Maracell Peterkin, small business owner, was excited to get her first contract as a small business owner. Not long after the award, the contract was breached and she was left holding a bag but the bag was filled with bills, worries and regrets instead of money.

Terms and Conditions are oftentimes negotiable but not always. What's important to know and remember is that if you can't negotiate unfavorable terms out of the contract, you MUST understand the risks that are associated and understand your company's risk tolerance.

As always, READ and UNDERSTAND before you sign a contract, negotiate terms and conditions during the RFP process and before the award process for best results. Don't be afraid to ask questions and ensure the contract awarded fits your unique business model. Lastly, don't be afraid to walk away if the contract isn't right for you. There will be other procurement opportunities!

This week Yolanda discusses the benefits of government contracting, how it works and agency scorecards. The US government is the largest customer in the world. It buys all types of products and services. Understanding what agencies are setting aside portions of their budgets for small business procurement is key to developing a procurement strategy that will ensure your business levels up using procurement.

In this week's Ready, Set, Procure! The Podcast Yolanda discusses how to get in the procurement game by emerging yourself in the small business procurement world via news, newsletters, Reddit, Social Media, etc.

Yolanda shares an article on The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has exceed it's DOD small business procurement goals for the last ten (10) years straight. The article Yolanda shares in full of gold nuggets of information that would help any small business owner who is looking for innovative strategies to increase their bottom line revenue and profit margins.

Find that article at https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3212144/agency-set-to-exceed-small-business-procurement-goals/#:~:text=For%20the%2010th%20consecutive%20year,business%20zone%20category%20at%203.5%25.