Question
I need some advice on selling IT services to the Gov't, Military.
It looks like it takes 12-24 months to get revenue from the government. Is there a shorter path? JV, subcontract, sole source, SBIR?
Target customer is anyone who needs a better data collection and display in dynamic environment: military, CIA, FBI, state and local law enforcement.
We have a verified product idea: better integration of military command centers, soldiers in the field, and aerial assets using cloud infrastructure, machine learning, and augmented reality. Verified by active duty military.
We have a good network and can contract senior officers and defense contracting executives.
We have a solid team.
Me: US Air Force Academy. US Navy rescue helicopter pilot. Booth MBA. Several startups and Amazon.
Cofounder 2: US Navy Academy. Navy SEAL. Harvard MBA. Startups and Fortune 500 product mgtm.
Cofounder 3: CTO. Microsoft (Bing, maps). Amazon (AWS and Amazon Now global Logistics). Salesforce. Great manager of devs.
Answer
Selling to the government can be tricky, however it can be done. First, the government website should have a certified vendor page allowing you to register your business as a certified vendor. Second, they may already have a need for your service, so don't forget to check their current open RFP's. All governments have a page for this. Thirdly, if the first two fail, get in touch with the procurement department. Typically you will be dealing with them, and as the buyers they know what they need.
Late but helpful.
