# Learn government contracting

> Plain-English lessons on government contracting: SAM.gov registration, NAICS codes, set-asides, Sources Sought, and your first bid.

- [How government buying works](https://victavio.com/learn/how-government-buying-works.md): Who buys, where bids are posted, the dollar lines that change the rules, and how a bid differs from market research.
- [Myths you will hear, and what is true](https://victavio.com/learn/myths-and-facts.md): Common claims from videos and courses about government contracting, corrected with official sources you can check yourself.
- [How to find government contracts for a small business](https://victavio.com/learn/how-to-find-government-contracts.md): Where federal, Texas and local buyers post their bids, how to search them for free, and how to narrow thousands of notices to the few that fit you.
- [Where to find government bids: free sources and paid tools](https://victavio.com/learn/where-to-find-government-bids.md): The official free sites for federal, state and local bids, what paid tools add on top, and how to tell a real government site from a look-alike.
- [How to bid on a government contract, step by step](https://victavio.com/learn/how-to-bid-on-government-contracts.md): From notice to submission: confirm you are eligible, read every document, ask questions, write, price, and submit yourself on time.
- [How to use AI assistants to find government contracts](https://victavio.com/learn/use-ai-to-find-government-contracts.md): What AI chat assistants can and cannot do for a government bidder, how to check every answer against SAM.gov, and prompts that save time without risk.
- [Government contracting glossary: over 100 terms in plain English](https://victavio.com/learn/government-contracting-glossary.md): More than 100 government contracting terms explained in plain English, from SAM.gov and NAICS to IDIQ, set-asides, past performance and debriefs.
- [Your first steps before your first bid](https://victavio.com/learn/first-steps-before-your-first-bid.md): The order to set up a business for government work, with what each step costs and how long it takes. Most steps are free.
- [Register in SAM.gov. It is free.](https://victavio.com/learn/register-in-sam.md): What SAM.gov registration is, what you need before you start, how long it takes, your UEI and CAGE code, and the scams to avoid.
- [NAICS codes and size standards](https://victavio.com/learn/naics-codes-and-size-standards.md): How to pick your NAICS codes, how the code on each notice sets the small business size limit, and why affiliates count.
- [SAM.gov registration is free: how to spot paid look-alikes](https://victavio.com/learn/sam-registration-is-free.md): The government never charges to register or renew in SAM.gov. How to recognize paid look-alike sites and emails, and where to get free help instead.
- [UEI and CAGE codes: what they are and how to get them](https://victavio.com/learn/uei-and-cage-codes.md): The Unique Entity ID and the CAGE code identify your business to federal buyers. What each one is, how you get it for free, and what neither one does.
- [Am I a small business? SBA size standards in plain words](https://victavio.com/learn/am-i-a-small-business.md): Whether you count as small depends on your NAICS code and your average yearly receipts or employees. How to check it, and what changes it.
- [Notice types in plain words](https://victavio.com/learn/notice-types.md): What each kind of notice on SAM.gov means, what it asks you to do, and which ones can lead to a contract.
- [Set-asides in plain words](https://victavio.com/learn/set-asides.md): What each set-aside means, who can bid as the prime, and what to do when a bid is set aside for a status you do not hold.
- [Sources Sought: why to answer them](https://victavio.com/learn/sources-sought.md): Market research notices need no registration and no past performance. Here is how to answer one well and what to do after you send it.
- [Sole-source notices and how to challenge one](https://victavio.com/learn/sole-source-notices.md): When a buyer plans to award to one company without competition, a clear capability response can open the work up. Here is how.
- [How to read a solicitation](https://victavio.com/learn/reading-a-solicitation.md): The order to read a bid package in, what to look for in each part, and why every attachment and amendment matters.
- [Amendments, questions and deadlines](https://victavio.com/learn/amendments-and-questions.md): How to ask questions before the cutoff, why answers are shared with every bidder, and how to keep up with amendments and cancellations.
- [RFP, RFQ, IFB and RFI: what each one asks you to do](https://victavio.com/learn/rfp-rfq-ifb-rfi.md): Requests for Proposals, Requests for Quotations, Invitations for Bids and Requests for Information each ask for something different. What to send.
- [Decide to bid: the questions to ask first](https://victavio.com/learn/bid-or-no-bid.md): A fit score is a starting point, not a decision. Work through these questions before you commit time to a bid.
- [Cash flow and capacity](https://victavio.com/learn/cash-flow-and-capacity.md): When the government pays, how to plan for the gap before the first payment, and how to avoid taking on more than you can deliver.
- [Teaming and subcontracting](https://victavio.com/learn/teaming-and-subcontracting.md): How to work under a prime, how teaming agreements and joint ventures work, and the limits on subcontracting that protect set-asides.
- [Past performance when you have none](https://victavio.com/learn/past-performance.md): Having no federal contracts yet is not a dead end. Here is what counts as experience and how to present it honestly.
- [Certifications: doors, not contracts](https://victavio.com/learn/certifications.md): What SBA certifications do, what they never do, and how to approach them honestly. Most first bids need none.
- [8(a), HUBZone, WOSB and SDVOSB programs compared](https://victavio.com/learn/8a-hubzone-wosb-sdvosb-compared.md): The four main SBA contracting programs side by side: who each one is for, the core test, what it opens, and how to apply for free.
- [Build a compliance matrix](https://victavio.com/learn/compliance-matrix.md): A simple table that lists every requirement in a solicitation and where you answer it, so nothing gets missed.
- [Write a one-page capability statement](https://victavio.com/learn/capability-statement.md): The six blocks of a strong capability statement, in order, and how to tailor it for each buyer without overstating anything.
- [Write answers that show how](https://victavio.com/learn/write-answers-that-show-how.md): Stop repeating the requirement back to the buyer. Answer first, then show the method, the people, the timing and the proof.
- [Pricing basics](https://victavio.com/learn/pricing-basics.md): Read how price will be judged, build your cost from the work, count every cost, use past awards as context, and keep a profit.
- [Reps and certs are pass or fail](https://victavio.com/learn/reps-and-certs.md): Representations and certifications are formal statements about your business. Answer each one knowingly and keep them current.
- [Mark your proposal proprietary](https://victavio.com/learn/proprietary-legend.md): How to use a restriction legend so your proposal data stays protected, plus rules for defensible numbers and for AI tools.
- [You click Submit: portals, timing and receipts](https://victavio.com/learn/you-click-submit.md): How to submit on the buyer's own channel, avoid late or rejected offers, and keep proof of exactly what you sent.
- [After you submit: follow-up and award notices](https://victavio.com/learn/after-you-submit.md): What to do while you wait, how to learn the outcome, how to follow up without breaking the rules, and what to do if you win.
- [Debriefs: ask every time](https://victavio.com/learn/debriefs.md): How to request a debrief after a loss, what to ask for, how to turn a loss into a subcontract lead, and why protests need an attorney.
- [Texas state bids: the ESBD and the CMBL](https://victavio.com/learn/texas-esbd-and-cmbl.md): Where Texas state agencies post bids, how to get on the state bidders list, and how Texas cities, counties and school districts differ.
- [Texas HUB is now VetHUB](https://victavio.com/learn/texas-vethub.md): What changed in the Texas HUB program, who can be certified now, and what the change means for your Texas bids.
- [The Texas subcontracting plan for state bids of $100,000 and up](https://victavio.com/learn/texas-subcontracting-plan.md): When a Texas state solicitation requires a subcontracting plan, every bidder must file one. Here is how the good faith effort works.
- [CMMC Level 1 in plain words](https://victavio.com/learn/cmmc-level-1.md): What defense buyers mean by CMMC Level 1, the 15 basic safeguards, the yearly self-assessment, and other security terms you will see in notices.
- [The four lanes in Victavio](https://victavio.com/learn/victavio-lanes.md): How Victavio sorts matching notices into Go, Challenge it, Team up or watch, and Get noticed early, and what to do in each lane.
- [How the fit score works](https://victavio.com/learn/victavio-fit-score.md): The fit score is a 0 to 100 measure of how well a notice matches your profile, with every point explained. It does not predict winning.
- [Track bids with your team](https://victavio.com/learn/victavio-pipeline-and-team.md): How to use the pipeline, checklists, comments, activity and roles in Victavio so everyone knows who is doing what, and when.

Victavio is a Kilobytez LLC product.
Not a government agency. SAM.gov registration is free.