After Thanksgiving, when the turkey has been consumed and the cranberry sauce devoured, many Americans participate in the tradition of shopping on “Black Friday,” the day following Thanksgiving when popular retailers offer low prices for popular gadgets, toys, textiles, and more. The history of Black Friday dates back to the 1960s and indicates the kickoff to the Holiday shopping season. According to blackfriday.com, “black” refers to stores moving from the “red” to the “black,” as a historical reference to when accounting records were kept by hand, and red ink denoted a loss, and black a profit (www.blackfriday.com). On Black Friday, holiday shoppers are most commonly drawn to the thrill of a purchasing goods at prices that are drastically lower than they are during the rest of the year.

However, Black Friday has been experiencing competition from other initiatives such as Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday, that also want a piece of the holiday season shopping pie. Small Business Saturday is an initiative of American Express that began the tradition in 2010 in order to encourage people across the country to support small and local businesses. In fact, Small Business Saturday became official when the United States Senate officially recognized it in 2011, making it an American institution (www.AmericanExpress.com). Indeed, President Obama and other policymakers from coast to coast have voiced their support for Small Business Saturday.

Consumers are encouraged to participate in Small Business Saturday as a way to support small and local businesses that rely on community reciprocity. Moreover, a report published by Bank of America concluded that 91 percent of small business owners said Black Friday has either little or no impact on their business’ generation of revenue (www.entrepreneur.com). Unlike retail giants, such as Target, Best Buy, and Nordstrom, small businesses are unique in that they rely on fewer consumers, select merchandise, personalized experiences, and exclusive promotional offers to foster consumer loyalty, customer satisfaction, and a sense of community.

Indeed, consumers who chose to shop small on Small Business Saturday will be doing themselves a favor by avoiding the madness that is Black Friday. Who wants to battle with other buyers to get a new television or appliance anyway? Although big box retailers may offer more varieties of merchandise, their merchandise is mass produced, whereas small business merchants offer unique gifts, handcrafted jewelry and artisan foods, to name a few. Furthermore, buyers will support their local economies by shopping small as small businesses employ nearly half of all private-sector employees in the United States. In fact, MoneyTalksNews.com reports that opening a big box discount store directly reduces employment by an average of 150 jobs within the county it is located because each employee replaces approximately 1.4 retail workers (www.moneytalksnews.com). By shopping at your neighborhood Mom and Pop shops, you can contribute to their small business success and employee retention.

In short, support small businesses throughout the year and begin your holiday shopping season on a positive and helpful note by taking part in Small Business Saturday, which will take place this year on Saturday, 26 November 2022. Happy shopping and happy holidays!

Veteran’s day is more than a federal holiday. The date in which we celebrate our veterans, November 11^th annually, is set aside in remembrance of the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” which marked the end of World War I. Our great republic and all its citizens are forever indebted to those who bravely fought to protect our borders and our revolutionary freedoms. Our country’s veterans deserve to be honored for their service and their sacrifices, as we would live in a vastly different world without them.

On this day, let us remember those who fought for our freedom and put themselves in harms way to protect our great nation. Let us honor and recognize our veterans for their contribution to our ability to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Let us humbly give thanks to our heroes and reflect upon their steadfast sense of duty.

At this time, we are proud to honor our very own Sabre88 Veterans:

Charlie Cernat

James Hansel

Michael Oyewole

Brian J. Schweikert

On behalf of all of us here at Sabre88, Thank You for Your Service.

Searching for federal contracts is a complex process of filtering through {inputs} to find the right opportunity for your company. There are websites online that have extradited the process, and made it easier to find and research different government contracts. Platforms like Sam.gov(formerly FBO ) and fpds.gov, are government run contract portals where government departments andoffices share their requests directly too bidders. On the other hand, online platforms like GovWin and GovTribe provide a detailed portfolio of information for federal contracts as a service with freemium subscription options. Because there are so many options starting can be confusing. You may need the directness of a government portal, alternatively you may find the information provided from a paid service necessary for your discovery and the research that follows.

Government Portals

Sam.gov

fpds.gov

Seaport.mil

The Federal Procurement Data System, fpds.gov, and The System for Award Management, sam.gov, are two detailed government contracting digital portals. You can search, and use the built-in filters to refine your results to whatever you are looking for. On Fpds, Sam and Seaport, you can create accounts to store your filter preferences. Using government portals is free gives you not only the Contracts name, but also the contract number, response date and the contracting offices contact information. Additionally, submission instructions are uploaded as pdfs and word documents that are downloadable. A SAM registration is required for any entity to bid on and get paid for federal contracts or to receive federal funds. The Sam registration is valid for one year from the date the registration is complete and must be renewed before 60 days of expiration to avoid potential penalties.

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Paid Services 

Govwin.com

GovTrive.com

ezgovopps.com

GovWin IQ is a cloud-based intelligence solution for government procurement in the United States that helps companies manage public sector opportunities and develop strategies to close deals and outperform the competition. GovWin provides contractors who sell to the federal government with new opportunities, detailed planning intelligence, potential team partnerships, and the strategies small businesses need to stay ahead of the competition and win more federal contracts. GovTribe is an online portal that identifies federal government contracts, funding opportunities, and market information. GovTribe is a collaboration platform that allows contractors and their teams to access real-time information and manage business development activities. It provides contractors with information about the federal contract market through an easily accessible website and turn the information into actionable information. There is also a team sharing feature. EZGovOpps is a federal market research tool designed for government contractors, collection managers, business developers, proposal writers, and government researchers.

How to Filter

Regarding what to filter it depends on your strategy. If you want a broad range of opportunities related to your interest, you can filter based upon NAICs and PSC codes. Alternatively, you can search within your desired department or agency. You can combine the filters for an even more concentrated search, to comb through lists of federal contracts. Eventually you will find what you are looking for. You can find contracts through online portals, government sourced or paid services, depending on your strategy you may use one, the other, or even both for your companies’ procurement.

Newark, New Jersey, August 5, 2022 – Sabre88 wins contract award with the Port Authority’s Security Business Resource Management and Planning Department (SBRMP).  Sabre88 shall provide two (2) part-time personnel to the Port Authority on as needed basis to perform work at the Port Authority Technical Center (PATC) in Jersey City, NJ.  The Contract shall be for a three (3) year period effective July 19, 2022 to July 18, 2025.

The Port Authority is an agency of the States of New York and New Jersey, created and existing by virtue of the Compact of April 30, 1921, made by and between the two States, and thereafter consented to by the Congress of the United States. It is charged with providing transportation, terminal and other facilities of trade and commerce within the Port District. The Port District comprises and area of about 1,500 square miles in both States, centering about New York Harbor. The Port District includes the Cities of New York and Yonkers in New York State, and the cities of Newark, Jersey City, Bayonne, Hoboken, and Elizabeth in the State of New Jersey, and over 200 other municipalities, including all or part of seventeen counties, in the two States.

Under this contract Sabre88 will be responsible for support activities necessary to research, track, document, and provide information related to the discovery of non-traditional sources of grant funding to support the SBRMP grant program. Sabre88 shall aid in the administration of the Port Authority’s Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Grant Program. Sabre88 will be responsible for gathering information for and the creation of new UASI grant applications and all record keeping functions associated with the managing of UASI grant awards including but not limited to correspondence preparation, program compliance, grant administration, fiscal report preparation, equipment inventory, audit response, monthly accrual submissions.

About Sabre88, LLC. – Sabre88 is a global consulting firm applying capabilities in technology, public policy, international affairs, healthcare and education to government and commercial clients. With more than twenty years of experience offering strategic solutions, Sabre88 staff advance the firm’s mission to provide civilian and defense agencies of the government with the necessary tools to address emerging challenges and pursue global opportunities.