From Confusion to Confidence: Real Stories of Small Businesses Winning with Expert Procurement Training

Are You Wondering What “Procurement” Even Means?
Let’s get real for a minute. The word “procurement” isn’t exactly everyday language, especially for busy business owners. About 75% of small business leaders don’t know what the term means. At Infinity GPC, we like to keep it simple: procurement is just the official word for the act of buying. And in our world, business-to-government buying happens in two main ways:

Open Invitations (Publicly Solicited): These are the bids, RFPs, and notices that are posted publicly.
Behind-the-Scenes Buying (Not Publicly Solicited): Smaller transactions, direct awards, or exceptional opportunities for certified businesses. Often, these never make it to the public sites at all.
Most small businesses overlook the second type, where a significant portion of the real opportunity lies. That’s why understanding “procurement” isn’t about buzzwords or fancy jargon. It’s just about learning how governments buy so that you can sell.

“I Didn’t Even Know Where to Start” — Jennifer’s Story
Jennifer, founder of a family-owned janitorial company in Long Beach, had heard people talk about government contracts, but every website felt like reading a foreign language.

“I saw all the paperwork, the different codes, and that word, procurement. It made my head spin. I was honestly ready to give up,” she recalls.

Things changed when Jennifer joined one of Infinity GPC’s procurement workshops.

We started by breaking everything down:

What “procurement” means in plain English
The two ways governments buy
How getting certified as a California small business opens doors to both the public and the less-advertised deals—like the ones at LAUSD, LA County, or for major events like the Super Bowl and Olympics
By the end of that week, Jennifer not only understood the process, she landed her first small, non-public contract with the City of Long Beach—something she never saw posted online.

 
How “Buying” Really Works (and Why Certification Matters)
Most people picture procurement like a giant online job board—see a listing, submit a bid, hope for the best. That’s true for big ticket items, but not for the bulk of opportunities that fly under the radar.

The Two Main Buying Forms:
1. Publicly Solicited:

Think RFPs and Invitations for Bids
Anyone can see them and apply
Highly competitive, often for larger contracts

2. Not Publicly Solicited (Small Scale Buying):

Reserved for specific suppliers, often those who are certified
Used by school districts, city governments, sports commissions, and even central event committees like FIFA or the LA28 Olympics
Sometimes it’s a phone call or an email, not a public post

Obtaining the proper certification, such as the California Small Business Certification, places your company directly on the preferred lists for small-scale, non-publicly solicited purchases.

Real Example: How Certification Opened New Doors for Mario’s IT Company
Mario built his IT solutions company from the ground up in Pasadena. Big contracts always felt out of reach until he discovered Infinity GPC’s training.

“When I got certified as a California small business, I started showing up in their system. Suddenly, buyers from city departments and even the Super Bowl Host Committee started contacting me directly,” Mario shared.

He thought he’d have to chase big public bids, but instead, his first three government contracts came from buyers seeking a certified company for small projects—none of which were ever posted online.

 
Making Sense of the Maze: What the Training Looks Like
If you imagine expert procurement training as sitting through hours of dry lectures, you couldn’t be more off the mark. At Infinity GPC, the experience is hands-on, interactive, and focused on real-world applications.

We cover:

Navigating registration and compliance (in human terms)
Finding hidden opportunities
Building a repeatable process to apply for and win both public and non-publicly solicited work
These aren’t just buzzwords. We walk through a client’s actual certification application, role-play buyer calls, and even review real contract requests—sometimes right from school districts, city agencies, or event committees our clients want to work with.

From Lost to Landed: A Pasadena Catering Business Wins Big
Lisa, who runs a local catering company, attended one of our two-day boot camps. She thought government opportunities meant delivering sandwiches for city meetings. She left with a contact in the LA County procurement office and, within a month, secured a catering contract for a pre-Olympics event.

“The best part? I didn’t have to fill out some huge competitive proposal. They called me because my business was certified and local. I went from feeling invisible to being their go-to,” Lisa told us.

 
Why So Many Business Owners Get Left Behind
Without the proper knowledge, small businesses often miss the most significant untapped opportunity, direct purchases and small-scale buys. Most focus on the noisy, highly publicized RFPs and overlook the other path completely. Many companies sit on the sidelines because they lack knowledge of the language or the process.

That’s where our approach makes the difference.

• • • We don’t overwhelm you with acronyms.
      We teach the “why” and the “how” behind government buying in clear, relatable language.
      We connect you with the specific contacts who want to buy from certified small businesses.
       
      Key Takeaways from the Frontlines
      What Sets the Businesses Apart:
      They invest a little time in understanding how buying works
      They get certified, even if they’re a small shop
      They look for the quiet opportunities, not just the public ones
      They simplify complex processes with hands-on he
  • Where Our Clients Are Winning Contracts:
    Los Angeles Unified School District
    LA County and City of Los Angeles
    City of Long Beach
    City of Pasadena
    FIFA events and Super Bowl Host Committee
    Local events tied to the 2028 Olympics
    Most of these wins start with a simple “in” through their certification, followed by a relationship that grows with excellent service.

Ready to Turn Confusion Into Confidence?

Whether you’re brand new to government work or you’ve felt stuck outside the process for years, you’re in good company. Most of our successful clients began their journey without knowing what “procurement” even meant. What turned it around was a little guidance, the proper paperwork, and a real conversation.

Want to see what you could unlock with a few hours of expert training? Visit Infinity GPC to learn about our next workshop—or reach out for a quick chat. Your next contract might not be advertised anywhere, but with the proper certification, buyers could be finding you.