A small business bids on a government contract by registering on SAM.gov, finding an open bid that fits its work, reading the notice, and submitting its bid on the government’s own posting before the deadline. You do not pay to bid, and you do not need a middleman. Start with smaller contracts that match work you already do.
Register your business
Get your business details in order first. Register free on SAM.gov and note your UEI, the unique identifier the government uses for your business.
Find the right contract
Search open bids by category and state, and start with work you already do well. Browse the Live Bids list, or take electrical work as an example: if you want to learn how to bid electrical jobs, open the Electrical & power systems category and check the open electrical bids there before reading any single notice in detail. Construction bids are another good place to start.
Read the notice carefully
Before you bid, read the whole notice. Check the deadline, any set-asides, the documents you must send, and how the bid must be submitted.
Prepare your bid
Price the work carefully, describe past work that is like it, and fill in the required forms. Answer exactly what is asked, and do not add extras the notice does not ask for.
Submit on the official posting
Bids are submitted on the government’s own site, through the official posting link on each of our bid pages. We list and organize the bids; the government runs the bidding.
Questions & Answers
Does it cost money to bid? No. Registering and bidding are free; never pay to access a public notice.
Do I need experience? No, but start with smaller contracts matching work you already do.
When will I hear back? Timelines vary by agency; watch the notice and your email.
To see what this looks like in practice, open the Construction category and work through one open bid from start to finish.