How to search SAM.gov for contract opportunities

SAM.gov is where federal agencies post their contract opportunities. Searching it is free, and you do not need to sign in. A few filters turn thousands of notices into a short list you can check a few times a week.

Open the search

1. On the SAM.gov home page, choose Contracting, then Contract Opportunities. You can also choose Search in the header and pick Contracting.
2. Type keywords or a notice ID in the search bar.
3. Open Advanced Search to see every filter.

The filters that matter

• Keywords. Choose Any words, All words or Exact phrase. Try the words buyers use. Cleaning work, for example, is often called "custodial" as well as "janitorial".
• NAICS code. Under Product or Service Information, enter your codes. You can add several, and a two-digit sector works too, such as 23 for construction. See NAICS codes and size standards.
• Product and service code (PSC). Federal buyers also tag notices with these codes. You can add several.
• Set aside. Pick the set-asides you can bid on as the prime. You can pick more than one. See Set-asides in plain words.
• Place of performance. Enter a ZIP code or pick states, one at a time.
• Notice type. Pick one or more types. Keep Sources Sought and presolicitations in, not just solicitations. See Notice types.
• Dates. Filter by the response date, when offers are due, or by the updated date.
• Status. Active shows open notices. Inactive is for research on past buys.
• Federal organizations. Pick a department, or expand it to pick an agency inside it.

More Filters adds the published date, the contracting office and award details. Reset clears everything.

Read each result

Each result shows the notice title and ID, a short description, the department and office, the date offers or responses are due with its time zone, the notice type, and when it was published and updated.

• Original or updated. A notice type that starts with "Updated" has changed since it posted. Open it and read the latest amendment.
• Codes in titles. Some titles start with a product or service code, such as S201 for custodial janitorial work.
• Attachments. The documents are on the notice page. Some are marked Controlled. To ask for access, you need a SAM.gov account with the right role for your registered business, and the contracting officer approves or rejects each request.
• Questions. Send questions about a notice to the point of contact listed on it, not to the SAM.gov help desk.

Save your search and get emails

Saving a search needs a SAM.gov user account, so sign in first.

1. Run the search with your filters.
2. Open the Actions menu, choose Save and name the search.
3. Open Saved Searches, open the Actions menu next to your search and choose Notify.

When a new contract opportunity matches, SAM.gov emails you a link to your saved search. Choose Stop Notify to turn it off. Only Contract Opportunities searches have Notify.

Follow a notice

On a notice you care about, select Follow. Your followed records are in your Workspace, where you can set how often SAM.gov emails you about changes, or unfollow.

Some notices also have an Interested Vendors List. If the agency turned it on, you can add your business, and other vendors may see it. That helps primes and subcontractors find each other. Adding yourself takes an account linked to your registered business, with the right role.

What you need and what is free

Searching and reading notices need no account. Submitting most federal offers needs an active entity registration. SAM.gov registration is free, and you never need to pay anyone to search SAM.gov.

Common mistakes

• Searching only by keyword and missing notices labeled with your NAICS code.
• Filtering to solicitations only, and missing Sources Sought notices you could answer early.
• Skipping place of performance, then wading through work you cannot reach.
• Not opening a notice again right before you submit, and missing an amendment.

In Victavio

Victavio runs this search for you every day. It reads SAM.gov's public notices, matches them to your codes, words and places, and reads the files. See an easier way to search SAM.gov.