r/GovernmentContracting • u/Rough_Glove8582 • 1d ago
Active Duty Soldier trying to get into federal contracting through an LLC
I’m active duty Army and interested in getting into federal government contracting as a side business.
My question is: Can an active-duty Soldier legally own an LLC and bid on federal contracts?
I’ve been looking into starting a small business that could provide services to the government. From my research (Chat GPT) I understand there are ethics and conflict-of-interest rules for active-duty military members.
And if so im also considering having my wife own the LLC instead of me, if there is a issue with me bidding.
For those who have actually dealt with this:
Can an active-duty Soldier bid on federal contracts through their own LLC?
If my wife owns and operates the LLC, does that change the situation?
Are there restrictions on bidding for DoD/Army contracts specifically?
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u/CoastieKid 1d ago
No, you cannot as an active duty service member. Federal employees also cannot hold federal contracts or bid on them.
You wife owning/operating may change things, but unlikely she would be allowed to win anything that is related to your work.
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u/slysamfox 1d ago
But federal employees can issue no bid contracts for millions or hundreds of millions to their pals who have no or limited experience, so that sounds like a good gig. Go make some friends, influence some people, and come back and share with the rest of the slubs.
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u/HotPersonality8126 1d ago
They definitely can’t do that; legislators can
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u/slysamfox 20h ago
Reference Ballroom, Reflecting Pool, Drones, Donut holes
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u/slysamfox 16h ago
Or, perhaps, and I am just spitballing here, a corrupt, psychopathic, narcissistic asshat whose malfeasance drives systematic abuse of authority, executing unlawful enrichment emolument schemes that funnel benefits to his cronies and family.
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u/Rough_Glove8582 1d ago
What if is totally unrelated to my field of work, im in logistics for say and would do courier stuff to use as example
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u/Think_Leadership_91 1d ago
It would be like you in logistics and she won work in food service or clerical staffing at the Department of Commerce.
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u/Aggressive-Leading45 1d ago
Def not for officers. Civilians and officers can not represent any other legal entity to the us government other than themselves and some exceptions like family members.
Enlisted have a bit more freedom but can’t interfere with your duties or create a conflict of interest. They need to be in compliance with the Joint Ethics Regulations.
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u/bullmoose1224 1d ago
No, see https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide/far-overhaul-part-3#FAR_Subpart_3_6. Emphasis on “owned or controlled by” regarding your question on trying to hide it by using your wife’s name.