OGC procurement forecast: Office of the General Counsel

A procurement (or acquisition) forecast is an agency's list of contracts it plans to buy in the coming months, published before the solicitation is posted on SAM.gov. Agencies publish them so small businesses can prepare. Each entry usually gives the work, the NAICS code, an estimated value range, the expected solicitation or award quarter and whether it may be set aside.

Pick the planned buys in your NAICS codes, then introduce your business to the agency's small business specialist or program office with a short email and your capability statement. Ask how they plan to buy it: set-aside, contract vehicle and timing. Then watch SAM.gov for a sources sought notice or draft solicitation, which often comes first. Contacting OGC early, while the requirement is still being planned, is when you can still influence a set-aside decision.

They are estimates. Dates shown as a quarter or fiscal year are the agency's own (the federal fiscal year starts October 1, so Q1 FY2027 is October to December 2026). Values are ranges. Buys slip, change set-aside or are dropped, and some are never posted. Treat a forecast as an early signal, not a promise.

From the agencies' own public forecast sites: GSA's Acquisition Gateway forecast tool (which carries the forecasts of many departments), the Department of Homeland Security's Acquisition Planning Forecast System, and the Department of Energy and NASA acquisition forecasts. FedReady checks them every day. Agencies that aren't listed publish their forecasts elsewhere; Acquisition.gov links to each one.