I think I was more excited than the kids about our field trip to the Bureau of Engraving and Print Facility in Fort Worth, Texas.
It was on my list of places to visit this summer and then my son’s class had a field trip there! I was like I’m going. Had my t-shirt and all.
The only down fall is there’s a no cell phone or electronic devices rule. I’m gathering they don’t want you to take pictures or record the layout, process, and machines in their facility.
Touring the facility I heard some interesting things. With the facility being hundreds of acres, in comparison, they seemed to only have a small number of people working in each department. Each department worker had a different color uniform top.
There was no confusion on where they were supposed to be and which department they work. And I bet they only process they know is of the department they work. That’s the government protecting their asset.
Most of the workers weren’t even on the floor where you could see them. They only come out from this hidden area when there’s a problem with the machines.
Did you know that money is printed on cotton and linen and not regular paper? See how Paper Is Made – Paper and Ink
They print a lot of money every year. Most of their work consist of printing money to replace old and damaged money that’s worn. They use a lot of ink printing money.
I’ve always said that the government is not a manufacturing, I guess they’ve kinda proved me wrong. The government prints money! That’s their business at least at this facility.
What they do outsource here is acquiring the paper that they print the money on, ink, and pallets. I’m sure there’s more, but that’s basically what I noticed. They use a lot of ink. So much so that they order ink every 30-days.
I’d gather that the government contract out the linen, cotton, and ink to an established company that’s been doing it for some time, a prime contractor. Just from the tour, I can tell they have a lot of security protocols in place.
The only way possible to get in on this contract is to get a piece of the prime contractor’s contract. Because of the scenario I’ve shared here, you could very well be using the wrong approach to get a contract with this agency and other agencies as well. I can see it being a large contractor and because of the nature of the service, they’re going outside to source for contractors.
The mistake most small contractors make is thinking they can go straight in as a prime contractor. So off the bat, they’re using the wrong marketing strategy which will never land them a contractor. I teach my clients four types of marketing they should be doing to build past performance and get in on some contractors, not as a prime, but as a subcontractor.
The question I get asked often Is “does the government buy what I sell.” The example I just gave you is one example of what the government buys. The pretty much buys everything. Look around your current surroundings and you’ll see many things that the government purchases from small businesses.
This is a great segway to getting paid. I don’t think you have to question the government’s ability to pay you for your products or services. You can see already how the government is different from your clients that you spend too much time chasing.
In my eyes, my point was proven. It’s worth checking to see if they government buys what you sell. You don’t have to convince them of the value or that they needed what you have. If they weren’t able to pay, which I’ve never heard of, but if the situation ever occurred that they’d print more money.
Don’t let your past experience with clients prevent you for landing contracts with the government.
