GovCon Ready: The Small Business Guide to Your First Government Contract

Your step-by-step roadmap to your first government contract.

Government contracting isn't a secret club. It's a system. GovCon Ready walks small business owners through it in the right order: register in SAM.gov the right way, choose your NAICS codes, pursue the certifications you qualify for, find the right opportunities, decide what to bid, get noticed through sources sought responses, and break in as a subcontractor.

Inside: 10 practical chapters · a readiness check · a 90-day action plan · free resources and a plain-English

glossary. Current as of October 2026.

Written by Wendi Dillard and Lelia Mack-Hagood of The Humanity Group, an SBA-certified Women-

Owned Small Business and GSA Multiple Award Schedule holder.