On this page
- Key findings
- How long do you get to respond to a federal solicitation?
- Why do Defense Logistics Agency notices skew the numbers?
- Which agencies give the most and least time?
- Which industries get more time to respond?
- Do set-asides come with longer deadlines?
- When are deadlines the shortest?
- How often do deadlines get extended?
- How long do sources sought and presolicitation notices give?
- What the rules say about response time
- What this means for a small business
- Methodology
- How to cite this report
- Frequently asked questions
In fiscal year 2026 (FY2026), the typical federal solicitation on SAM.gov gave vendors about 13 days to respond. Leaving out the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), whose notices are mostly automated parts buys, the median was 15 days, and nearly a third of solicitations (30.8%) gave fewer than 10 days. Sources sought notices were shorter still: the median was under 11 days, and almost half closed in less than 10.
This report measures the response window on 191,950 notices that agencies first posted on SAM.gov between October 1, 2025 and September 24, 2026. The window runs from the day a notice was first posted to its final response deadline, after any extensions. You can download the data (CSV), broken down by agency, industry, set-aside and month.
Key findings
- Most deadlines are under three weeks. 59.9% of all solicitations gave fewer than 15 days, and only 12.5% gave 30 days or more. Leaving out DLA, 49.2% gave fewer than 15 days and 25.9% gave 30 or more.
- Commercial buys move fastest. Outside DLA, combined synopsis/solicitations (the one-step format used for most commercial purchases) had a median of 12.8 days, and 41.3% gave fewer than 10. Standalone solicitations had a median of 21.1 days.
- Construction gets the most time; IT and software buys are among the shortest. Outside DLA, construction solicitations had a median of 29.2 days, and 47.2% gave 30 days or more. Solicitations under NAICS 541519, Other Computer Related Services, had a median of 8.3 days.
- September is a sprint. Outside DLA, solicitations posted in September 2026 gave a median of 8.1 days by their original deadlines, and 57.7% gave fewer than 10. From February through July, the median was about 14 days and that share stayed between 31% and 35%.
- Deadlines often move. At least 26.8% of solicitations outside DLA had their deadline pushed later by an amendment.
- Sources sought responses are due fast. The median sources sought notice gave 10.8 days. At the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the median was 8.1 days, and 60.2% gave fewer than 10.
How long do you get to respond to a federal solicitation?
Here is the response window for each notice type in FY2026. "Excluding DLA" is the better guide for most small businesses, for reasons explained in the next section.
| Notice type | Median, all agencies | Median, excluding DLA | Fewer than 10 days, excluding DLA |
|---|---|---|---|
| All solicitations | 12.8 days | 15.1 days | 30.8% |
| Combined synopsis/solicitation | 11.9 days | 12.8 days | 41.3% |
| Solicitation | 22.1 days | 21.1 days | 21.1% |
| Sources sought | 10.8 days | 11.3 days | 44.4% |
| Presolicitation | 15.2 days | 15.1 days | 24.3% |
The middle half of solicitations outside DLA gave between 8.0 and 30.2 days. In plain terms: expect two weeks, plan for one, and treat a month as a gift.
A combined synopsis/solicitation is the short format agencies use for commercial products and services. The notice itself is the request for quotes, so there's no separate announcement first. That's why its windows are short. A standalone solicitation is more often a full request for proposals (RFP) or invitation for bids (IFB), with more pages to read and more to write. See how to read a government solicitation for the difference.
Why do Defense Logistics Agency notices skew the numbers?
DLA posted 92,531 of the 151,634 solicitations in this data, or 61.0%. Most are requests for quotes on spare parts and supplies, posted in high volume on a steady schedule. Their windows cluster tightly: the middle half gave between 10.1 and 15.4 days. Only 3.9% gave 30 days or more, and only 1.5% were extended.
That's a very different market from a cleaning contract at a VA clinic or a repair job at a national park. If you sell parts and supplies to the military, the "all agencies" numbers describe your world. If you sell services or construction, use the "excluding DLA" numbers. The data file has both versions of every breakdown.
Which agencies give the most and least time?
These are the departments with the most solicitations in FY2026, leaving out DLA. "30 days or more" shows how often an agency gave at least a month.
| Department | Solicitations | Median window | 30 days or more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defense (excluding DLA) | 30,007 | 18.5 days | 33.6% |
| Veterans Affairs | 6,509 | 14.1 days | 19.9% |
| Interior | 4,093 | 17.0 days | 22.9% |
| Homeland Security | 3,939 | 9.9 days | 9.7% |
| Agriculture | 2,994 | 14.2 days | 17.4% |
| State | 2,404 | 20.0 days | 27.3% |
| Justice | 1,886 | 12.1 days | 9.0% |
| Health and Human Services | 1,789 | 11.2 days | 11.9% |
| Energy | 1,349 | 14.1 days | 13.3% |
| Commerce | 1,036 | 13.7 days | 8.2% |
| NASA | 752 | 6.0 days | 6.9% |
| General Services Administration | 669 | 18.9 days | 28.0% |
| Transportation | 440 | 27.9 days | 45.7% |
The shortest windows came from NASA, where 79.9% of solicitations gave fewer than 10 days, and Homeland Security, at 50.9%. The State Department was the most consistent: only 7.7% gave fewer than 10 days.
Inside the big departments, individual agencies differ a lot. Within Defense, the Navy had a median of 26.1 days, the Air Force 15.8 and the Army 14.9. Within Homeland Security, most solicitations came from the Coast Guard, with a median of 9.9 days and 35.0% under a week. Within Interior, the National Park Service gave a median of 25.0 days.
The agency rows in the data file cover 39 agencies outside DLA with at least 100 solicitations each. You can also see what each agency buys, and from whom, on FedReady's agency pages.
Which industries get more time to respond?
The type of work matters more than the agency. These are selected large industry sectors outside DLA, by the NAICS code on each notice. The data file has every sector.
| NAICS sector | Solicitations | Median window | 30 days or more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing (31-33) | 31,028 | 14.0 days | 23.7% |
| Construction (23) | 7,646 | 29.2 days | 47.2% |
| Administrative, support and waste services (56) | 4,637 | 17.0 days | 21.9% |
| Professional, scientific and technical services (54) | 3,888 | 16.1 days | 26.7% |
| Repair, maintenance and other services (81) | 3,058 | 13.8 days | 13.9% |
| Information (51) | 1,674 | 12.1 days | 22.5% |
| Health care and social assistance (62) | 816 | 20.9 days | 30.9% |
Individual codes show the same split. Outside DLA, solicitations under 236220, Commercial and Institutional Building Construction, had a median of 35.0 days, and only 2.2% gave less than a week. Under 541330, Engineering Services, the median was 28.9 days. Janitorial services (561720) and landscaping (561730) both had medians of about 18 days.
At the other end, IT and software buys were among the shortest. 541519, Other Computer Related Services, had a median of 8.3 days, and 55.8% gave fewer than 10. Software publishers (513210) had a median of 7.1 days. Many of these are quick buys of named products, software licenses and renewals.
Updated daily from SAM.gov
Open construction solicitations
Construction notices usually give the longest windows, because bidders need site visits, subcontractor quotes and bonding.
Do set-asides come with longer deadlines?
Mostly not. Outside DLA, total small business set-asides, by far the most common kind, had a median of 14.0 days, a little shorter than the 17.8 days for solicitations with no set-aside.
| Set-aside type (excluding DLA) | Solicitations | Median window | Fewer than 10 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| No set-aside | 29,639 | 17.8 days | 28.2% |
| Total small business | 24,454 | 14.0 days | 35.1% |
| SDVOSB | 3,061 | 16.5 days | 23.9% |
| 8(a) | 426 | 25.9 days | 26.5% |
| WOSB and EDWOSB | 315 | 18.8 days | 21.0% |
| HUBZone | 146 | 27.4 days | 15.1% |
The smaller programs had longer medians, but the 8(a), WOSB and HUBZone rows are small samples, so read them loosely. Don't count on a set-aside for extra time. Your preparation is what buys you time. See set-aside contracts explained for how each program works.
When are deadlines the shortest?
At the end of the fiscal year. The federal fiscal year ends September 30, and many agencies are trying to award one-year funds before they expire, which likely explains part of the drop. Outside DLA, the share of solicitations giving fewer than 10 days, by their original deadlines, held between 31% and 35% from January through July, then rose to 39.4% in August and 57.7% in September.
| Month posted (excluding DLA) | Median, original deadline | Fewer than 10 days, original deadline |
|---|---|---|
| January 2026 | 14.6 days | 32.3% |
| April 2026 | 14.0 days | 34.3% |
| July 2026 | 14.0 days | 34.5% |
| August 2026 | 12.9 days | 39.4% |
| September 2026 | 8.1 days | 57.7% |
This table uses each notice's original deadline, as first posted, because our data doesn't include amendments posted after September 25. Late-year notices haven't had their later extensions counted yet, so their final windows would look shorter than they really were. The original deadline isn't affected.
We left October through December 2025 out of this table. Funding lapsed from October 1 to November 12, 2025, which disrupted posting and deadlines early in the year. Our data also can't fully separate new notices in those months from amendments to notices first posted in FY2025 (see the methodology). The data file has all 12 months, using final deadlines.
On Fridays and Mondays. Outside DLA, 23.9% of solicitation deadlines fell on a Friday and 22.3% on a Monday. A Monday deadline often means your real working time ends Friday afternoon. Only 2.0% fell on a weekend.
How often do deadlines get extended?
More often than you might think. Outside DLA, about half of solicitations (30,188 of 59,103) were amended at least once. Of those, 52.6% moved the deadline later. That's 26.8% of all solicitations outside DLA, and 1.3% moved earlier. The true share extended is likely a little higher, because amendments posted after September 25, 2026 aren't in our data. Standalone solicitations were extended more often (29.1%) than combined synopsis/solicitations (24.4%).
Extensions add up. The median window outside DLA was 14.0 days based on the original deadline and 15.1 days after extensions.
Don't plan around an extension, though. Most notices kept their first deadline. Agencies must amend a solicitation when the requirement changes, but they don't have to extend it just because a vendor asks. If you need more time, you can ask the contracting officer, but plan to meet the deadline you have.
Always check the latest amendment
The deadline on the first version of a notice may not be the real one. Amendments can move the due date earlier or later and change what you must submit. On SAM.gov, check the notice's history before you submit, and use the "Follow" option so you get an email when it changes.
How long do sources sought and presolicitation notices give?
Sources sought notices are market research. The agency wants to know who could do the work before it decides how to buy it, and whether to set it aside. In FY2026, the median sources sought notice gave 10.8 days, 26.7% gave less than a week, and only 9.6% gave a month or more.
| Department (all agencies) | Sources sought notices | Median window | Fewer than 10 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defense (including DLA) | 12,798 | 11.1 days | 46.7% |
| Veterans Affairs | 4,770 | 8.1 days | 60.2% |
| Health and Human Services | 1,123 | 9.9 days | 51.6% |
| Homeland Security | 662 | 14.1 days | 23.4% |
| Interior | 626 | 10.0 days | 50.5% |
A sources sought response is usually a short capability statement and a few answers. With a week or less to respond, you need those materials ready before the notice appears. The sources sought guide has a free response template.
Presolicitation notices announce that a solicitation is coming. Their dates are less consistent: some are the date for responses or questions, and some are an estimate of when the solicitation will post. The median was 15.2 days.
What the rules say about response time
The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) sets only a few hard minimums, and most notices on SAM.gov fall outside them.
| Kind of buy | Minimum response time |
|---|---|
| At or below the simplified acquisition threshold ($350,000) | None set: a "reasonable opportunity to respond" |
| Commercial products or services, any size | None set: a "reasonable opportunity to respond" |
| Non-commercial, above $350,000 | At least 30 days |
| Research and development | At least 45 days (above $350,000 under the older FAR text) |
| Sealed bids (IFBs) that require a synopsis | At least 30 calendar days |
| Sources sought and requests for information | None |
Buys covered by international trade agreements generally have their own minimum, 40 days under the older FAR text, which can drop to as few as 10 when the buy was listed in an annual forecast.
When there's no fixed minimum, the contracting officer sets the time based on "complexity, commerciality, availability, and urgency." So a 7-day window on a large commercial purchase isn't necessarily against the rules. That helps explain why combined synopsis/solicitations, which are used for commercial buys, have the shortest windows in our data.
The rules on advance notice are similar. Non-commercial buys above $350,000 need a notice at least 15 days before the solicitation is issued. Commercial buys can skip it and post a combined synopsis/solicitation instead. Smaller buys posted on SAM.gov that accept electronic responses don't need one either.
During FY2026, many agencies moved to the rewritten Part 5 from the FAR overhaul, on different dates. The Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services switched on November 3, 2025, and the Department of Defense on February 1, 2026. The new text keeps the same minimums in substance, so it doesn't change the picture in this data.
Late is late
A proposal that arrives after the exact deadline is "late" and generally won't be considered. The exceptions are narrow. If a solicitation gives no time of day, the default is 4:30 p.m. local time at the receiving office. Submit early, and get a confirmation that it arrived.
What this means for a small business
- Have your documents ready before the notice posts. With a median of about two weeks, and often less, you won't have time to write a capability statement, gather past performance and price the job from scratch. Build them now. See how to write a capability statement.
- Check for new notices every day. A notice that sits in your inbox for a week may have only a few days left. Save your searches on SAM.gov or in FedReady's free search with email alerts, so new matches reach you within a day of posting.
- Decide fast whether to bid. Spend your limited days on notices you can win. Read the scope, the evaluation criteria and the deadline first, then decide. Our first-contract guide covers how to pick.
- Plan for September. If you sell to the government, block time in the last weeks of the fiscal year. More than half of the solicitations outside DLA gave fewer than 10 days in September 2026, by their original deadlines.
- Respond to sources sought within the week. Half are due in under 11 days, and they shape whether the real solicitation is set aside for small businesses.
- Read every amendment. About a quarter of deadlines moved later, and 1.3% moved earlier.
- Get free help. An APEX Accelerator counselor can review a bid with you at no cost, but book them early. They can't help on a three-day turnaround.
Methodology
All figures come from SAM.gov's public Contract Opportunities data extracts.
- Source files. The FY2026 archived-notices file from SAM.gov Data Services (FY2026_archived_opportunities.csv, dated October 4, 2026) plus the active-notices file downloaded September 25, 2026 (ContractOpportunitiesFullCSV.csv). Together they cover notices posted from October 1, 2025 that were still on SAM.gov, whether archived or active. Rows were matched by notice ID.
- Notices measured. Notices first posted from October 1, 2025 through September 24, 2026, U.S. Eastern time, of four types: Solicitation, Combined Synopsis/Solicitation, Sources Sought and Presolicitation. "Solicitations" means the first two together. Award notices and justifications have no response window. Special notices (events, requests for information and other announcements) aren't requests for offers. All were left out.
- Amendments. Each amendment is a separate record on SAM.gov. We grouped versions by department, solicitation number and notice type (solicitation, sources sought or presolicitation), so each notice counts once. Notices without a solicitation number count on their own.
- Window. Days from the first version's posted date and time to the response deadline on the latest version that has one. The "original" window uses the first version's deadline instead. A notice counts as extended when its final deadline is more than one hour later than its first.
- Time zones. SAM.gov posted dates carry no time zone and are read as U.S. Eastern. Deadlines without a time zone are read as Eastern, and deadlines with no time as 11:59 p.m. that day. This can shift a window by a few hours, not days.
- Exclusions. 1,441 notices had no response deadline. Another 1,785 had a window below zero or above 365 days, which are almost always data entry errors. All were left out. That leaves 191,950 notices: 151,634 solicitations, 22,561 sources sought and 17,755 presolicitations.
- DLA. "Excluding DLA" drops notices from the Defense Logistics Agency sub-tier, which posted 61.0% of all solicitations.
- Breakdowns. Agency is the department and sub-tier on the latest version. Industry is the NAICS code on the latest version. Set-aside is SAM.gov's set-aside code, with related codes combined (for example, WOSB and EDWOSB, set-aside and sole source). Tables in the data file show groups with at least 100 notices (50 for set-aside types).
- Known gaps. Versions posted before October 1, 2025 aren't in these files, so some notices first posted in FY2025 and amended later appear as new FY2026 notices. This mainly affects October through December 2025: leaving out those months' groups whose solicitation numbers carry an FY2025 or earlier year code moves the headline median outside DLA from 15.1 to 15.0 days. Amendments posted after September 25, 2026 aren't included either, so final windows and extension rates for notices posted late in the year are understated.
- What's not here. Notices that agencies deleted from SAM.gov, buys that never appear on SAM.gov (such as most orders under GSA Schedules and other contract vehicles), and DLA quotes that are only on the DLA Internet Bid Board System (DIBBS).
How to cite this report
FedReady, "How long do agencies give you to respond? Federal solicitation response times, FY2026," October 2026, https://www.fedready.us/guides/federal-solicitation-response-times-fy2026. Data: SAM.gov Contract Opportunities data extracts.
You're welcome to use the tables with a link back to this page. The full data is free to download as a CSV or as JSON with the method notes, under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license.
Frequently asked questions
How long do you usually have to respond to a federal solicitation?
In FY2026, the median solicitation on SAM.gov gave 12.8 days from posting to the final deadline. Leaving out the Defense Logistics Agency's parts buys, the median was 15.1 days, and 30.8% gave fewer than 10 days.
How long do you have to respond to a sources sought notice?
Usually about a week and a half. The median sources sought notice in FY2026 gave 10.8 days, and 26.7% gave less than a week. VA sources sought notices had a median of 8.1 days.
Which kinds of contracts give the most time to respond?
Construction. Outside the Defense Logistics Agency, construction solicitations had a median window of 29.2 days in FY2026, and 47.2% gave 30 days or more. IT and software buys were among the shortest, often about a week.
Can I ask for more time to respond?
You can ask the contracting officer, but they don't have to agree. When an agency does extend a deadline, it issues an amendment on SAM.gov that applies to every vendor. About a quarter of solicitations outside DLA were extended in FY2026.
Why are deadlines so short in September?
September is the last month of the federal fiscal year, and agencies often hurry to award contracts before some of their funding expires. Outside DLA, 57.7% of solicitations posted in September 2026 gave fewer than 10 days by their original deadlines.
Look it up
- Open federal contractsEvery open SAM.gov notice, searchable by NAICS, set-aside and state
- Contracts by agencyWhat each agency buys, how much goes to small businesses, and who wins
- Contracts by industry and stateOpen work, top buyers and winners for common small-business trades
Sources
- Contract Opportunities data extracts (Data Services), GSA, SAM.gov
- FAR 5.203 Publicizing and response time, Acquisition.gov
- FAR 12.603 Streamlined solicitation for commercial products or commercial services, Acquisition.gov
- FAR overhaul Part 5, Publicizing Contract Actions, Acquisition.gov
- FAR 14.202-1 Bidding time, Acquisition.gov
- FAR 15.208 Submission, modification, revision, and withdrawal of proposals, Acquisition.gov
- FAR 15.206 Amending the solicitation, Acquisition.gov
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Rules and thresholds change, so confirm details on SAM.gov and the official agency sites linked above before you act. FedReady is an independent company and is not affiliated with any government agency.