[mynameismonkey]

Follow the RFPs he would like to work on, see who wins them, call them, pitch product/service. Bring along certification of small business and make the small business vehicle the pitch, not the product/service.

Let's say I need data analysis. Thousands of companies can service this need. Very few have the specific certification for the fed agency/state/municipal requirements du jour. I have no solid way of searching all holders of all these certifications by service line.

So, I search online, I call peers, I dredge for vendors. Vendors who approach me and can quickly communicate their contract value with small business/minority-owned/women-owned whatever, and can demonstrate their knowledge of the particular market the RFP is for means they know and are ready to be added to a larger RFP and can document their claims.

For me, this saves me time and money, and brings value.