How to win federal paving and road construction contracts
To win federal paving and road construction contracts, register in SAM.gov, find notices under the paving and road construction NAICS codes in the states you work in, and bid first on small business set-asides, which made up 75% of the 649 paving and road construction solicitations posted in the last 12 months. Today there are 62 open notices, and the busiest buyer over the past year was the Forest Service.
The market today
Right now there are 62 open federal paving and road construction notices, 38 of them open for bids. 13 close within the next 7 days. 34 are set aside for small or certified businesses, so fewer companies can compete. Over the last 12 months agencies posted 649 paving and road construction solicitations and published 54 awards with a median value of $681K. The busiest buyer was the Forest Service, with 226 solicitations.
| Open notices today | 62 |
| Closing within 7 days | 13 |
| Set aside for small or certified businesses | 34 |
| Solicitations posted in the last 12 months | 649 |
| Published awards in the last 12 months | 54 (median $681K) |
From public SAM.gov data, updated October 20, 2026. See every open paving and road construction notice.
Who buys paving and road construction work
Road, parking and bridge work comes from the Federal Highway Administration's Federal Lands Highway divisions, the Army Corps of Engineers, military installations, the National Park Service and the Forest Service, often in remote locations.
The busiest buyers in the last 12 months:
- Forest Service: 226 solicitations
- Federal Highway Administration: 135 solicitations
- Department of the Army: 81 solicitations
- National Park Service: 53 solicitations
- Department of the Air Force: 38 solicitations
The states with the most open paving and road construction work today: Idaho (5), Washington (5), Utah (3), Tennessee (3), Wyoming (3), Oregon (2).
Rules to know before you bid
- Davis-Bacon highway or heavy wage determinations apply, and Miller Act bonds are required over $150,000.
- Federal Lands Highway projects follow FHWA's standard specifications for roads and bridges on federal highway projects; others reference the state DOT specifications.
- Buy American requirements apply to construction materials on federal construction contracts.
NAICS codes for paving and road 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 paving and road construction:
How to win your first one
- Register your business in SAM.gov (free) and list every NAICS code above that you can really perform. How to register.
- Watch the notices in your states every day, including sources sought and presolicitations, which tell you what is coming.
- Start with small set-aside jobs close to home: they have fewer bidders and build the past performance you need later.
- Read the whole solicitation, ask questions before the deadline and acknowledge every amendment.
- Price haul distances and the nearest asphalt and aggregate sources carefully: on remote park and forest roads they decide the job.
Questions
How many federal paving and road construction contracts are open right now?
On October 20, 2026 there were 62 open paving and road construction notices on SAM.gov, 13 of them closing within a week.
Which agencies buy the most paving and road construction?
Counting solicitations from the last 12 months: Forest Service (226); Federal Highway Administration (135); Department of the Army (81).
Can a small business win federal paving and road construction contracts?
Yes. 75% of the paving and road 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 paving and road construction contracts worth?
The median published award in the last 12 months was $681K, across 54 award notices. Values vary widely and some contracts are awarded without a public notice.
What NAICS codes are used for paving and road construction?
The main ones are 237310 (Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction).
Related guides
- How to bid on federal construction contracts
- Bid bonds, performance bonds and prevailing wages on federal construction jobs
- Federal contract types explained: fixed-price, T&M, IDIQ and MATOC
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.