretty accurate. You do have to go through an extensive process up front in order to qualify. Right. And so that’s that’s one of those barriers to entry that keeps a lot of people out. But that also creates a unique opportunity for those the persons who do learn how to navigate that right, to essentially make everyone else their workers and their subcontractors. So, yes, there is and again, I just had this conversation with someone this morning. There is those barriers to entry up front, which is part of the difficulty. But once you get past them, the opportunity in other side is endless.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:41] So you’re saying that it’s an investment worth making?

Eric Coffie : [00:06:45] It’s an investment worth making? Absolutely.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:46] Now, is it something that I can just go, you know what? I’m just going to pay someone to do all that for me. Can I do that? Or is this something that I. I have to hire a consultant. They’re going to tell me what to do, but I still I can’t get around not doing it. I can’t pay someone to do this for me.

Eric Coffie : [00:07:03] You can pay there are companies out there that you can pay to help you with the registration process. Absolutely. We know of companies that we recommend to help you with that registration process. If it’s on the federal side, we can help you with the registration process at Gov Giant. We do have a for profit arm that helps companies with proposal writing business development. We also do training, coaching, counseling that is on a for profit side. So we do offer those services for companies that want it. And for me, I always say it just depends on whether you have more time than money or money than time. And our videos and our trainings, we teach you how to navigate that. So it just depends. Do you have more time than money and you want to pay for it? But we’re still going to need your information at the end of the day. So I’m going to need to know your revenues, your sales, how many employees you have, who’s the point of contact. So you’re still going to have to give me all of that information to populate into the database. So it just depends on how much hand-holding you need versus how much you actually want to spend.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:07] So like, how much time are we talking about? Is this something I can knock out in an afternoon? Is this a weekend or is this kind of if you want, I’ll be doing next this summer.

Eric Coffie : [00:08:18] Okay. If you want to just get registered in the government database at the federal level, you can probably do it in a few days.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:27] And then what some of the the information that is that I’m going to have to get ready to begin this process, like what are some of those? All the paperwork I’m going to need in a pile to make my life easier when I’m going through the process.

Eric Coffie : [00:08:41] The initial registration, they’re not actually checking any paperwork, right? So the initial registration there forms that you fill out complete and then you tell them, right, your revenues, your sales, your bonding, your past experiences you go through. And so there’s just it’s just a bunch of pages that you click through. And it’s probably, I don’t know, somewhere is 75 different screens that you’ve got to check boxes and acknowledge. Like, for example, are you a felon? Have you ever filed bankruptcy? Those kind of questions. Do you operate in a foreign country? Like what percentage of owners, you know, own the company? And their share is like different questions along that. So just their standard questions about your business that you’re the owner you probably know anyways. And unless you’re a really large company entity that’s composed of multiple shareholders, it should be pretty straightforward questions that, you know, just right off the top of your head.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:36] So if I do that, so I’m registered, is that the end or now how do I just kind of apply for one of these opportunities?

Eric Coffie : [00:09:45] So now that you’re registered, then you can apply for opportunities. So at that point and that registration is through a website called Sam dot gov.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:55] So that’s separate. So I register on one website and then I go to Sam Gov when I fully registered. And do they give me a number or something? There’s some proof that I registered.

Eric Coffie : [00:10:05] So now what they’ve done is they’ve actually done a good job of consolidating everything. So your registration and the search is on the same website. Sam Gov so you no longer have to switch between websites and databases. It’s all populated in one field. So the same place that you register and update your entity information, that’s the exact same place that you now search for upcoming opportunities solicitations, RFPs or Qs.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:31] So then when I do, when I’m ready for that stage, I there’s going to be more forms, I’m sure, right? There’s not no more forms. I just say, yeah, I’m in.

Eric Coffie : [00:10:41] Once or register. There’s no more forms. Right? They just tell you what offerings come out to respond. Yes. You’re going to have to submit forms to respond to them. Correct.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:49] Okay. So I go on there and I say, how do I even is there a search? Do I go, okay, I’m a marketing person? Or for me, I produce radio shows and podcasts. Do I just search for that? And then they’ll say Here the Department of the Forestry wants help in making a podcast.

Eric Coffie : [00:11:09] Yes, correct. That’s exactly how it is.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:11] That’s how it.

Eric Coffie : [00:11:12] Is. No, it’s exactly how it is. Lee, you literally could type in the word podcast into the search bar and it will populate all of the. Current contracts or solicitations looking for podcasts as well as past awards that have the word podcast in the description.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:30] And then so you just and they’re going to ask, aren’t they going to ask for kind of specific things?

Eric Coffie : [00:11:37] So again, we’re talking about the search now, right? The search space.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:39] So I look up podcast. So what, like ten things show up for podcast or 100? I have no idea.

Eric Coffie : [00:11:45] I don’t know everything. Right. Because I mean, that would mean the government that database is populated with hundreds of thousands of pieces of data. Right. I don’t know. Megan podcast versus construction.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:54] Okay. But it could be just say five show up that are kind of in the ballpark of what I do, right? Because it’s not going to be super exact. Right? It’s going to be kind of like I’m going to be able to go, Yeah, I could probably do that. Right. Like, it’s not ever a perfect match.

Eric Coffie : [00:12:09] No. And I’m that’s actually a really, really, really good point, because I think one of the things that I want everyone to understand is what Lee just pointed out. When you search, it’s not going to be exactly what you do because it is the government. So so they may want a podcast, but maybe they want you to record it inside of their government facilities. Right? Or maybe they want you to do it on government equipment or government property because it’s proprietary. Does that make sense?

Lee Kantor: [00:12:39] Yeah. So that’s where.

Eric Coffie : [00:12:40] Podcasting. But maybe they want you to do it at their location or on site or using their equipment or sending your team members to to record a podcast in a foreign country. So it’s not going to be like you get to pick how you deliver the service.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:57] But do I even apply to that because it’s not an exact match? Or do I just say, yeah, that’s I don’t know what.

Eric Coffie : [00:13:03] They want this decision, right? I mean, that that’s a business decision for you. If the opportunity warrants a for example, I actually did respond to one from podcasting and it was to create a podcast in Alaska that discussed the the natural culture of Alaska. And because a lot of what happens is they’re saying that a lot of the natives in Alaska, they don’t have cable. But they do have radio, right? And so this was to capture that experience and broadcast it through a vehicle that they had access to.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:42] So you said, okay, I can do that. And then did they? Is there a place to like, can I get clarification or ask a question or do I just have to kind of go boldly forward and just guess to the best of my ability that I understand what they’re asking for?

Eric Coffie : [00:13:57] You will have the opportunity to ask questions and engage back and forth. You have to sit it in writing. And that way what they do is they will publish a list of all the questions and answers to them publicly so that everyone has access to the same information.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:12] So is that your recommendation if you have a question to ask the question?

Eric Coffie : [00:14:16] Absolutely, I do.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:18] Yeah, absolutely. And then so this sounds like it’s not something that is going to solve my financial problems. This today or this week like this takes some time to go through this process.

Eric Coffie : [00:14:29] And the government, the procurement process is really slow. And I always tell people that if you’re starting off in government contracting, right, and I’m referring to federal, I would expect at least one year before you land something.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:45] So you’re going to have to do a lot of legwork and apply for a lot of things in the hopes that a year later something might actually happen.

Eric Coffie : [00:14:54] Yes. And that’s again, if you’re doing it on your own right, if you do that, you can accelerate that with a mentor or with a coach. But yes, I would plan for at least one year just because the procurement cycles. Right. For example, we’re in June, the government’s fiscal cycle closes in September. So they already have, for the most part, the contract. There isn’t the vendors that they want to use to close out the year.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:21] Now, if I am a minority or woman, a veteran, are there certain? Kind of I don’t say advantages, but maybe I get to check different boxes that make me more attractive as a vendor.

Eric Coffie : [00:15:36] Yes, they do exist. And the federal level, they have small business. They have women veteran hub zone. And then they have another designation, ADA, which stands for a socioeconomic disadvantage to economically disadvantaged persons. Yes.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:56] So that’s just I get a different you know, I get to check a different box or I get to add a different number. I have to be registered in that group to to prove that I really am what I say I am.

Eric Coffie : [00:16:07] To qualify for those opportunities. Yes, you have to be registered, but not only registered, you actually have to become certified. So the registration that I initially mentioned is self registration. These other processes require certification, so you have to actually get approved. So that’s another series of steps to to check those boxes.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:27] Is there an order or should I get certified before I get registered or does it matter?

Eric Coffie : [00:16:31] No, no, no. Because remember, you’re getting registered just to qualify to be eligible to participate.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:36] So you would register first.

Eric Coffie : [00:16:38] Allow you to check different boxes. But it doesn’t make you not that doesn’t make you ineligible to participate.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:43] So now you mentioned a mentor. Is that part of the service you’re offering on your nonprofit side or is that the for profit side?

Eric Coffie : [00:16:52] Yeah, right now we do that on the for profit side.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:55] So a mentor is one of the services you offer?

Eric Coffie : [00:16:58] Yes. But before you reach out to me, the government themselves with our taxpayer dollars offers coaching services. Now, it’s very limited, but it’s a great place to start for someone who’s never, ever done this before. Right, for free. You can reach out to an organization called P-TECH.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:20] P tech do.

Eric Coffie : [00:17:21] Thc procurement technical assistance centers are normally associated with universities and they’re normally in major cities throughout the US. And you can reach out to them and they can help you with a lot of this initial upfront legwork when you’re first getting started. And I encourage everyone to start there even before you come to me.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:42] So that I’ll answer some of the basic questions and might weed out the people that are like this too hard.

Eric Coffie : [00:17:47] Yes, exactly right. I don’t want to do that work. So let P-TECH do it right now.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:54] That makes sense. Because look, because when you’re when you start pulling on this thread, it’s it’s a long way to the finish line.

Eric Coffie : [00:18:02] It’s a long way. It’s a long way. And and why not take advantage of a service that’s already exists that we pay for as taxpayers right now? To me, that just the government, to be honest with you, really, I think they’re doing the best that they know how to try to support us small businesses. We may not know about all the available resources that exist. So that’s why I want to make that available first and foremost.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:27] And is there one piece of actionable advice if you were a person that has never done this before other than go to that p tech website, is there something that they should be doing to prepare themselves to get a government contract?

Eric Coffie : [00:18:43] Well, I do so and I, I, I recommend I actually written two books, The Billion Dollar Playbook, which is a short book that I wrote literally list all the other free places or low cost places to access resources to navigate this marketplace. I think it’s a $10 buy. That’s something that I recommend to everyone. It’s not a book that you read through and learn how to do government contracts. It’s a resource guide. And so that way, depending upon where you’re at in this marketplace, you have an always have a resource to turn to. And they’re free and low cost resources.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:21] And if somebody wants to learn more about your company, what’s the website?

Eric Coffie : [00:19:26] Gov. Com giants dot com.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:27] That’s Dov SEO and giants dot com.

Eric Coffie : [00:19:33] Yes.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:34] Well, Eric, thank you so much. It’s so much information. Really appreciate you sharing your story. And you’re doing important work. And we appreciate you.

Eric Coffie : [00:19:44] Thank you, Lee. Now definitely have a back story to it. And this is my mission and I plan on seeing it through till the end until I least I’ve helped 500 companies achieve 5 million in revenue.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:55] 500 companies, 5 million revenue. Well, have. Where are you at now? What’s the scorecard?

Eric Coffie : [00:20:02] Well.

Lee Kantor: [00:20:04] All right. On your way. Every big business starts small. You got to start somewhere.

Eric Coffie : [00:20:09] Got to start somewhere.

Lee Kantor: [00:20:10] All right. Well, thank you again for sharing your story.

Eric Coffie : [00:20:14] Thanks, Lee.

Lee Kantor: [00:20:14] All right. This is Lee Kantor, Lucille. Next time on South Florida Business Radio. He.