Each year $660 billion is awarded in government contracts. This offers private businesses a significant opportunity to secure a promising amount of work and bolster revenue. However, the bidding process can be a complicated maze of red tape and time consuming especially when bidding as a member of a disadvantaged or marginalized business group. In light of Global Diversity Awareness Month in October, Vendorship Inc., a company that specializes in helping businesses identify and secure government contracts, examined data they say shows not everyone has the same advantages bidding on this work. According to Zippia's data science team:

The most common ethnicity of government contractors is White (77.4%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (14.4%) and Black or African American (3.5%).

-Only 8% of all government contractors are LGBT.

-There’s a gender pay gap, with women earning only 89¢ for every $1 earned by men.

“Every month should be Global Diversity Awareness Month, and everyone should have equal access to opportunities regardless of their race, gender, age or sexual orientation,” said Dr. Nazeera Dawood, co-founder and CEO of Vendorship. “We champion equal rights for all, and that means helping our diverse group of talented clients win lucrative opportunities as government contractors.”

Vendorship Inc. provides these tips for diverse businesses:

-Know where to go. Research county, state and federal contracting portals and agencies to find opportunities to submit bids and proposals.

-Get certified. Obtain the right certification as a woman owned small business (WOSB) or economically disadvantaged woman owned small business (EDWOSB), minority owned business, veteran owned business and include this designation in all documents and materials.

-Get registered. Find out eligibility requirements for becoming a preferred supplier for registration on procurement sites accessed by both governmental and non-governmental agencies to be considered during their bidding processes.

-Network. Attend seminars on government contracting and find peer-network groups that can help form strategic supplier-partner or client-partner relationships.

-Reach out. If you need help, reach out to companies like Vendorship Inc. who specialize in helping companies secure revenue-generating contracts with governmental and non-governmental agencies.

“We want to live in healthy, thriving, and vibrant communities run by informed, efficient government entities on all levels, enabled by local and hyperlocal talent and innovation. To accomplish this, Vendorship works with qualified, educated professionals and companies across ethnicities, genders, and geographies and pushes for the most talented, experienced people to get these lucrative opportunities,” Dawood continued.