ORCASummary: ORCA registration is one of the most important steps of government procurement, as this makes any supplier eligible for bidding and negotiation. Thus, it is important for entrepreneurs in the government procurement market to know the ORCA registration process by heart.

Managing a business can be tough, especially when the enterprises are venturing into government procurement. Aside from being well-rounded with the different marketing techniques and strategies, it is always a must for the entrepreneurs to know their way around rules and regulations set by the federal government when it comes to business management. In government procurement, there are several steps that one needs to take, such as registration in CCR and ORCA which are needed before they can get successful in winning contracts from biddings and negotiations.

The difficulty of entering the market for government procurement is one of the common misconceptions of most entrepreneurs. The truth is, anyone can have the ease of joining bids and negotiations once they have performed the necessary steps for registration under the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and got included in the list of legitimate contractors through the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA).

ORCA utilizes the data included in the CCR for the issuance of certificates needed before they can participate in government procurement. Because the registration can be completed online, ORCA can be done with ease and convenience through the following steps:

  1. Log on to www.bpn.gov and click Online Reps and Certs Application on the left side of the page
  2. Provide the MPIN acquired from the registration with the CCR. Should the vendors fail to get the MPIN, they can visit www.ccr.gov and complete the registration.
  3. Answer the questionnaire in order for you to get all the information needed for the clauses. The questionnaire found online though is not official. Make sure that the clauses are read carefully in this step.
  4. Provide information found in the Section K of the solicitation containing the deals and special offers to the government along with the NAICS codes. Succeeding in this step means that the vendors are able to acquire the codes along with the exception and multiple criteria for business classifications. Simply put, entrepreneurs need to give a brief response to the Section K with provision number, NAICS codes and classification.
  5. Determine whether or not the enterprise belongs to the small disadvantaged business procurement mechanism authorized regions. To be sure, it is best to visit http://www.acquisition.gov/References/sdbadjustments.htm and look under the SIC codes 15, 16 and 17.
  6. Submit the filled out registration and wait for the confirmation that the company is qualified for biddings and negotiations for government procurement.

Registrations for ORCA generally take a day, but the whole registration process can last for more than a month. Before performing the online registration, the entrepreneurs need to have the following requirements in order to ensure a smooth and trouble-free ORCA Registration:

1. Interactive D-U-N-S Number acquired from D&B

2. MPIN from the registration with the CCR

3. A valid record in the POC (in Virginia) and other versions of the system for other states

Remember that ORCA registration plays a vital role in jumpstarting a venture in government procurement. An entrepreneur can never be eligible for legal transactions without these requirements. There had been records of red taping in the market that has gotten a lot of tycoons in trouble, which is why it is always best for the contractors to follow the steps for legal business negotiations with the government.

In addition to this, it is important to note that the ORCA registration should be updated every year. This need not be done every 365 days. Vendors can always update their certification whenever there is a need to do so.

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