Knowledge Center · Getting Started
Can You Win a Government Contract Without Government Past Performance?
No federal contracts yet? That is not the same as having nothing to show a buyer.
You find a federal opportunity that fits your business. Then the solicitation asks for past performance. Your company has never held a federal contract, so you close the tab.
Before you do, ask a better question: What experience does this particular buyer actually allow you to show?
The answer is not always “previous federal contracts.” It might include commercial customers, state or local work, the experience of people who will perform the job, or an important subcontractor. But it also is not a free pass. You still have to meet the solicitation’s requirements and show a credible way to deliver.
The short answer
Yes, a business can compete for a first federal contract without a federal past-performance record. Under the standard FAR rule for negotiated procurements, an offeror with no relevant past performance cannot be rated favorably or unfavorably on that factor. The solicitation must explain how such an offeror will be evaluated. That neutral treatment does not mean your offer will beat a competitor with a strong record, and it does not erase separate requirements for experience, staffing, technical capability, or financial resources. FAR 15.305(a)(2)
Here is how to decide whether to pursue the opportunity—and how to build a truthful case when you do.
First, separate three things that sound alike
Past performance asks how well work was done. Was it on time? Was the customer satisfied? Were problems corrected?
Experience asks whether you have done similar work at all. A solicitation might require a number of comparable projects or a particular kind of installation, delivery, or service.
Responsibility asks whether the business can actually perform the award. Federal standards include resources, the ability to meet the schedule, and a satisfactory performance record. FAR 9.104-1
Those are related questions, but they are not interchangeable. A neutral past-performance rating does not automatically satisfy a mandatory experience requirement or prove you can finance a contract.
The practical rule: Never read “no past performance will be rated neutral” as “no evidence of capability is needed.”
What counts when your company is new?
Start with the solicitation’s instructions and evaluation factors. For negotiated acquisitions under FAR Part 15, the government must give offerors an opportunity to identify similar federal, state, local, and private-sector contracts. The evaluation may also consider relevant work by predecessor companies, key personnel, or subcontractors performing major or critical parts of the requirement. The government decides how relevant that work is. FAR 15.305(a)(2)(ii)–(iii)
That creates four honest evidence paths:
- Your company’s commercial or local-government work. If your cleaning company has maintained three medical clinics, describe the size, schedule, standards, and customer results. Do not hide the fact that the clients were not federal agencies.
- The founder’s or team’s relevant work. Explain who did the work, in what role, and how that person will actually participate in this contract. Your former employer’s contract is not automatically your new company’s past performance.
- A committed partner’s work. A major subcontractor’s history may be relevant when that company will perform a substantial or critical portion. Identify its real role and obtain its commitment; do not borrow a logo and imply you performed its projects.
- A subcontracting path first. A prime contractor holds the government contract; your company performs a defined part for that prime. This can help you build company-level references while learning the delivery and documentation process. SBA describes subcontracting as a route for firms not yet ready to contract directly with an agency. SBA: Prime and subcontracting
None of these paths guarantees that a particular solicitation will accept the evidence. Read its definitions of “relevant,” “recent,” and “similar,” along with any minimum requirements.
A real-world example: the new IT supplier
Imagine a new company sourcing laptops for offices. Its owner spent years managing device purchases elsewhere, and it has a distributor willing to supply 200 units. That is useful, but it is not the same as the new company having delivered 200 units to a federal agency.
A credible response would separate the facts: what the company has delivered, what the owner did in a previous role, what the distributor has committed to supply, and how the company will handle pricing, shipping, warranty issues, and cash flow. If the solicitation requires three completed projects by the offeror of similar size, the company must check whether it meets that exact requirement before investing in a proposal.
That distinction may feel less impressive than a broad claim. It is also much more persuasive than a reviewer finding that the claimed “company experience” belonged to somebody else.
Read the opportunity before you decide to bid
Do a five-minute screen before writing anything:
- Find the evaluation section. Is past performance a scored factor? Is there a separate pass/fail experience requirement? How will a new firm be treated?
- Check what references are allowed. Does the buyer accept commercial work, key personnel, or major subcontractors? How recent and similar must the work be?
- Check the delivery test. Can you meet the quantities, location, staffing, schedule, security, and financing requirements? Federal responsibility standards still matter. FAR 9.104-1
- Check registration and eligibility. If you will bid as prime, confirm active SAM registration timing and any set-aside certification in the actual solicitation. The standard FAR 52.204-7 provision requires registration at offer submission and award when it applies.
- Ask a focused question before the deadline. If the instructions are unclear, use the solicitation’s question process. Do not assume a contracting officer can rewrite the requirement in a private email.
If the opportunity clearly demands a history your company cannot show, passing is a business decision—not a verdict on your future in government contracting.
Build a one-page evidence sheet before chasing bids
Create a simple record for each relevant project:
| Evidence | What to write down |
|---|---|
| Customer and work | Who bought what, and what problem did you solve? |
| Scale and timing | Quantity, contract value or scope, dates, and locations |
| Your exact role | Company, founder, employee, or subcontractor—be explicit |
| Result | On-time delivery, quality measures, or a verifiable customer outcome |
| Reference | A contact who is authorized and willing to confirm the work |
This is not a magic proposal template. It is a way to see what you can substantiate and where the gaps are. A short, well-documented commercial project can be more useful than a vague claim that your team has “decades of experience.”
If you have no customer work yet, the next step may be to deliver something smaller and document it well. That could be a commercial job, a local-government purchase, or a defined subcontract. Choose work that builds a reference in the market you actually want to serve.
The answer to the first-contract paradox
You do not have to invent a federal past to pursue a federal future. You do need to know what a buyer will evaluate, show the work you can truthfully claim, and prove that you can perform the contract in front of you.
Start with one opportunity. Read its evaluation rules. Compare them with your evidence. Then decide whether to bid, partner, or build the missing experience first.
That is a much stronger starting point than either “I have no federal contracts, so I cannot compete” or “the government has to give me a chance.”