How to Get Government Contracts: A 90-Day Plan for Your First Win

To get government contracts as a small business, register on SAM.gov first. Then focus on a few agencies that already buy what you sell, get known to them before they post work, and bid on small, simple buys a new business can realistically win. The plan below spreads that over three 30-day phases, each with a checklist. Be realistic: 90 days is enough time to be submitting bids, but getting your first government contract often takes longer.

How to get government contracts: your 90-day plan at a glance

How long does it take to get a government contract?

Longer than most people hope. Ninety days is enough to get ready and start bidding, but maybe not to win. A few things set the pace, and you control only some of them:

• Registration. Plan on at least 10 business days after you submit. The Federal Service Desk says the outside checks alone can take 10 to 15 business days. If SAM.gov can't match your business name and address, you'll upload documents for a manual review, and some cases take several weeks.
• A new EIN. If the IRS just issued your Employer Identification Number (EIN), wait at least 5 weeks after the IRS letter before you register. Registering sooner can make the IRS tax ID match fail.
• The buying calendar. Agencies post work when they need it, and each award takes time to evaluate after the deadline.

So measure your first 90 days by bids submitted, not contracts won. Every bid teaches you something about pricing and what buyers want.

Days 1 to 30: get set up

• Start your SAM.gov registration, and note the date you submit it
• Book a free session with an APEX Accelerator or SBDC
• Pick your NAICS codes and check your size under each one
• Decide what you'll sell first: one or two services or products, not everything
• Get ready to accept the government purchase card
• Draft a one-page capability statement
• Save searches for your NAICS codes and keywords

Register on SAM.gov now (it's free)

Everything else waits on this. You must be registered on SAM.gov when you submit an offer or quote and when the contract is awarded, so start on day 1. Our guide to registering on SAM.gov walks through each step.

Registration costs nothing. In SAM.gov's own words, "SAM.gov is FREE to use." If an email or caller offers to register you for a fee, read how to spot SAM.gov registration scams first.

Choose your NAICS codes and check your size

NAICS codes describe your industry, and each one has a size standard based on either average annual receipts or number of employees. Check yours with SBA's Size Standards Tool. You're judged against the code the contracting officer puts on each solicitation, so list every code you'd realistically bid under. See how to choose NAICS codes.

Sell by purchase card while you wait

Purchases under the $15,000 micro-purchase threshold that are made and paid for with a government purchase card don't require SAM.gov registration. The limit is lower for some work covered by federal wage laws: $2,000 for construction and $2,500 for certain services. Agencies can also set lower card limits.

Two rules help newcomers here. A buyer can make a micro-purchase without getting competing quotes if the price is reasonable. And buyers are told to spread micro-purchases among qualified suppliers where practical. If nearby federal offices buy what you sell, make it easy for them to pay you by card.

Write your capability statement

A capability statement is the one-page summary you'll send to agencies and primes in phase 2. Our guide includes a free Word template.

Set up your searches

SAM.gov lets you save searches and follow notices. You can also browse open opportunities by NAICS code, keyword and set-aside in FedReady's free search, which updates daily from SAM.gov data. Check your searches a few times a week from now on.

Days 31 to 60: research and get noticed

• Look up past awards in your NAICS codes on USAspending.gov
• Pick 3 to 5 target agencies or buying offices
• Check those agencies' procurement forecasts
• Respond to sources sought notices that fit your business
• Email each target agency's small business office and ask for a short call
• Attend an APEX Accelerator or agency outreach event
• Contact a few larger companies about subcontracting

Research who already buys what you sell

Search USAspending.gov by your NAICS codes. It shows which agencies and offices bought the work, who won, how much each award was worth, and when each contract ends. Look for offices that buy the same thing year after year, awards sized for your business, and contracts ending soon, since the work may be bid again.

Then check agency plans. Acquisition.gov links to procurement forecasts from more than 20 agencies, which list buys they expect to make.

Answer sources sought notices

A sources sought notice is market research: the agency is asking who can do the work before it decides how to buy. Under the rule of two, a contracting officer must set a buy above $15,000 aside for small businesses if they expect offers from at least two capable small businesses at fair prices. Your response helps show that those businesses exist.

Keep responses short and specific. Answer every question in the notice, attach a tailored capability statement, and mention similar work you've done.

Meet agency small business offices

The law requires a small business office in each agency with buying authority. Many are called the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU); others, including the Defense Department's, are called the Office of Small Business Programs. SBA says these offices help identify contracting opportunities and host training and networking events.

Email the office at each target agency with a short introduction and your capability statement. Ask a few specific questions:

• Which offices buy what I sell, and how do they buy it?
• Are any buys in my NAICS codes coming up?
• Do local offices use the purchase card for this kind of work?
• Are any vendor outreach events coming up?

Look for subcontracting work

Large businesses that win federal contracts above $900,000 ($2 million for construction) generally need a subcontracting plan with goals for using small businesses. That makes them potential customers. SBA's SubNet lists subcontracting opportunities posted by large contractors looking for small businesses. A subcontract also gives you past performance to cite later.

Days 61 to 90: how to bid on government contracts

This is where you start submitting. As a small business, your edge is focus: bid on fewer, better-matched opportunities rather than everything in your codes.

• Confirm your SAM.gov registration is active before you submit anything
• Shortlist small business set-asides in your codes under $350,000
• Run a go/no-go check on each one
• Price from your real costs, including any wage determination
• Submit early, and keep the confirmation
• Ask for feedback or a debriefing after every loss

Start with small, simple buys

Buys up to the $350,000 simplified acquisition threshold can use simplified procedures, often a request for quote (RFQ) instead of a long proposal. Look for combined synopsis/solicitations too, where the announcement and the full request come in one notice. On September 25, 2026, FedReady's search showed about 4,700 of them open, and about 2,700 open notices set aside for small businesses in general.

Bid on work you could deliver comfortably with the team you have now. A first contract you perform well is worth more than a big one you struggle with.

How to get government contracts with no experience

No federal track record is normal for a first bid, and the rules account for it. A business can't be found nonresponsible just because it lacks a performance history. When past performance is scored, an offeror with no relevant record "may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably" on it.

You can also build a record fast:

• Offer similar commercial work as past performance when a solicitation lets you.
• Take card micro-purchases, which need no SAM.gov registration and often no competing quotes.
• Subcontract to a larger business on a federal job, then cite that work.

Make a go/no-go decision

Before you spend hours on a bid, answer these questions:

1. Can you do this exact work, at this location, by these dates?
2. Are you small under the NAICS code on this solicitation?
3. Does the set-aside require a certification you don't hold?
4. Do you meet the licensing, insurance or bonding requirements?
5. Do you understand how offers will be evaluated?

If any answer is no, pass and move on. Our guide to reading a government solicitation shows where to find each answer.

Price to win, and still make money

Start from your full costs: labor, materials, travel, insurance, overhead and profit. Federal wage laws cover most service contracts over $2,500 and construction contracts over $2,000. Those solicitations include a wage determination that sets minimum pay and benefits, so build it into your labor rates. Check what similar work sold for on USAspending.gov. Then read how the buyer will choose: lowest price technically acceptable means price decides among acceptable offers, while a best value tradeoff weighs price against other factors.

Submit on time, exactly as asked

Follow the submission instructions to the letter, and acknowledge every amendment. Deadlines are exact: offers that arrive after the stated time are generally not considered, with narrow exceptions. Check the time zone, submit a day early, and save your confirmation.

Ask for a debriefing

If you lose a negotiated contract, request a debriefing in writing within 3 days after you receive the award notice. The agency must cover the significant weaknesses in your proposal, the winner's overall price and technical rating, and why it chose the winner. For smaller, simplified buys, ask the contracting officer to explain the award decision.

After the bid: what to do if you win or lose

If you win

• Read the whole contract. Note every deliverable, deadline, report and invoicing instruction.
• Set up invoicing. Many civilian agencies use Treasury's free Invoice Processing Platform (IPP); the Defense Department uses Wide Area WorkFlow (WAWF).
• Know when you'll be paid. Payment is generally due 30 days after the agency receives a proper invoice or accepts the work, whichever is later. For small businesses, agencies aim to pay within 15 days.
• Keep SAM.gov active. Renew every 365 days and stay registered through final payment. No awards or payments can be processed while your registration is inactive.
• Perform well. On most contracts above the simplified acquisition threshold ($900,000 or more for construction), the agency must rate your work in CPARS, and future evaluators read those ratings.
• Update your capability statement with the new contract.

If you lose

Get the debriefing or explanation, fix what it points to, and bid again. Look up the award notice to see who won and at what price, and use that in your next pricing.

Losses also create leads. If a larger business beat you, ask whether it needs a subcontractor for the work. And keep your routine going: new notices post every day.

Free help at every step

You don't need a paid consultant to follow this plan. These organizations help at no cost:

Next steps

Start with the pieces of phase 1: register on SAM.gov and write your capability statement. Then learn how to find government contracts as they're posted, and which set-aside programs you might qualify for.

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.