How to bid on government contracts: a plain-English guide for small businesses
The five steps to bidding on federal, state and local government contracts: register, find bids, check you qualify, respond and follow up.
Governments buy almost everything a small business sells: roofing, cleaning, IT support, catering, printing, snow removal, consulting. They have to post most of those purchases publicly and let businesses compete. Here's how to get in.
1. Register where the buyer buys
Federal: register your business in SAM.gov. It's free and gives you a Unique Entity ID (UEI). You can search federal bids without registering, but you must be registered to be awarded a contract. Allow up to 10 business days for it to go active.
State: each state has its own vendor registration, usually free. See the registration guide for your state.
Local: counties, cities, school districts and universities often have their own vendor lists or use a shared bidding platform. Each bid tells you where to register.
2. Find bids that fit
Bids are scattered across SAM.gov, dozens of state portals and thousands of local sites. You can check them one by one, or let FindMyBids check them every morning and send you the ones that match your trade and state. Start with bids in your state or bids for your trade.
3. Make sure you qualify before you spend time on it
Read the requirements first. The common deal-breakers are: a registration you don't have, a set-aside you don't qualify for, insurance limits higher than yours, bonding, a specific license, and a mandatory pre-bid meeting or site visit you'd miss. FindMyBids' readiness check flags these against your business profile.
4. Respond exactly as asked
Government buyers can reject a bid for small mistakes: a missing form, a late upload, the wrong format. Use their forms, answer every item, sign where asked, acknowledge every addendum, and submit before the deadline (in their time zone). See how to read an RFP.
5. Follow up, win or lose
Bid results are usually public. If you lose, ask for a debriefing or the bid tabulation: you'll see who won and at what price. That's the fastest way to price the next one right.
Common questions
Does it cost money to bid on government contracts?
No. SAM.gov and state vendor registrations are free or low cost, and bidding itself is free. Be wary of companies that charge to register you.
Can a one-person business bid on government contracts?
Yes. Many bids, especially small local ones and small business set-asides, are won by very small companies.
Let FindMyBids do the searching
We check federal, state and local bids every morning, explain each one in plain English, and tell you if you're ready to bid. Free to start.
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