The US government is the single biggest purchaser of goods and services in the world. They publish everything they buy, who they buy from, and how much they spend. I ran seven simple service categories through real federal spending data to show you market size, average contract values, competition levels, and who is buying.

One of these seven categories had 160,000 separate contracts. I saved that one for the end.

All of this data is public. You can verify every number yourself at usaspending.gov.

0:00 The Government Is Paying Small Businesses Millions for This
0:40 How to Read Federal Contract Data Yourself
1:07 Service 1: Landscaping and Groundskeeping — $5.9 Billion Market
4:27 Service 2: Vocational and Technical Training — $6.5 Billion, $3M Average Contract
5:36 Service 3: Janitorial Services — $9.1 Billion, 16,000 Contracts
6:57 Service 4: Facilities and Operations Support — $15 Billion Market
7:48 Service 5: Administrative Support Services — $1.6M Average Contract
8:54 Service 6: Guard and Security Services — $25.2 Billion Market
9:36 Service 7: Logistics and Support Services — $36.5 Billion, 160,000 Contracts
10:57 What All Seven of These Have in Common
12:18 How Small Businesses Actually Win These Contracts

Seven simple service categories. Over $115 billion in federal spending. Hundreds of thousands of contracts awarded every year. The companies winning this work are usually not bigger than you. They are just more organized and following a repeatable process.

Drop a service in the comments and I will pull the federal spending data and break it down in a future video.

Get the GovClose Certification: https://www.govclose.com/sales-certification Our students learn the government contracting skills to :1. Start their own consulting business that can earn up to $400k as a "solopreneur" advising businesses that sell to the government.2. Land high paying sales executive jobs with companies in the public sector.3. Increase government contracting revenue for companies selling to the US government.

Get the GovClose Certification: https://www.govclose.com/sales-certification Our students learn the government contracting skills to :1. Start their own consulting business that can earn up to $400k as a "solopreneur" advising businesses that sell to the government.2. Land high paying sales executive jobs with companies in the public sector.3. Increase government contracting revenue for companies selling to the US government.

The U.S. government runs a program that will fund your company before you have a single customer — sometimes before you have a finished product at all.It's called SBIR, and in this episode John Martin breaks down exactly how he used it to go from an early-stage idea to a $1.9M U.S. Air Force funding increase, with a shot at a $30M+ award next.

If you've got innovative technology and you've ever wondered whether the government would pay you to develop it, this is the conversation to watch.John is the founder of Bundle AR, an augmented reality and XR training platform now used across the Air Force, Space Force, Army, and the commercial world. We get into how SBIR Phase I and Phase II actually work, what TACFI and STRATFI are, why relationships beat writing proposals, and the single mistake most founders make when they try to sell to the government.––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––CHAPTERS––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––00:00 The $1.9M the Government Paid Bundle AR00:42 Who Is John Martin & What Bundle AR Does03:33 How He Got His First Government Check05:57 SBIR Explained: Getting Paid for an Idea07:48 Why SBIR Funding Froze (and Just Reopened)09:14 TACFI: The $1.9M Air Force Funding Increase11:54 STRATFI & the New $30M Award for 202616:01 Why Relationships Beat Writing Proposals17:55 How to Win Before the Contract Is Posted22:09 Live Demo: AR Training for the Military28:54 The Smartest Move: Two Revenue Streams29:32 The Truth About SBIR Mills32:24 The GovClose Gauntlet: Rapid Fire37:12 John's Radio Career: Cronkite, Kiss & Taylor Swift38:57 Advice for First-Time Government Contractors41:00 New Markets: Education, Healthcare & School Security44:04 What's Next for Bundle AR––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––RESOURCES MENTIONED––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––GovClose Program Overview (free 20-minute training):https://www.govclose.comSBIR / STTR Program (official):https://www.sbir.gov––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––ABOUT THE GUEST — JOHN MARTIN, BUNDLE AR––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––John Martin is the founder of Bundle AR (BUNDLAR), a Chicago-basedoperational intelligence platform company. Over 8+ years, Bundle AR hasbuilt a no-code augmented reality and XR-wearable platform that deliverstraining and knowledge "where work happens" for both enterprise and theDepartment of Defense. The company has won SBIR Phase I and Phase II awards,a $1.9M U.S. Air Force Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI), and is nowqualified for a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI). Past clients andengagements include Microsoft (Xbox), Thermo Fisher, Cleveland Clinic, theU.S. Air Force, Space Force, Michigan Air National Guard, and the U.S. Army.Learn more / connect with John:Website: https://www.bundlar.comEmail: john@bundlar.comLinkedIn: [paste John's LinkedIn URL here]––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––ABOUT RICK HOWARD––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Rick Howard is a retired USAF Lieutenant Colonel and former DoD acquisitionsofficer who managed over $82 billion in federal contracts. He is the founderof GovClose and the DoD Contract Academy, with 400+ graduates working asgovernment contract consultants, federal account executives, and businessowners winning federal contracts.Get the GovClose Certification: https://www.govclose.com/sales-certification Our students learn the government contracting skills to :1. Start their own consulting business that can earn up to $400k as a "solopreneur" advising businesses that sell to the government.2. Land high paying sales executive jobs with companies in the public sector.3. Increase government contracting revenue for companies selling to the US government.

Get the GovClose Certification: https://www.govclose.com/sales-certification Our students learn the government contracting skills to :1. Start their own consulting business that can earn up to $400k as a "solopreneur" advising businesses that sell to the government.2. Land high paying sales executive jobs with companies in the public sector.3. Increase government contracting revenue for companies selling to the US government.Watch: The rise of solo consultants and why it pays so well https://youtu.be/rTfC3ug9XusChapters00:00 How $115K in Air Force Gear Led to Government Contracts00:36 From Air Force Special Ops to Government Contracting02:03 Landing Paid Government Contracting Consulting Clients04:31 The $115K Gear Question That Started Everything05:45 Will AI Replace Government Contracting Jobs?07:45 The Biggest Problem in Government Contracting08:33 Best Ways to Make Money in Government Contracting09:49 Why Companies Need Government Contracting Consultants11:47 Why Government Contracting Is Hard but Lucrative13:15 Building a GovCon Consulting Business14:09 RFPeasy and the Future of GovCon Software15:45 $50K a Month From Government Contracting Software?17:42 Government Contracting Scams to Avoid19:46 What Companies Should Pay GovCon Consultants For20:11 How to Spot Fake Government Contracting Experts22:12 RFP Writing and Client Transparency Problems24:21 RFPeasy Demo: AI Tools for Government Contractors27:21 What Federal Sales Teams Need to Win Contracts29:45 Building a Federal Sales Roadmap31:39 Using USAspending Data for Capture Strategy35:24 Reading Federal Market Data the Right Way36:39 Finding Top Contracting Offices in USAspending38:37 Onboarding GovCon Clients Faster39:45 Finding RFIs, RFPs, RFQs, and SBIR Opportunities41:12 Contracting Officer Search and Outreach Warnings44:21 Exporting GovCon Lead Lists45:00 Capability Statement Text for Federal Opportunities46:45 Pipeline Tracking for Government Contracts48:00 AI Proposal Writing for RFPs and RFIs49:30 Why Human Review Still Matters With AI Proposals50:33 RFPeasy Security, FAR Helper, and MVP Features51:33 How to Try RFPeasy.app52:18 GOVCLOSE50 Discount Code and Closing— — — — —RFP EASY PODCAST LISTENER OFFERUse code GOVCLOSE50 and get your first month free.Redeem at https://rfpeasy.app — offer active through July 31, 2026.— — — — —Built by Dakota Ward, U.S. Air Force Combat Controller veteran and founder of Gov Access Solutions LLC.Start now → https://rfpeasy.appABOUT RICK HOWARDRick Howard is a retired USAF Lieutenant Colonel and former DoD acquisitions officer who managed over $82 billion in federal contracts. He is the founder of GovClose and the DoD Contract Academy, with 400+ graduates working as government contract consultants, federal account executives, and business owners winning federal contracts.--Connect with Rick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/govclose/