Government marketers: Resources to reach government buyers as the end of the fiscal year approaches

With most states and municipalities ending their fiscal years on June 30, we can expect to see accelerated spending in some jurisdictions through the end of the month. For firms that want to sell to government, here are some tips and tools from associations and other sources that can help in your selling efforts.

The American Public Works Association (APWA) serves professionals in all areas of public works. It has a worldwide membership of over 28,500. APWA includes not only personnel from local, county, state/province, and federal agencies, but also private sector personnel who supply products and services to public works professionals.

Some of APWA’s local and state chapters present vendor fairs and exhibits where you can get the word out about your firm’s products and services to key prospects. APWA’s Director of Chapter Relations, Brian Van Norman, tells GPN that some APWA chapters also offer vendors presentation time at various chapter events to “educate” (not “sell”) members on their products.

APWA’s annual congress is also a good place for government marketers to attend. At the congress, show exhibitors can meet prospective government buyers. This year’s APWA congress takes place Aug.30-Sept. 2 in Phoenix.

NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement offers events of interest to marketers. One event is the 2015 NIGP Forum that takes place Aug. 1-5 in Kansas City, Mo. To exhibit, go to this site. Go here to view other useful NIGP events.

Vendors can advertise in the NIGP SourceBook and reach key government buyers. The sourcebook is the procurement professional’s online resource to get more information about companies offering products and services to government agencies and other public entities. Thousands of companies are listed in hundreds of categories in this tool built especially for NIGP’s procurement audience.

Govalytics is a new sales tool to identify upcoming projects in the government marketplace well before the RFP process begins. “We are tracking thousands of projects pulled directly from government capital improvement budgets well before an RFP is written. This allows companies to influence the RFP process by knowing about a project before the bid process begins,” says Andy VanSciver, director of business development at Govalytics.

Govalytics is currently tracking over 71,000 different capital improvement projects. “Govalytics also tracks and updates the government’s department heads contact information, so the sales team can be informed of upcoming projects and who to contact at the municipality,” adds VanSciver. For details, contact VanSciver at 312 840 8461 or [email protected]

In July and August, GPN will be issuing its Use It or Lose It e-newsletter series that spotlights opportunities as the end of the federal fiscal year approaches on September 30. View a sample issue here.