Do You Have the Technology?

April 13, 2006

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We can't stress enough the importance of this area. Simply put, if you are not capable of doing business using some kind of electronic commerce (e-commerce) or electronic procurement (e-procurement), you will not be doing business with the government.

Why? Because the law, beginning with the Government Paperwork Elimination Act of 1995, requires the government to use electronic means to issue and award small business contracts, specifically those between $2,500 and $100,000. Furthermore, in a continuous effort to streamline the procurement process, government buyers are using new options in making purchases, such as multiple-award schedules, purchase cards, reverse auctions, etc., almost all of them technology-based.

The goal of electronic procurement is to allow the exchange of information, such as purchase orders, invoices, or shipping notifications in an electronic, paperless format. The benefits for the government are the elimination of manpower costs associated with processing paper, reduction in errors, and speeding up the process of ordering and paying for goods and services. You can now get government bids automatically sent to you via e-mail, decide which ones you want to bid on, download the technical information from the Internet, and then bid on the requirement without using one sheet of hard paper.

In order to do business with the federal government, you must have the following at your disposal:

A personal computer, Pentium or higher, using a Windows, Linux or Macintosh operating system -- The faster and more RAM you have in your computer, the better off you will be. If you are in the process of shopping, we encourage you to buy as much "oomph" (otherwise known as RAM or memory) as you can afford, but don't get carried away with "goodies" you don't need for business. Remember that you want a computer to satisfy your business needs, not for multi-media or games, unless of course this is your business.
An Internet Connection -- If you use a modem, make sure that it uses the latest technology and is at least 56k baud rate. A better choice would be a DSL line giving you better Internet speed--a big plus when it comes to downloading large files. We feel the best setup is broadband. This gives the greatest speed and ready access to the Internet.
Internet Protection -- If you use either DSL or broadband, you also need to set up protection for your system with good anti-virus and firewall software. This software reduces the chances of getting hit with a virus or by a hacker. Remember, with a DSL or broadband connection, you are always connected to the Internet, so system security is an issue.

Work Smart

If you are waiting for the next "best" or "latest" thing before you buy, grit your teeth and go ahead and get the one that's best for you now. There will always be something better or newer. And while you wait, opportunity passes you by.

For example, recent statistics indicate that the technology most widely used by small businesses is the fax machine, with 82 percent of small business owners saying they regularly depended on it in their operations. Seventy-one percent routinely use cell phones. Fifty-four percent use the Internet for obtaining business information, while 45 percent use the Internet to communicate with others.