By Julie Fagle
In recent weeks we have been discussing doing business with state/local Governments, some specific options for the surrounding states including their direct websites, as well as the relationship driven nature of marketing and contracting with these organizations. There is also a resource available to help you develop these potential customers even further – http://www.naspo.org
NASPO is the National Association of State Procurement Officials. While the organization name makes it sound like it is mainly a resource for the procurement agents, there is a wealth of information for companies as well. This is a great site for doing some additional market research, either before or after you have determined who your key state customers may be.
Some of the key features of the site that may be of interest to companies:
- State map that directs you to the main POC and mission/vendor instructions for each state buying agency
- Various events directed at companies/vendors such as “How to Market to State Governments”
- Information on states with Green Purchasing Programs
- Procurement U, an educational program with various modules on state contracting, which is open to non-members (Ex: Market Research and Intro to State RFP”
- And more…
If you have determined that there are opportunities at the state level, and you are not limited to Iowa, or even the surrounding states, this should be a resource that you explore to help you with some initial market research of the states, or at the very least give you a comprehensive view of the main points of contacts in the state’s you are interested.
Use this resource along with the information provided previously on relationship building, and specifics for surrounding states, and your journey into state contracting should be off to a great start.
As always, if you have any questions specific to how this may relate to your company, please let us know!