Trade contractors find federal work on SAM.gov by searching contract opportunities by NAICS code, saving filtered searches with email alerts, and watching sources-sought notices early. Searching is free and needs no account, but an active SAM.gov entity registration is required to bid. Start with micro-purchase and simplified-acquisition jobs under $350,000.
Trade contractors find federal work on SAM.gov by searching contract opportunities by NAICS code, saving filtered searches with email alerts, and watching sources-sought notices early. Searching is free and needs no account; an active registration is required only to bid.
Trade contractors find federal work on SAM.gov by searching contract opportunities by NAICS code, saving filtered searches with email alerts, and watching sources-sought notices early. Searching is free and needs no account, but an active SAM.gov entity registration is required to bid. Start with micro-purchase and simplified-acquisition jobs under $350,000.
This AIGovBid guide covers trades & construction for small business government contractors and explains the next steps contractors should take.
No. Anyone can search contract opportunities on SAM.gov for free without an account, including filtering by NAICS code, agency, and set-aside type. An account and an active entity registration are required only to bid or receive an award, not to browse or research opportunities.
Search by your NAICS code rather than keywords alone. Trade contractors fall under the 238 specialty trade group: 238220 for plumbing and HVAC, 238210 for electrical, and 238160 for roofing. Enter the code in the Contract Opportunities NAICS filter, then narrow by state and set-aside type.
A sources sought notice is market research with no bid to submit; the agency is checking which firms can perform a requirement. A solicitation is the live request for offers with a deadline. Responding to sources sought early lets you influence how the eventual solicitation is scoped and set aside.
Specialty trade contractors use codes in the NAICS 238 group: 238220 plumbing and HVAC, 238210 electrical, 238160 roofing, 238110 concrete, 238140 masonry, and 238910 site preparation. Most carry a $19 million SBA size standard, so independent shops qualify as small for set-aside contracts.
Under the $10,000 federal micro-purchase threshold, an agency can buy directly on a government purchase card with no competition. Under the $250,000 simplified acquisition threshold, agencies use streamlined procedures and often award on a few quotes. These small-dollar jobs are the fastest path to a first federal trades award.
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