# How to Sell to the DoW Master

Author: Oliver Gomez, Co-Founder at Usul

The Department of War is the biggest customer in the world. It buys software, hardware, services, and frontier technology at enormous scale.

For decades, that market rewarded incumbents and punished speed. That is changing. Commercial-first procurement is now a real priority, and new entrants can compete for contracts that would have been structurally inaccessible a few years ago.

This guide is for founders who have built something real and want to know whether the government should be a customer, and if so, how to find, engage, and close it.

### How to use this guide

Your path depends on one question: **does demand for your capability already exist inside the government, or are you creating something genuinely new?**

Start here:

* [How the Government Spends Money](/sell-to-the-government/how-to-sell-to-the-dow-master/how-the-government-spends-money.md) — Learn the three colors of money and how each maps to a different pitch.
* [How to Validate Demand](/sell-to-the-government/how-to-sell-to-the-dow-master/how-to-validate-demand.md) — Check whether the government already funds or buys what you build.
* [If Demand Already Exists](/sell-to-the-government/how-to-sell-to-the-dow-master/if-demand-already-exists.md) — Map buyers, understand contract vehicles, and get in front of end users.
* [If Demand Does Not Exist Yet](/sell-to-the-government/how-to-sell-to-the-dow-master/if-demand-does-not-exist-yet.md) — Create demand from the bottom up and top down.

### Choose your path

If demand exists, the path is structured and learnable. You start with SBIR, move into CSO and OTA vehicles, and work toward direct contracts with end users by aligning with a clear demand signal.

If demand does not exist, you need to create it. That requires a longer runway, stronger relationships, and a different strategy across policymakers, budget owners, and end users.

Both paths are real. Both have produced billion-dollar outcomes.


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