Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by John Crout on June 23, 2009 at 10:23am

First thing to do is obtain a Dunns number. This is a requirement of all contractors. The next thing to do is to subscribe to one or more of the mailing lists that post Requests for Proposals (RFPs). There are some that are free and others that are fee-based. Example names escape my recall at the moment. Another thing to consider is based on what you've written, whch pertains to time. Hooking up with someone who can put time into writing a proposal, whether or not it is a grant, would simply be good planning. Perhaps this latter point has been addressed.

On the Dunns number, the number itself is free to obtain from Dunn and Bradstreet. I have one -- or, more accurately, a Florida Corp I own has one (though the corp has not filed paperwork in Florida and is dormant, it can be reactivated). But there is a cost for D&B to do a credit check and to give you a rating. When an agency that requires a rating seeks info about you, they will often pay the $75 or so, to create the report. Once it exists, whether you pay for it or the potential Point of Contact (POC) pays for it, isn't relevent to having one (I don't think). Some of this is a little fuzzy but this is what I do recall from about 10 years ago.

Permalink Reply by Vincent Granville on June 24, 2009 at 12:57am

See also additional comments on our LinkedIn group.