# where and how should i market my custom apparel business in local government offices? what department should i contact? who should i contact?



## lliwnhoj (Jul 16, 2013)

where and how should i market my custom apparel business in local government offices? 
what department should i contact? is it the family and recreation office on every city? I live in azusa city within los angeles county california
who should i contact? is it the director of family and recreation service on every city or do i need to talk to the purchasing department or the buyer?
i need everyones help on these. I am a beginner. any tips, advices, comments, suggestions, recommendations base on your experience marketing in government

how do i market in government offices? should i send an email, call, visit in person, mail?


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

I don't believe you will be allowed to solicit business in any government office...city, county, state or federal.
If you want to open kiosk or booth, you will need to contact the local agency's legal section. If you want to sell to the government, you will need to contact the purchasing department or the office. I am quiet sure that you will not be permitted to sell to government employees within the government buildings. you might get by with posting flyers on cars but again that could lead to some complaints..

My comments are based solely on my own experience with employment at various goverment levels over 3 decades...but good luck in your venture


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## headfirst (Jun 29, 2011)

lliwnhoj said:


> where and how should i market my custom apparel business in local government offices?
> what department should i contact? is it the family and recreation office on every city? I live in azusa city within los angeles county california
> who should i contact? is it the director of family and recreation service on every city or do i need to talk to the purchasing department or the buyer?
> i need everyones help on these. I am a beginner. any tips, advices, comments, suggestions, recommendations base on your experience marketing in government
> ...


Usually this type of work is put out to bid. Around us the local municipalities run their own bid mailing lists. You get added to the list and then they send out the bid packet. 

I've been to a few of the bid openings on projects like this and can tell you that you must compete the bid pack in full. Many of the bidders have lost bids by not completing the pack in full. Many of these even had the best price but because the bid pack wasn't completed in full it was discarded.


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## lliwnhoj (Jul 16, 2013)

Hi what di you mean by compete bid pack in full?? How do i do that? who should i talk to in local municipalities?? Is it the family and recreation service center?? Or directly to the puchasing dept?


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

Most agencies have purchasing departments or a purchasing agent. You can get on the list by contacting them BUT it is not easy to win a bid. Further will require some sort of liability insurance.it is not an easy road to travel


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## lliwnhoj (Jul 16, 2013)

Is it worth it to try for a beginner in tshirt printing business like me enter it?? What do you suggest?? I just start out with just small time deal with friends and gradually enter into that arena later on?? As a bussiness man, as much as possible i want to get big deals right away formore income. I think when it comes to business competitive advantagt, i have big advantage when it comes to price because i do everything at home. I have very low overhead cost. no employees no rent no nothing. what do you think? Where and how could i get big deals?


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## gorilladiver (Oct 25, 2011)

as far as local government (city, county, state) the first step is to contact the Purchasing or Finance office to request a Vendor Application Form. Once your application is approved it will be on file for the other government departments to access it and they will contact you if they have a need for your services. Often they are required to get quotes from several different vendors. At least that's how it works in North Carolina.


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

For a beginner trying to do big deals right out of the starting gate when working from home may be a recipe for failure. You not have ability to do the quality and quantity that is desired in your target market. In addition you should make sure you have a sales tax permit if required in your state and that you have a local business license and a zoning approval for a out of home business. You don't say what your main method is. Make sure it is permitted in your area.
I suggest you start slow build up your customer base before attempting to compete with the larger companies.the fact you work from home with no employees or over head is not necessarily a decision factor by official agencies.


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## superD70 (Dec 22, 2010)

What Charles said, I also run an auto body repair shop and have a GSA contract to do repairs on govt. fleet vehicles, it is a lengthy process to be approved, I had to provide proof of 1 million $ garage keepers insurance and that all my techs are up to date in their certifications, certificates of destruction on all my hazardous waste, etc.
I'm glad we did it as we are the only shop in a 500 mile radius that can work on their vehicles but sometimes it takes 30 days to get paid, and that can hurt when we are talking about 5-10K $ with half that spent on parts.
I'm sure the process is similar with all services, you should be able to get details on becoming a vendor on your states website


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