Can a startup participate in public contracts?

Of course, a startup can get into the world of public contracts. That is, there is no law that says "forbidden for rookies", but you do have to know how to move for that paperwork and requirements. It is not like opening an online store and waiting for customers to arrive, here you have to understand the roll of tenders and how government procedures work.

In a nutshell, public hiring is like the government and its institutions going shopping, either to buy things, services or jobs. And yes, there are many rules, because the idea is that everything is transparent and nobody takes money under the table. Nor is it a reality show of competition, but almost: everyone wants to keep the best treatment.

Now, if you are a startup and want to enter, you first have to be in order. Nothing to be "ghost company" or walk with tax debts. You need your Constitution act, your papers up to date, your RFC, and zero problems with the SAT (or whoever in your country). Basically, the government wants to know that you will not disappear half the contract.

But that's not all. You have to prove that you can with the package. If you have never done something similar, they will look at you ugly. You need to show experience (even a few), a decent team, and sufficient wool to endure the project. That is, nothing to promise the sky and run out of gas halfway.

Already with that, you can start looking for tenders. There are official pages (BOE type in Spain, DOF in Mexico, what touches in your country) and even services that warn you when something good comes out. Do not expect them to fall in the mail as if they were newsletters, you have to be hunting all the time.

When you see one that beats you, it's time to assemble the proposal. And here there is no room for laziness: you have to detail how you are going to meet, how much you will take, how much you charge, and why you are the best option. If you send something generic, they will not read it.

The world of tenders is fought, I'm not going to lie to you. All companies want their piece of the cake, so you have to stand out. Sometimes it is even necessary to team up with another company, so that together they are stronger (or at least they seem larger).

Anyway, entering the public sector is not an easy task, but for a startup it can be the springboard. If you prepare, you understand the process well and you are not afraid of paperwork, you can end up taking contracts that put you on the map. Not bad, right?