Registering to work for the US Government
Very recently I needed to “register” to work for the US Government. It wasn’t a lot of work, just delivering a keynote speech at a conference for a branch of the Department of Defense. Sounds like a lot of “registration” for just a little work doesn’t it? Most people’s gut reaction: “Man you’re going to need to wade through as shitload of bureaucracy and paperwork!”
It wasn’t bad – pretty simple actually. Maybe took an hour total, including registering for a Dun and Bradstreet number and filling out some online forms. Quite efficient actually, and if I had a better sense of humor I might have registered as a supplier of munitions or lunar rovers as well :)
In contrast, I’m currently working on getting approved as a vendor for a major high tech company you probably know and respect - I certainly think highly of them. I’ve been working for them for close to a year as a subcontractor, and they want to formalize our relationship and have me work and bill directly. Sounds good to me!
So far, I’ve filled out about 1/2” of forms, had to call my bank several times for arcane data, needed to get New Hampshire’s closest equivalent to a “Business License” (hey, we’re the “Live Free or Die” State - we don’t need no stinking licenses!), documented my ongoing and regular business expenses, located my Social Security Card (I had never seen it – turns out my mother had it), photocopied several invoices, provided a list of very current references, and personally hired some company to research my past and verify I’m not an evil guy. Oh, and they want several types of insurances I’ve never needed in 15 years of consulting, including one my insurance company has never heard of!
The Libertarian in me wants to blame the government for this “Vendor Abuse Program” (their term, not mine!) since perhaps government regulations are making us jump through all these hoops to work together. That’s certainly part of it, but who really knows?
What’s my point? Quite simply, the US Government gets some things very right! And incidentally, all the people I worked with were not only super efficient but also a pleasure to interact with. I have been very pleasantly surprised! Viva Las Vegas – errrr, the US Government,.
Maybe it really is “We The People?”
It wasn’t bad – pretty simple actually. Maybe took an hour total, including registering for a Dun and Bradstreet number and filling out some online forms. Quite efficient actually, and if I had a better sense of humor I might have registered as a supplier of munitions or lunar rovers as well :)
In contrast, I’m currently working on getting approved as a vendor for a major high tech company you probably know and respect - I certainly think highly of them. I’ve been working for them for close to a year as a subcontractor, and they want to formalize our relationship and have me work and bill directly. Sounds good to me!
So far, I’ve filled out about 1/2” of forms, had to call my bank several times for arcane data, needed to get New Hampshire’s closest equivalent to a “Business License” (hey, we’re the “Live Free or Die” State - we don’t need no stinking licenses!), documented my ongoing and regular business expenses, located my Social Security Card (I had never seen it – turns out my mother had it), photocopied several invoices, provided a list of very current references, and personally hired some company to research my past and verify I’m not an evil guy. Oh, and they want several types of insurances I’ve never needed in 15 years of consulting, including one my insurance company has never heard of!
The Libertarian in me wants to blame the government for this “Vendor Abuse Program” (their term, not mine!) since perhaps government regulations are making us jump through all these hoops to work together. That’s certainly part of it, but who really knows?
What’s my point? Quite simply, the US Government gets some things very right! And incidentally, all the people I worked with were not only super efficient but also a pleasure to interact with. I have been very pleasantly surprised! Viva Las Vegas – errrr, the US Government,.
Maybe it really is “We The People?”
posted by Ted Demopoulos at 1:04 AM
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