The AbilityOne® Program is among the nation's largest sources of employment for people who are blind or have significant disabilities. The Program is administered by the U.S. AbilityOne Commission, the operating name for the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled. Through a national network of approximately 450 nonprofit agencies, the program provides the Federal Government products and services at fair market prices. The procurement of these products and services results in employment of approximately 40,000 individuals.

The APEX Accelerators, formally known as the Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP), was authorized by Congress in 1985 to expand the number of businesses capable of participating in government contracts .

The Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is based at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The national Program Office (NIST MEP) which provides the federal government funding for the MEP National Network™ is located in Gaithersburg, MD. The MEP National Network comprises the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP), the 51 MEP Centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, the MEP Advisory Board, MEP Center boards, and the Foundation for Manufacturing Excellence, as well as over 1,450 trusted advisors and experts at approximately 430 MEP service locations, providing any U.S. manufacturer with access to resources they need to succeed.

The U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is the only federal agency solely dedicated to the growth and global competitiveness of minority business enterprises.

The SBA Mentor-Protégé program helps eligible small businesses (protégés) gain capacity and win government contracts through partnerships with more experienced companies (mentors). The criteria for proteges include the following: 1. Be a small business with industry experience. 2. Be organized for profit or as an agricultural cooperative. 3. Have a proposed mentor prior to applying for the program. The criteria for mentors include the following: 1. Be organized for profit or as an agricultural cooperative. 2. Be able to carry out its responsibilities to assist the protégé. 3. Possess good character. 4. Not appear on the federal list of debarred or suspended contractors. 5. Be able to impart value to a protégé firm due to lessons learned and practical experience gained or through its knowledge of general business operations and government contracting.

Women's Business Centers (WBCs) are a part a national network of entrepreneurship centers throughout the United States and its territories, which are designed to assist women in starting and growing small businesses. 

Small Business Development Centers provide counseling and training to small businesses including working with SBA to develop and provide informational tools to support business start-ups and existing business expansion.

DSBS is a free portal sponsored by the Small Business Administration, used for entering and searching small business sources that want to do business with the Federal Government.

To help provide a level playing field for women business owners, the government limits competition for certain contracts to businesses that participate in the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract program. The criteria for eligibility include the following: 1. Meet all the requirements of the WOSB Federal Contract program. 2. Be owned and controlled by one or more women, each with a personal net worth less than $850,000. 3. Be owned and controlled by one or more women, each with $450,000 or less in adjusted gross income averaged over the previous three years. 4. Be owned and controlled by one or more women, each $6.5 million or less in personal assets.

A program that promotes the adoption of secure cloud services across the federal government by providing a standardized approach to security and risk assessment.

The government limits competition for certain contracts to businesses in historically underutilized business zones. It also gives preferential consideration to those businesses in full and open competition. The criteria for HUBZone certification include the following: 1. Be a small business according to SBA size standards. 2. Be at least 51% owned and controlled by U.S. citizens, a Community Development Corporation, an agricultural cooperative, an Alaska Native corporation, a Native Hawaiian organization, or an Indian tribe. 3. Have its principal office located in a HUBZone. 4. Have at least 35% of its employees living in a HUBZone.

A family of seven separate governmentwide multiple award, IDIQ contracts for program management, management consulting, logistics, engineering, scientific and financial services.

SCORE, the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors, is dedicated to helping small businesses plan, launch, manage and grow. SCORE is a nonprofit organization that is driven to foster vibrant small business communities through mentoring and educational workshops.

Certification with SBA allows service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) to compete for federal sole-source and set-aside contracts across the federal government.The criteria for eligibility include the following: 1. Be considered a small business, as defined by the size standard corresponding to any NAICS code listed in the business’s SAM profile. 2. Have no less than 51% of the business owned and controlled by one or more veterans. 3. have no less than 51% of the business owned and controlled by one or more veterans rated as service-disabled by the VA. 4. For those veterans who are permanently and totally disabled and unable to manage the daily business operations of their business, their business may still qualify if their spouse or appointed, permanent caregiver is assisting in that management.

Eligible businesses can self-certify as a Small Disadvantaged Busniess. The criteria eligibiltiy include the following: 1. The firm must be 51% or more owned and controlled by one or more disadvantaged persons. 2. The disadvantaged person or persons must be socially disadvantaged and economically disadvantaged. 3. The firm must be small, according to SBA's size standards.

"The Federal Prison Industries program (now operating under the trade name UNICOR) was established in 1934 by an Executive Order issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. UNICOR's strategic goals are the following: 1 - Maintain and develop meaningful work and job training opportunities to prepare inmates to become law-abiding citizens. 2 - Ensure the corporation remains financially self-sustaining.3 – Prepare our staff to assume positions of greater responsibility by providing quality training and developmental opportunities."

USAspending is the official open data source of federal spending information, including information about federal awards such as contracts, grants, and loans.

The Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) program is designed to provide entrepreneurial development services such as business training, counseling, and resource partner referrals to service members, veterans, National Guard & Reserve members, and military spouses interested in starting or growing a small business.

Certified veteran-owned small businesses (VOSBs) have opportunities to pursue sole-source and set-aside contracts at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) under the VA’s Vets First program. The criteria for eligibility include the following: 1. Be considered a small business, as defined by the size standard corresponding to any NAICS code listed in the business’s SAM profile. 2. Have no less than 51% of the business owned and controlled by one or more veterans.

"To help provide a level playing field for women business owners, the government limits competition for certain contracts to businesses that participate in the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract program. The criteria for eligibility include the following: 1. Be a small business according to SBA size standards. 2. Be at least 51% owned and controlled by women who are U.S. citizens. 3. Have women manage day-to-day operations who also make long-term decisions"