Tris10atmend

In government contracting, you speak two languages.
The DLA speaks NSN. Your vendors speak part numbers. You’re the interpreter.

Here’s what you need to know:
→ NSN sits at the top of the hierarchy
→ Multiple part numbers fall under one NSN
→ DLA sees them all as the same item
→ You can shop around to any vendor under that NSN

Take the NSN. Translate to part number. Get a quote. Translate back to a bid.
That’s the game.

The 5 CMMC questions everyone asks - answered honestly 🎯

💰 Real cost
⏱️ Real timeline
🔗 Why distributors can’t pass it off
🎤 My honest take on enforcement

Catch Parts 1 & 2 + follow for more.

CMMC Level 1 isn’t the insurmountable wall that everyone makes it out to be! If you handle Federal Contract Information - that’s contracts, POs, delivery schedules, proposals, etc - Level 1 will apply to you!

Here’s what most people don’t realize…

You just need to comply with a simple 15 questions and once your company affirms that your company complies, you click submit and you’re done.

If you do the basics like have a unique login for every user, have an antivirus on your computer, shred old hard drives, visitors to your location logging in, you’re good to go!

is something all government contractors need to be aware of and get done. The rollout is November 2026, but you have to start today to get the ball rolling.

Here is everything you need to know.

3 months bidding and ZERO government contracting wins.

Here’s what’s wrong:
1. Only bidding on RFQs with approved sources
2. Getting ghosted by big manufacturers

Here’s the fix:
1. Bid on RFQs without an approved source and find local shops with a CAGE code. Easier relationships.
2. Use th likes of Grainger and McMaster-Carr. Low margins but you’ll actually win. And wins build credibility with the DLA.

More bids = More awards

Your delivery schedule on bids that have an FAT or PLT are probably being submitted incorrectly. After talking with a contracting officer, most people are submitting their bids with a much longer lead time than they actually need.

Most people put 150/150/150. That’s 450 days when they will only need a total of 150.

Instead, if you get them all at the same time, do this:
150 for the FAT
30 for the PLT
30 for the full qty

210 days instead of the 450 will keep you competitive with you schedule.

You trust the milk at a the store. But how does the store trust the farm?

Same problem the has. They’re buying from contractors everywhere. Can’t test everything.

So they use:
= validates the source (farm)
= validates the lot (cow)

If your contract has one, it must be done before you shop anything else.

Not understanding your CLINs is one of the easiest ways to mess up a government contract.
Most RFQs are single CLIN. Simple.
But when you see multiple CLINs, ask yourself:
→ Is it just another quantity to a different location?
→ Or is there a First Article or Production Lot Test?
If it’s just supplies—treat each CLIN as its own fulfillment.
If there’s an FAT or PLT—follow the sequence. FAT first. PLT second. Then ship the rest.
Get that order wrong and you’re in trouble.
productionlottest smallbusiness

Your vendor says no bid or doesn’t respond to your email. So what are you going to do? Approach this with a surfer’s mentality…
A surfer doesn’t go home after missing one wave. They wait for the next one.
Government contracting works the same way. There’s always another vendor. Another opportunity.
Stop spending all your time pulling RFQ data. Start building relationships.
That’s what actually wins contracts.

After FIVE years, we did something that is super hard to do. We became an approved vendor for a specific NSN for the DLA. It’s the one thing you can’t fake. Screenshots or contracts, talking about how much money you made… too many talking heads make it seem easy to do government contracting - but that ain’t true. Only way is through hard work and staying consistent.