BidFox

How to win federal construction contracts

To win federal construction contracts, register in SAM.gov, find notices under the construction NAICS codes in the states you work in, and bid first on small business set-asides, which made up 71% of the 7,471 construction solicitations posted in the last 12 months. Today there are 840 open notices, and the busiest buyer over the past year was the Department of the Army.

The market today

Right now there are 840 open federal construction notices, 534 of them open for bids. 166 close within the next 7 days. 397 are set aside for small or certified businesses, so fewer companies can compete. Over the last 12 months agencies posted 7,471 construction solicitations and published 1,167 awards with a median value of $499K. The busiest buyer was the Department of the Army, with 1,366 solicitations.

Open notices today840
Closing within 7 days166
Set aside for small or certified businesses397
Solicitations posted in the last 12 months7,471
Published awards in the last 12 months1,167 (median $499K)

From public SAM.gov data, updated October 20, 2026. See every open construction notice.

Who buys construction work

The biggest buyers are the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, the Air Force civil engineering squadrons, the Department of Veterans Affairs and land agencies such as the National Park Service, the Forest Service and the Bureau of Reclamation. Work ranges from small repairs at a single building to multi-year task-order contracts (MATOCs) covering a whole region.

The busiest buyers in the last 12 months:

The states with the most open construction work today: Louisiana (76), New York (38), Texas (28), California (26), Virginia (25), Washington (22).

Rules to know before you bid

  • Davis-Bacon prevailing wages apply to federal construction contracts over $2,000: the wage determination is attached to the solicitation and you submit certified payrolls weekly.
  • Miller Act performance and payment bonds are required on contracts over $150,000, and a bid guarantee (usually a bid bond) comes with the bid. Your surety's capacity limits the size of job you can take.
  • Construction solicitations normally use Standard Form 1442 and many are sealed bids (IFB) opened in public; others are negotiated (RFP) and weigh past performance.
  • On small business set-asides you must perform part of the work yourself: general construction firms cannot pay more than 85% of the contract to subcontractors that are not similarly situated, specialty trades 75%.

NAICS codes for construction

Agencies tag each notice with one NAICS code, and that code sets the size standard for small business set-asides. These are the codes BidFox follows for construction:

How to win your first one

  1. Register your business in SAM.gov (free) and list every NAICS code above that you can really perform. How to register.
  2. Watch the notices in your states every day, including sources sought and presolicitations, which tell you what is coming.
  3. Start with small set-aside jobs close to home: they have fewer bidders and build the past performance you need later.
  4. Read the whole solicitation, ask questions before the deadline and acknowledge every amendment.
  5. Attend the site visit, price from the wage determination, and start with small set-aside jobs near you to build federal past performance before going after larger task orders.

Questions

How many federal construction contracts are open right now?

On October 20, 2026 there were 840 open construction notices on SAM.gov, 166 of them closing within a week.

Which agencies buy the most construction?

Counting solicitations from the last 12 months: Department of the Army (1,366); Department of Veterans Affairs (1,122); Forest Service (762).

Can a small business win federal construction contracts?

Yes. 71% of the construction solicitations in the last 12 months were set aside for small businesses or for certified firms such as 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB or WOSB.

How much are federal construction contracts worth?

The median published award in the last 12 months was $499K, across 1,167 award notices. Values vary widely and some contracts are awarded without a public notice.

What NAICS codes are used for construction?

The main ones are 236115 (New Single-Family Housing Construction (except For-Sale Builders)), 236116 (New Multifamily Housing Construction (except For-Sale Builders)), 236117 (New Housing For-Sale Builders), 236118 (Residential Remodelers), 236210 (Industrial Building Construction), 236220 (Commercial and Institutional Building Construction).

Related guides

Last reviewed October 20, 2026. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules and dollar thresholds change, so check the solicitation and the official sources linked above.