Government officials estimate that 27 percent of the $275 billion set aside in the stimulus bill for grants and loans to create jobs is still unpledged. Below, strategies for small businesses hoping to feast on the stimulus pie this year.

• Find your opportunity. The law reserves much of the unspent cash for big initiatives in energy conservation and research and health-records technology, but funding for miscellaneous projects also abounds: An enterprising botanist can snag $25,000 for monitoring weeds in Alaska, for instance. Federal contracts are announced on FedBizOpps.gov, while grants are publicized at Grants.gov. Most stimulus funds flow through state and local governments: Twenty states and the District of Columbia maintain official “points of contact” for information, listed at www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc, while others centralize the flow through their finance department. On the local level, start with a town’s economic development office.

• Pair up. Insiders say the government hates working with newcomers. Thanks to bad publicity surrounding wasteful spending in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, not to mention the paperwork required to set up new relationships, most stimulus funding is being awarded to trusted contractors, says Ray Bjorklund, chief knowledge officer with McLean, Va., consultancy FedSources. Newcomers have a better shot if they pair with an experienced partner. Since many opportunities are off-limits to private firms, small business may qualify for more contracts by partnering with a nonprofit.

• Jobs, jobs, jobs. Officials were embarrassed when critics disputed the number of jobs supposedly “saved” by the Recovery Act. Since then the emphasis has switched to a more solid measure: new job creation, says Ken Blair, a Tampa, Fla., government-grants consultant. Winning proposals now emphasize how many unemployed folks will be put back to work.

• Get in their heads. Vendors who merely fill out a request for proposal or grant application can’t compete with experienced competitors who have an inside line; instead, they need to analyze the agency in question and tailor their proposals accordingly. Most federal agencies have a SADBUS (Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Specialist) who can advise newcomers and introduce them to procurement officers. It helps to study the local agency’s strategic plan and the objectives of the federal or state authorities channeling the money. Even bureaucrats, it turns out, need to feel heard and understood. “It’s Selling 101,” says Bjorklund.

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