Bryan Christopherson, Midwest regional manager at Floodproofing.com, attended the 2022 Small Business Industry Day at Rock Island Arsenal hoping to learn more about doing business with the
federal government. It didn’t take him long to connect with Julie Fagle, a government contracting specialist with CIRAS. With her guidance, Floodproofing.com was eventually awarded a $236,000 federal subcontract for their first-ever government job.
“We’d been talking about the possibility of working with the federal government and all that involves for some time, but we thought preparing for it would be a daunting process,” said Christopherson. “And no doubt, it would’ve been too time-consuming to do on our own. But with the right help, we not only got through the process but received a great federal subcontract as well.”
Floodproofing.com is a one-stop shop for solutions to multiple flood-related issues. The company services commercial and residential customers with an array of flood-protection products, flood insurance, and floodproofing systems like vents and barriers.
Fagle helped the company understand government contracting requirements, assisted
them in developing a capability statement, and helped with their mandatory System Award Management (SAM) registration. Fagle also introduced the company to Bid Match, an automated service that provides businesses with daily emails on federal, state, and local contracting opportunities in their areas of expertise.
“This is exactly how Floodproofing.com found the bid that led to their first contract,” Fagle said.
The contract involves providing a product called a “muscle wall” at two lock-and-dam locations in Missouri.
Moving forward, Fagle will continue to support Floodproofing.com with market research that will save them time and resources by identifying new potential government customers. APEX research looks at numerous variables, including past procurement data for government agencies, existing contracts, and information on prices competitors charge for goods and services.
“This will be an ongoing relationship for us,” said Bob Fisher, director of marketing at Floodproofing.com. “The nice thing about working with a local APEX office is they always call you back, and when they do, they have answers.”
For more information, contact Julie Fagle at jafagle@iastate.edu or 319-310-8612.