Find Any Contract With Search

This tutorial covers the fastest way to search government contracts in SAMstream: one key term, a few deliberate filters, and a deadline trick that hides everything you can no longer bid on. Watch the video above to see it live.

Start simple

Type a single key term for your work, like “landscaping”, and search. A broad term returns hundreds of opportunities, which is exactly what you want before filtering: the fewer filters you set, the more you see.

Filter with intent

• Set-asides. Woman-owned, veteran-owned, HUBZone and more, one click each. But remember: work that is not set aside can still be worth bidding.
• Place of performance. Narrow by state or city where you actually operate.
• NAICS codes. Add your industry codes to catch differently-worded postings.
• Advanced. Department, agency, and office filters when you want, say, only Air Force work.

The response-deadline trick

Set the response deadline filter to start today and leave the end date open. Every expired posting disappears, and everything left is genuinely biddable. It is the fastest way to search government contracts you can still win. Give yourself a few days of runway if you need time to build a bid packet.

Federal and state in one place

Federal results come from the official SAM.gov database; flip the toggle to state opportunities to search state databases, with more states added over time. When a search earns its keep, turn it into an auto search and let the results come to you.

For the manual alternative, see our guide to searching SAM.gov like a pro. Or skip the grind: see how SAMstream works and try it free for 7 days.