Federal contracting has a learning curve, and the tuition is paid in wasted time and lost bids. These ten mistakes are the ones we see cost new contractors the most. Avoid them and you're ahead of most first-year bidders.
1. Letting SAM registration lapse
Registrations expire every 12 months, and the system doesn't nag you like a streaming service. Lapsed SAM means rejected bids, stopped payments, and a week of scrambling. Set a recurring reminder at 11 months. Registration guide.
2. Bidding everything
New contractors treat opportunities like lottery tickets and bid a dozen at once. Result: twelve weak proposals instead of two strong ones. Use a bid/no-bid filter and bid what you can win and deliver.
3. Ignoring the Q&A window
The question period is free intelligence — ambiguities get clarified, scope gets defined, and the answers bind the agency. Missing it means bidding blind. Put Q&A deadlines on your calendar for every active candidate.
4. Pricing at cost "to get in the door"
Buyers remember cost, not generosity. One surprise eats a year of margin, and renegotiating fixed prices upward is nearly impossible. Price labor, materials, overhead, and profit — always.
5. Skipping the wage determination on construction bids
Davis-Bacon wage rates are non-negotiable and often higher than your normal rates. Bidding before reading the wage determination is how contractors lose money on won work.
6. Submitting at the deadline
Late is late, with almost no exceptions — portal slowdowns don't excuse it. Submit the day before and sleep.
7. Not requesting debriefs after losses
A debrief tells you the winning price and your scores — the exact map to your next win. Contractors who skip debriefs repeat the same mistakes. This one habit compounds faster than anything else on this list.
8. Hiding behind a bad capability statement
Two pages, no UEI or CAGE code, vague competencies — it gets skipped at every matchmaking event. One page, codes in the header, numbers over adjectives. Template here.
9. Pursuing a GSA Schedule before winning anything
Months of paperwork, then silence, because a schedule is a channel, not a customer base. Win open-market first; pursue a schedule later when buyers are asking.
10. Treating certifications as the whole strategy
8(a), WOSB, SDVOSB status is leverage, not a business plan. Bid basic small-business set-asides while your application processes — and keep bidding after it lands.