Searching

After completing your SAM or when beginning to look on your contracting journey, you can then start searching for federal government contracts.

When on SAM.gov, click Search in the navigation bar. You can then more clearly restrict this search to contracts by choosing Contract Opportunities underneath Select Domain. This will ensure that all results are for federally posted contract opportunities.

SAM.gov has many search options and filters that can be used. You can mix and match them to try and get the best and most relevant search results.

Notice Types

Several different notice types will show up when performing your searches. Here is the information that they hold and what they mean:

• Presolicitation - Notice of upcoming, future business opportunities.
• Combined Synopsis/Solicitation - Current business opportunities.
• Sources Sought - Contracting agency seeking possible sources, but not actively offering a solicitation or RFP.
• Modification/Amendment/Cancel - Notice of changes made to a previously posted notice.
• Sale of Surplus Property - Used when a government agency is selling surplus property, rarely used.
• Special Notice - Announcement of procurement matters including business fairs, long.
• Award Notice - Announcement of contract award.
• Justification - Documentation required to justify and obtain approval to contract without providing for full and open competition.
• Sale of Surplus Property - When the federal government is looking to make items or properties available to the public that they no longer use.

If you are searching for contracts that you can bid on or that you can potentially bid on, the notice types you will most be interested in are Presolicitations, Combined Synopsis/Solicitation, Modification/Amendment/Cancels, and sometimes Special Notices. Award Notices and Justifications can be used for researching more information on potential contracts or reaching for new opportunities in the future, if the opportunity allows for it.

Contract Opportunities

You should set your search criteria to something that is within the realm of what you are looking for.

All opportunities have North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes listed on them, and this is one of the most popular ways to search since they bring you to prospects that your company has listed they go for and that contracting officers believe are the best fit for the products or services they are looking to procure.

Other items you can pay attention to within an opportunity are the Product Service Codes (PSCs) along with the Set-Asides, Due Dates, and Place of Performance to find items that better suit your needs.

Other systems combine searches for multiple federal agent sites and provide an easier way to search, save, and receive notices of what is being sent. Our affiliate has created a portal that also allows you to search and filter all the ways that SAM.gov does, but also with federal agents. If you see an agent that is posting, you would be able o search for them since they can normally post similar opportunities within their agency.