SLED Market Entry Guide

At pre-bid stage, no separate website is needed. A dedicated landing page on your existing site targeting the US SLED market is enough to get started. It is faster to launch and costs almost nothing.

A full US-focused website becomes important once you start winning bids and need to build credibility with US buyers. At that point you will want US English copy, case studies, compliance markers (SAM.gov registered, CMMC ready), and a US contact. Budget roughly $1,000 to $3,000 for that upgrade when the time comes.

Not at pre-bid stage. You can operate as a subcontractor under a US prime contractor's entity without forming a US company.

• Delaware LLC: roughly $500 to $800 one-time, plus about $300 per year for a registered agent
• Wyoming LLC: around $100 to form and $50 per year to maintain
• You will also need a US bank account and a free EIN from the IRS, which takes one to four weeks for international applicants

CollabP can advise on the right timing and structure when you get to that stage.

Run it under your existing entity to start. Create a separate internal cost center called "US SLED" for clean financial tracking.

• Staying under existing No extra compliance cost, simpler banking, faster launch
• Staying under existing You can still sub to a US prime without a US entity
• Isolating later Cleaner liability separation once revenue grows
• Isolating now Adds $1,000 to $2,000 per year before you have validated revenue

Stay under your existing business for the first 12 to 18 months, then reassess once you have two or more active contracts.

CAPEX One-time: company formation, legal, equipment, licenses

OPEX Recurring: subscriptions, salaries, cloud, tools

One skilled resource is enough to start pre-bid work, with CollabP and Manus.ai handling research and opportunity discovery. That one person covers opportunity tracking, CRM updates, prime contractor outreach, and initial proposal drafts.

Once you are managing more than 10 active leads at once, split into two roles: one for business development and research, one for proposals and writing.

• Step 1: Subscribe to CollabP.com to access SLED opportunities, training, and the prime contractor network ($100 to $150 per month)
• Step 2: Register on SAM.gov as a vendor (free and required before you can bid)
• Step 3: Set up a CRM (HubSpot free tier or $50/mo paid) and load CollabP leads into it
• Step 4: Assign or hire one pre-bid business development resource
• Step 5: Activate Manus.ai for AI-powered research and opportunity automation ($300/mo, start month three)
• Step 6: Begin digital outreach to US prime contractors through LinkedIn and an AI calling tool once you have warm leads

Layer your tool investments. Do not buy everything on day one.

• Month 1 to 2 CollabP.com, CRM, and one resource. Roughly $350 to $600 per month.
• Month 3 to 4 Add Manus.ai ($300/mo) when you are ready to scale outreach volume
• Month 5 to 6 Add the AI calling and omnichannel tool ($300 to $500/mo) once you have warm leads
• Month 7+ Add proposal writing tools and compliance software as bid volume increases

Yes, open a dedicated USD account for this stream.

• Payoneer Business: Most widely used for Pakistani IT exporters. Gives you a US receiving account number, withdraws to PKR through SBP-approved banks
• Wise Business: Multi-currency, low fees, good for USD receipt and conversion
• Standard Chartered or HBL USD account: Works well for large SWIFT wire transfers from US primes

Lean start (Month 1 to 2): $350 to $600 per month. Covers CollabP.com, CRM, and one resource.

Growth setup (Month 3 to 6): $800 to $1,200 per month. Adds Manus.ai and a content or CRM manager.

Full toolkit (Month 6+): $1,500 to $2,000 per month. All tools plus two resources plus the AI calling tool.

One-time costs: legal and entity setup ($500 to $800), branding and landing page ($500 to $1,500), SAM.gov registration (free). Total one-time CAPEX roughly $1,000 to $2,300.

Track three numbers from month one:

• Opportunities identified per month (target 20 to 30 from CollabP.com)
• Bids submitted per month (target 5 to 10 by month three)
• Win rate (industry average for new entrants is 10 to 20 percent)

Even one small subcontract win at $5,000 to $20,000 covers three to six months of tool costs. Do not measure ROI month by month in the first six months. Measure quarterly pipeline growth instead.

A US company is not required at pre-bid stage. The prime holds the US contract and you come in as their subcontractor.

• Payoneer Business: Receive USD to a virtual US account number, withdraw to PKR through SBP partner banks
• PSEB export registration: Get IT export status for legal foreign currency receipt and potential tax benefits
• SWIFT bank wire: Once you have a signed subcontract, the prime wires USD directly to your Pakistani USD bank account

Yes, this is the standard and fully legal route.

• Best method: Signed subcontract in place, US prime sends a USD SWIFT wire to your Pakistani USD bank account, you convert at the SBP interbank rate
• Easiest method: Payoneer Business. Looks like a regular US bank account to the prime, you withdraw locally in PKR
• For compliance: Every incoming payment needs a matching invoice. Declare with your SBP-authorised bank as IT export income. May qualify for tax exemptions under Pakistan's IT export policy

Avoid cash or informal channels.

Yes, once you complete Learnsled.com SLED training you can train others as a certified SLED instructor through the platform.

• Month 1: Complete SLED training, subscribe to CollabP.com, register on SAM.gov
• Month 2: Set up CRM, identify first 30 opportunities, begin prime contractor outreach
• Month 3: Submit first 3 to 5 bids as a sub, activate Manus.ai for scale
• Month 4 to 6: First subcontract award expected, activate AI calling for follow-ups
• Month 7 to 12: Build past-performance record, begin training others, move into higher-value bids

Reach out to the CollabP team directly to discuss a structured partnership agreement for AXA Business Technologies.