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How to find government contracts: a step-by-step guide

The short answer: U.S. federal contract opportunities are published on SAM.gov, the government's official site, and you find the ones for your business by searching by NAICS code, place of performance and set-aside, every day. Here is how to do that well, and where else to look.

1. SAM.gov Contract Opportunities

Federal agencies must publicly post contract actions expected to exceed $25,000 on SAM.gov, with a few exceptions, and many post smaller ones too (SAM.gov replaced FedBizOpps in 2019). You can search without an account. The filters that matter:

  • NAICS code: the industry code the contracting officer assigned. Search all the codes you can perform, not just your main one.
  • Place of performance: the state where the work happens.
  • Set-aside: small business, 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB or WOSB, if you qualify.
  • Notice type: solicitations are biddable now; sources sought and presolicitations tell you what is coming. See notice types explained.

Save your searches and check them every weekday: response times are often 30 days or less, and much shorter for some commercial purchases.

2. Browse by state, trade and agency

BidFox publishes the same SAM.gov data organised for browsing, updated every morning: open contracts by state, by trade, by NAICS code, by agency and by set-aside, plus everything closing this week. Each page also shows the awards of the last 12 months and who won them, which is the fastest way to learn what a job really pays.

3. Agency forecasts

Most large agencies publish a procurement forecast: a list of contracts they expect to buy in the coming months, often with the expected set-aside and NAICS code. Forecasts let you prepare before the solicitation appears. Search for "[agency name] procurement forecast" on the agency's small business office page.

4. Subcontracting

Large prime contractors must plan to subcontract part of their federal work to small businesses. The SBA's SubNet lists subcontracting opportunities, and award notices tell you which primes are winning work in your area. See how to get federal subcontracts.

5. Free help

APEX Accelerators (formerly Procurement Technical Assistance Centers) and Small Business Development Centers offer free help with registration, searching and proposals in every state. The agencies' Offices of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) can tell you who buys what.

6. Let it come to you

Checking every day is the hard part. BidFox does it for you: every morning it emails the new notices that fit your trade and states, scored 0 to 100 with the reason each one fits. See a free sample alert for your trade.

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.